The nation’s first closed-loop ethanol facility has opened near Mead, Nebraska. Closed-loop means it has a cattle feedlot attached with an ethanol plant. The E3 BioFuels Genesis Plant uses the manure from feedlot’s 28,000 cattle manure and some cellulosic biomass to make a biogas in an anaerobic digester. That biogas powers the ethanol plant, and the ethanol by-product, distillers grain, is fed to the cattle.

This release from the American Coalition for Ethanol praises E3 BioFuels ingenuity:

“The U.S. ethanol industry is all about innovation, and this E3 BioFuels facility is a prime example of how innovative
thinking can make a great process even better,” said Brian Jennings, ACE Executive Vice President. “U.S. ethanol
producers are constantly striving for higher efficiencies, and ACE congratulates E3 BioFuels on their success in
implementing this pioneering new system of ethanol production.”

The plant will produce 25 million gallons of ethanol each year.