Week Proves Hazardous for Renewable Fuels Plants

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--This week has been a tough one for the safety managers at certain renewable fuels plants. The week has brought three ethanol plant fires, a corn mill entrapment and a pellet mill fire.

Golden Triangle Energy's ethanol plant in Craig, Missouri, temporarily stopped production this week when one of the plant's distillers grain dryers caught fire. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the fire suppression system worked fine.

The hammermill at Valero Energy's (NYSE:VLO) (San Antonio, Texas) ethanol plant in Fort Dodge, Iowa, smoked for a while, but no fire and no injuries resulted. However, things were different in nearby Nevada, Iowa. Three employees sustained minor injuries when a steam pipe burst at Lincolnway Energy's ethanol plant. Production was not stopped. An employee at Center Ethanol's plant in Sauget, Illinois, was trapped in a corn-storage bin for about two hours.

Things took a more serious turn at Hamer Pellet Fuel Company's wood fuel pellet plant in Elkins, West Virginia. A sawdust holding area caught fire and damaged about $100,000 worth of machinery. There were no injuries, but the plant was temporarily shut down.

Industrial Info's databases provide a comprehensive outline of all current development activities in the emerging alternative fuels market. Our North American Biodiesel Database covers 149 operational plants and 104 plants under development. Our North American Ethanol Database covers 218 plants currently in operation and 109 plants in various phases of development. Our North American Wood Fuel Pellet Database includes 66 operational plants producing greater than 25,000 tons annually, and 39 projects under construction.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities