New Carbon-Negative Fuel Plant

By DTN Staff

OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) -- New Energy Blue announced its planned construction in Iowa of a biomass refinery to produce renewable carbon-negative automotive fuel, which replaces gasoline.

The company is developing New Energy Freedom biomass refinery on a 155-acre site near Mason City, Iowa, locally sourcing 275,000 tons of crop residue--cornstalks and wheat straw -- which will be converted into 20 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol and 95 tons of lignin, a solid biofuel and natural binder. Half the greenhouse-gas reduction comes from replacing petroleum products, the other half from sequestering soil carbons through best farming practices.

"Our Iowa project can keep one million tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere every year -- like taking 200,000 cars off the road," said Thomas Corle, CEO. "Future refineries are expected to be twice the size of the first."

Corle continued, "Our cellulosic fuel can exceed California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard policy and its rigorous air quality requirements. Other states continue to adopt similar policies, which drive the growing global demand for carbon-negative transportation fuels."

Strong demand is also expected for the refinery's lignin. Produced by a clean process, it can replace oil-derived bitumen as the binder in asphalt.

"A greener way to pave roads and shingle roofs," Corle said.

New Blue Energy has completed process engineering around several different feedstocks and is now completing a site-specific design for construction next year in Iowa. The company plans to build four more biomass refineries over the next six years.

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