POET producing corn oil at 25 biorefineries

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Twenty-five of POET's network of 27 biorefineries, including Cloverdale, have now installed its patent-pending corn oil technology, bringing its total capacity to approximately 250,000 tons per year, enough feedstock to produce 68 million gallons of biodiesel annually.

POET has been selling Voilą corn oil into biodiesel and feed markets since January 2011, when POET Biorefining -- Hudson (S.D.) first began to produce it on a commercial scale. Strong demand for the product prompted upgrades at the majority of the plants in the POET network.

"Having a more diverse portfolio of products has been a benefit for POET, particularly when ethanol margins are challenging," POET CEO Jeff Lautt said. "Expanding our product line is an important part of our strategy for growth."

One of POET's four Ingreenuity goals is to increase production of bio-based products. Corn oil is playing an important role in reaching that goal.

"There's a bio-based solution to so much of what petroleum supplies today," Lautt said. "It's exciting for me to see POET playing a large part in providing those solutions."

Voilą is just one item on POET's growing list of products created at its plants. In addition to ethanol, POET produces quality products for animal feed including Dakota Gold distillers dried grains. POET also captures carbon dioxide at five of its plants for sale to beverage producers and other users.

About POET

POET, one of the world's largest ethanol producers, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 25-year-old company has a production capacity in excess of 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol and 9 billion pounds of high-protein animal feed annually from its network of 27 production facilities. POET also operates a pilot-scale cellulosic bio-ethanol plant, which uses corn cobs, leaves, husk and some stalk as feedstock, and expects to commercialize the process in Emmetsburg, Iowa through its joint venture with DSM. For more information, visit www.poet.com.