United Ethanol to use membrane system to increase production capacity

US ethanol producer United Ethanol will use a modular membrane system at its plant in Milton, Wisconsin, to boost production. According to a statement, the bolt-on system from Whitefox Technologies will increase the annual production capacity of the facility to over 60 million gallons by freeing up capacity in the distillation-dehydration section.

As well as increasing production rates, the Whitefox ICE (Integrated Cartridge Technology) system will improve operational and energy efficiencies and reduce cooling water load by removing process bottlenecks.

“Many US ethanol plants are increasing production capacity to capitalise on market opportunities. The Whitefox system allows us to expand and at the same time reduce natural gas, power and cooling water usage,” explained David Cramer, United Ethanol president and CEO.

“This helps us to achieve our overall mission of being a low-cost producer of fuel ethanol, enabling United Ethanol to maximise the returns for our shareholders while providing economic benefits to our local Wisconsin communities.”

United Ethanol’s COO, Chad Campbell, had already seen a similar Whitefox ICE installation at Pine Lake Corn Processors in Iowa. “We are looking forward to the positive impact we expect to see from the beer column through to dehydration, as removing the regen stream will help to eliminate our current bottlenecks and stabilise operations. We are always keen to introduce technology improvements and ensure we are as efficient as we can be.”

Whitefox Technologies specialises in technology development and process integration based on its advanced membrane dehydration systems. The company delivers process engineering expertise alongside its membrane module design.

Paul Kamp, Whitefox VP of Business Development North America, said: “A Whitefox ICE installation is a non-disruptive, integrated bolt-on solution that dehydrates the recycle streams from the molecular sieves to finished, in-spec fuel ethanol product,” said Paul Kamp, Whitefox VP of Business Development North America. “We are very pleased to be working with United Ethanol and look forward to delivering a fourth Whitefox ICE installation in the US in 2018.”

Whitefox CEO Gillian Harrison said: “I was struck by the visionary approach of United Ethanol to bring the local agri-business community together through ethanol production. United Ethanol is an excellent example of how the US ethanol industry benefits US consumers by producing a high-quality, low cost fuel and helps to support rural America. We are very happy to be working together with Mr Cramer and his team.”