Novozymes made a big announcement during the recent Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) – they have launched a new enzyme technology that can increase ethanol yield from corn by up to 5 percent. According to Jack Rogers, bioenergy marketing manager, the technology also increases corn oil extraction by 13 percent while saving 8 percent energy.
In a time when corn-based ethanol plants are looking for every way to squeeze out profits 
with high corn prices, Rogers says the return on investment in the enzyme trio is immediate. Rogers explained that efficiency improvements can be achieved when two new enzymes, Spirizyme® Achieve and Olexa® are used together with another Novzoymes’ enzyme, Aventec®, that was launched in late 2012.
An typical U.S. ethanol plant uses around 36 million bushels, or 900,000 tons, of feed-grade corn per year to produce an average of 100 million gallons of ethanol, 300,00 tons of distillers grains (DDGs) and 8,500 tons of corn oil. When adding the enzyme trio, a plant can save up to 1.8 million bushels, or 45,000 tons of corn, while maintaining the same ethanol output, increasing corn oil extraction and generating up to $5 million in additional profit per year. Rogers also noted that a plant can use less bushels per year while maintaining maximum output if corn prices remain high and a plant chooses to scale back its purchases.
Learn more about the new enzyme trio in my interview with Jack here: Enzyme Trio Minimizes Inputs & Maximizes Profits