NCGA
CEO Joins Discussion on Future of Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
(2-3-04)
The
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and several other agriculture
groups met with governmental agencies last week to discuss possibilities
for future research at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
The $20-million pilot ethanol
plant, the only facility in the world that features both wet-mill
and dry-mill production technology, is scheduled to open in April.
NCGA CEO Rick Tolman said the center offers a wealth of research potential
and last week's meeting was important in deciding which direction
that research will take.
"It's a state-of-the-art
facility with limitless possibilities," Tolman said. "We're
excited to be included in the decision-making process on what types
of research will be conducted there. The plant's value to ethanol
research will surely be immeasurable."
Tolman joined representatives
from the Renewable Fuels Association, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
U.S. Department of Energy, Archer Daniels Midland, Broin and a number
of other ethanol interests to provide input on the direction of the
new center. He said there is a long "waiting list" of groups
and entities interested in conducting research at the facility.
The group discussed what
types of efforts ought to be considered first, as well as some of
the parameters and criteria the center might use in evaluating requests.
It was agreed that research focusing on increasing the efficiency
of ethanol production and increasing the value of ethanol co-products
should be high priorities.
"This facility will
have a practical hands-on commercialization focus," said Tolman.
"It is designed to test and bring new technology to full-scale
production, and that is exactly what we need in the industry at this
point in time."
Several other related topics
were discussed at the meeting, including a new "Net Energy Value
of Ethanol Report," which is being generated by USDA. The report
is part of a larger ethanol benchmarking study that USDA will update
every two years. Preliminary data from the report shows that the net
energy balance for ethanol from dry mills is considerably higher than
data presented in previous studies. The full report will be released
later in the year.