EPA approves first registration for D3 RINs

Edeniq Inc. has announced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Pacific Ethanol Inc.’s registration of its Stockton ethanol plant to generate D3 cellulosic Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) using Edeniq’s Pathway Technology.

“This approval is a landmark for the ethanol industry and our company,” said Brian Thome, President and CEO of Edeniq. “This opens the door for low-cost production of cellulosic ethanol from corn kernel fiber in existing fermentation vessels to drive yields to 3 gal./BUl. While we have long heard the story – ‘Cellulosic ethanol will be here in five to ten years,’ Edeniq’s Pathway Technology for profitably producing cellulosic ethanol is here today. A 120 million gallon per year corn ethanol plant can increase its revenue by up to $10 million or more through integration of Pathway, with very little investment and a less than one-year payback. This is a game-changer for the cellulosic ethanol industry, which has historically focused on investing in new plants.”

Edeniq’s Pathway Technology is the lowest-cost solution for producing cellulosic ethanol from corn kernel fiber using existing fermenters at corn ethanol plants.

The Pathway Technology combination of cellulase enzyme and Edeniq’s Cellunator high-shear milling equipment. This produces up to 2.5% cellulosic ethanol, up to a 7% increase in overall ethanol yield due to yield enhancement from starch and cellulose, and up to a 30% increase in corn oil recovery.

Pacific Ethanol started producing cellulosic ethanol at its 60 million gal./yr Stockton plant in December 2015 using the Pathway Technology.

Neil Koehler, the company’s President and CEO, stated: “The EPA-approved registration for generating cellulosic ethanol and D3 RINs is an important milestone in our strategy to be a leading producer of cellulosic ethanol. We expect to produce over one million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol at our Stockton facility. With the high-value D3 RINs, the carbon credit under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and the federal Second Generation Biofuel Producer tax credit, we expect that cellulosic ethanol production will materially contribute to the profitability of our Stockton facility. As we confirm and optimise our cellulosic ethanol production process, we will look toward expanding this to other Pacific Ethanol plants.”

“Our Pathway Technology offers a very attractive value proposition for every plant configuration,” said Cam Cast, Chief Operating Officer of Edeniq. “Customer interest in our Pathway Technology is very strong right now, and market adoption of our technology in the U.S. alone could add over 300 million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol. We are excited to be working with ethanol plants on several new commercial trials in addition to previously announced licenses. Our team is inside plants on a weekly basis working side-by-side with our customers, and our pipeline continues to grow. We particularly want to thank the Pacific Ethanol Stockton plant for their partnership in commercialising the Pathway Technology.”

Edited from press release by Angharad Lock

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/14092016/epa-approves-first-registration-for-d3-rins-28439/