In the past few weeks ICM has signed on three new ethanol plants which will use two of their second-generation ethanol technologies. Patriot Renewable Fuels has selected ICM’s Fiber Separation Technology (FST) while Front Range Energy has selected ICM’s patent-pending Selective Milling Technology (SMT) for their ethanol plant located on Windsor, Colorado. SMT is what is known as a “value-added platform technology” for plant yield enhancement.

Dan Sanders, vice president for Front Range Energy LLC, said of their choice, “We are excited to own and operate this new technology from ICM. Our team did an excellent job evaluating options available in this space and we believe ICM’s SMT gives us the greatest potential for overall yield improvements, and the most control to make operational changes on the front end of our plant to enable lower cost per gallon production.”

With the agreement for purchase and full-scale installation at Front Range Energy, there are now 17 ethanol plants in North America either operating or under contract to operate ICM’s Selective Milling Technology, raising total throughput for ICM and its partner in this yield enhancement technology, Fluid Quip Process Technologies, to over 1.65 billion gallons of ethanol production per year.

Chris Mitchell, President of ICM, Inc., said, “SMT continues to prove itself as the long-term solution of choice for plant yield enhancement, and ICM is pleased to continue our partnership with Front Range Energy, a leading supplier of fuel ethanol to the Rocky Mountain transportation fuel market.”

In addition, IGPC Ethanol of Ontario, Canada had signed a contract with ICM to be the first Canadian Adopter of FST. This technology is also a value-added platform technology that increases ethanol yield and throughput. It also increases oil recovery. According to ICM, removing the fiber from the standard ethanol process allows the plant to produce each gallon more efficiently as well as creates the opportunity for diversified co-products with high protein feeds and fiber.

Jim Grey, CEO of IGPC Ethanol, Inc. said, “Through our previous collaboration with ICM, we believed it was important to continue down the path of obtaining their critical platform technologies that are necessary for making a sustained impact on agriculture and economic development for our region, and strategically position our business for future opportunities.”

Chris Mitchell, President of ICM, Inc., noted, “ICM is very excited to move forward with IGPC as they adopt the FST process. FST is the next step after Selective Milling Technology, which the plant purchased in 2013. The platform technologies build on each other, increasing ethanol and corn oil yield, as well as enabling additional throughput and reducing energy usage. Every gallon produced will be processed more efficiently with the addition of the technologies.”