Janesville ethanol plant boosting efficiency
Jul. 23—At a time when oil prices have made it particularly painful to gas up a vehicle, when western democracies are struggling with the ethics of buying oil from countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia, when climate change is a worldwide concern, Gov. Tim Walz and officials from Guardian Energy in Janesville thought it was a good moment to highlight ethanol.
Plant manager Ben Stover ran through the efficiency improvements at the plant since 2015 — 8% more ethanol produced from each bushel of corn, 25% less groundwater required, a 30% reduction in electricity consumed per gallon ... .
"This plant is a pretty darn sophisticated plant," said CEO Jeanne McCaherty, adding that ethanol skeptics fail to recognize the industry's continuing success in producing more energy with fewer inputs. "... If you don't have statistics from last year, you're just out of date."
The largest dry-mill ethanol plant in Minnesota, the facility just east of Janesville grinds more than 53 million bushels of corn each year purchased from about 2,600 farmers within 75 miles of Janesville. That corn is turned into more than 150 million gallons of ethanol annually, 4 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol, 260,000 tons of high-protein animal feed and 52 million pounds of corn oil — all without discharging any wastewater.
The cellulosic ethanol, which is shipped to California for sale, is responsible for 70% less carbon dioxide than a comparable amount of gasoline. For the standard starch ethanol, it's 30% less carbon dioxide.
"We have a great environmental story to tell," McCaherty said.
Then there's the economic impact. Guardian employs 49 people in Janesville and purchases enough corn in a year that it could fill a line of 40-foot shipping containers stretching north to south across the entirety of Minnesota and continue nearly to Des Moines, Iowa.
After hitting him with more than a few statistics and giving him a plant tour, McCaherty thanked Walz for his support for the ethanol industry both as a 12-year member of Congress and as a first-term governor. The Democrat, who's campaigning this year for another four years in the governor's office, reiterated his support for renewable energy, crediting it for reducing pollution, lowering the price of a gallon of gas and spurring the domestic economy.
"This is not just about doing the right thing environmentally," Walz said. "There's money to be made."
And he used a line that's been a consistent generator of laughs since he first ran for Congress as a Mankato high school teacher in 1996. It makes more sense for America to give its energy dollars to American farmers, Walz said, rather than sending billions of dollars to "countries that hate us. They'll hate us for free."
He noted that ethanol and other biofuels are a topic that can bring together political leaders from both parties — at least ones from farm states. An example is the support for strong federal ethanol-blending requirements for gasoline.
"There's a bipartisan group of governors making that case," he said.
But there's a place for state policies, too, according to the managers at the Janesville plant. Demand for ethanol, including the low-carbon versions being sold pretty much exclusively in California, can be boosted at the state level.
"The majority of fuel that's produced goes to the coasts," said Tracey Olson, chief operating officer at the plant.
Walz didn't comment specifically on the idea of promoting cellulosic ethanol in Minnesota. But he indicated general support for boosting the amount of ethanol consumed in the state, noting that modern vehicles can handle more home-grown fuel than the 10% ethanol in standard gasoline.
"Our vehicles can run E-30 very efficiently," he said.
