Biofuels Digest today released its latest “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy” list, and POET came out ranked #4.
It’s a ranking determined by voters with experience in bioenergy and subscribers to the publication, so it’s a special honor to be recognized by peers as a “hot” company. POET was unique in its inclusion as the top large-scale ethanol producer working with grain and cellulose.
POET reached some notable milestones over the past year in the areas of cellulosic ethanol, new products and green technology.
1. Cellulosic ethanol advancement (Project LIBERTY):
- Approved for a $105 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy for Project LIBERTY construction
- Completed the first commercial-scale biomass harvest of 56,000 tons for cellulosic ethanol in Emmetsburg, Iowa and commenced the second harvest
- Built a 22-acre biomass stack yard at the Project LIBERTY site with work continuing this fall
2. Developed new products:
- Branded zein product “Inviz™,” which can be used as a gum base or in films, packaging, adhesives, coatings, glazes and more
- Branded corn oil “Voilà!™,” which is being sold to biodiesel producers. Plan to install technology to more POET plants, with a potential of enough corn oil to supply feedstock for 50 million gallons of biodiesel per year.
3. Green technology:
- Installed POET’s Total Water Recovery system to more POET plants, for a total of 18 plants today. The system has reduced overall water use by more than 650 million gallons of water per year over 2009 baseline. The company-wide average water use per gallon of ethanol is now at 2.6
- Installed a waste heat recovery system that saves energy in POET Biorefining – Caro (Mich.).
