Arizona Grain Inc., an agricultural supplier to the United States and around the world, is the driving force behind a new ethanol plant, Pinal Energy. Under construction near Maricopa, the plant will sit on 24 acres, consisting of multiple processing buildings, tanks and piping. The plant is expected to open in May 2007 with 45 employees.
Brian Pasbrig, plant manager, says it has taken a while to start construction on the plant, mainly due to multiple permits needed.
“We had to get an air permit from Arizona’s Department of Environmental Quality since the plant is an air emissions source,” he says. “That took roughly six to nine months. There are several other permits through the city of Maricopa and some county permits. Our building permits are still ongoing; it’s taken 10 months so far.”
Ethanol is produced using any starch-based product. This includes corn, sorghum, switch grass, wheat and barley. Pasbrig adds that they are encouraging local agricultural farmers to grow sorghum or milo, which can also be used, but corn is the predominate source.
Upon construction completion, Pinal Energy will be the only local source of ethanol. “We’ll start out using corn to make the ethanol,” Pasbrig says. “The leftover corn is a great product for local dairies, so we’ll be providing animal feed for local agriculture people. We want to encourage the Arizona agricultural community to produce products we can use for ethanol rather than importing it all from the Midwest.”
In the processing plant, one bushel of corn (56 pounds) will produce 2.8 gallons of ethanol, notes Pasbrig. Approximately 20 pounds of corn produces one gallon of ethanol.
According to the American Coalition for Ethanol, there are six steps to the process. First, the corn is ground into a fine powder, then liquefied. Next, the substance is cooled and gluco-amylase is added to turn it into fermentable sugars. Yeast is added to ferment the sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide. It then goes through a distillation system which separates the alcohol from solids and water. The alcohol is then dehydrated to remove any excess water; at this stage, the alcohol is 200 proof. In the final stage, two to five percent gasoline is added to denature the ethanol (make it unfit for human consumption).
Pasbrig says the ethanol will be used to produce, among other things, E85. E85 is an alternate fuel consisting of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Currently there are three stations in Tucson providing E85, but ethanol supporters hope to increase that number. Pasbrig says they are working with local fuel providers to open E85 pumps, but he could not provide any firm plans or numbers. Minnesota leads the United States in the number of E85 gas stations with over 200 pumps.
It is important to note, Pasbrig adds, that gasoline currently has 10 percent ethanol. Ethanol is also found in common items used everyday including perfume, aftershave, cleaning supplies and even some beverages, although the distilling process varies for each product. The state of Arizona also uses ethanol to reduce carbon monoxide pollution in the winter.
Interest in ethanol plants has increased in the past several years, and Arizona is no exception. Several companies have announced plans to build plants in Arizona, including one in Vicksburg, but Pasbrig says he is not aware of any that are past the planning stage. The advantages to using ethanol over regular gasoline, he says, is that it burns cleaner, can be a renewable fuel and it contains high octane.
Car manufacturers have recognized the growing interest in using E85 fuels, so several companies are now releasing flex-fuel vehicles. Flex-fuel vehicles can operate on either unleaded gasoline or E85. Pasbrig says some older models can have a conversion kit, which costs roughly $500, installed to operate on E85, but that number is limited to certain makes and models. “Most manufacturers won’t honor any warranties if the car has been altered,” Pasbrig adds, “but that applies to any fuel conversions.”
“We’re going to produce 55 million gallons per year of ethanol that would not be imported from the Midwest,” Pasbrig says. “That will lower the cost of ethanol components fuel for the state and lead the way for making Arizona an ethanol producing powerhouse.”
www.pinalenergyllc.com
www.arizonagrain.com
www.ethanol.org |
n a society that heavily depends on the oil production of the Middle East, hundreds of people are looking for alternative fuel sources—in fact, 60 percent of the U.S. oil supply is imported. But with the world’s growth rate and the increasing amount of oil needed worldwide, a shortage is looming on the horizon. Within Arizona’s borders however, there are plans in the making to help reduce Americans need for “black gold.”
