Pacific Ethanol Squeezes Corn Kernel for Oil

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Pacific Ethanol Incorporated (NASDAQ:PEIX) (Sacramento, California) is managing to squeeze the corn kernel for oil with the recent start-up of its new advanced oil separation system at the company's fuel ethanol plant in Burley, Idaho.

ICM Incorporated (Colwich, Kansas) installed the skid-mounted system developed by ICM that utilizes Tricanter centrifuge oil extraction technology. The extracted corn oil co-product will be used in the production of biodiesel and animal feed.

The system will provide the plant an estimated $4.5 million in revenue per year. Other plant co-products include distillers dried grains and CO2. With the ethanol market continuing to struggle, producers are trying to get everything they can from the corn kernel.

ICM is also installing corn oil extraction systems at Abengoa Bioenergy plants in Mount Vernon, Indiana, and Madison, Illinois. The system costs about $1.2 million to install and will pay for itself in less than a year.

Valero also installed the system at four of its fuel ethanol plants in Iowa last year. The plants are in Albert City, Charles City, Fort Dodge and Hartley.

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