Blue Flint Ethanol

Blue Flint Ethanol is an bioethanol producing company and a production plant with a same name, located in Underwood, North Dakota approximately convert|50|mi|km north of Bismarck. The plant is unique in the fact that rather than burning fuel such as coal or natural gas to drive the production process, waste heat from electrical generation at the Coal Creek Station is used.Cite web
title = Blue Flint Ethanol: Home page
publisher = Blue Flint Ethanol
url = http://www.blueflintethanol.com/index.asp
accessdate = 2008-07-29] The US$100 million dollar plant is capable of processing 18 million bushels of corn to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol each year, and is estimated to have a net annual economic impact of $160 million on the North Dakota economy,Cite web
title = Ethanol Production Using Waste Heat
publisher = Blue Flint Ethanol
url = http://www.blueflintethanol.com/data/upfiles/project/UsingWasteHeat.pdf
format = PDF
accessdate = 2008-07-29] as well as the creation of approximately 40 new jobs to run the plant. In addition to producing ethanol the plant will also produce dry distillers grains, a byproduct of the distillation process which is used as animal feed.Cite news
title = Headwaters and GRE to Create Blue Flint Ethanol Plant
date = 2006-04-03
publisher = Renewable Energy Access
url = http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=44513
accessdate = 2008-07-29] Of the 18 million bushels of corn used each year for feedstock, the majority will be grown in southeast North Dakota and brought in via rail, with the remaining one third being produced locally. In 2006 the Blue Flint Ethanol project was awarded the Project of the Year Award by Governor John Hoeven.

History

The Coal Creek power station which provides the thermal input to the process began construction in 1974, becoming fully operational for electricity production in 1980.Cite web
title = Great River Energy: Coal plants
publisher = Great River Energy
url = http://www.greatriverenergy.com/about/coal_plants.html
accessdate = 2008-07-29] The power plant had already been using heat from some of the steam to dry the lignite coal it burns as fuel, improving its efficiency, however 60% of the steam's heat energy was still being lost.Cite news
title = Blue Flint Ethanol starts production
last = McElroy | first = Anduin Kirkbride
date = 2007-03-15
publiser = Ethanol Producer Magazine
url = http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=2813
accessdate = 2008-07-29] In 2005 Headwaters Incorporated, in conjunction with Great River Energy, announced their plans for the construction of an ethanol production facility collocated with the Coal Creek Power plant.Cite press release
title = Headwaters Incorporated to Expand Alternative Fuels Position with North Dakota Ethanol Project
publisher = Financial Relations Board
date = 2005-03-14
format = PDF
url = http://www.blueflintethanol.com/data/upfiles/project/EthanolII.pdf
accessdate = 2008-07-29] The plant will be majority owned by Headwaters who will manage the construction and plant operations, with GRE owning a minority share of the plant. Construction of the facility took place during 2006 with ethanol production beginning in February of 2007.

imilar facilities

Although the Blue Flint Ethanol plant is the first in the US to utilize waste heat for ethanol production, other plants are starting to pursue similar strategies. Great River Energy is also building a 62 megawatt baseload (37 megawatt peaking capacity) coal fired boiler in Spiritwood, North Dakota which will produce both electricityCite web
title = Great River Energy: Spiritwood station
publisher = Great River Energy
url = http://www.greatriverenergy.com/projects/plants/spiritwood.html
accessdate = 2008-07-29] , malt,Cite web
title = Cargill to Expand Plant at Jamestown, North Dakota
date = 2006-05-16
url = http://www.expansionmanagement.com/cmd/articledetail/articleid/17442/default.asp
accessdate = 2008-07-29] and 100 million gallons of ethanol yearly.Cite news
title = Ethanol Producers Are Drawn to Coal As a Power Source
last = Dalton | first = Matthew
date = 2006-07-24
publisher = The Wall Street Journal
url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115370058029014920.html
accessdate = 2008-07-29] Additionally a 20 megawatt plant in Goodland, Kansas will produce electricity, ethanol, and biodiesel.

ee also

* Cogeneration - commonly referred to as Combined heat and power (CHP)
* Ethanol fuel in the United States
* Ethanol fermentation
* Corn ethanol
* Cellulosic ethanol
* Biofuel

References