FCStone Carbon LLC (FCO2) is pleased to have finalized an arrangement with Maize Processing Innovators, Inc. (MPI) to lead efforts in commercializing the patented corn fractionation technology often referred to as Quick Germ Quick Fiber (QQ) technology.
“We have evaluated multiple options within the field of fractionation and we are of the opinion that the QQ technology is head and shoulders above other options available today,” remarks Mike Kinley, vice president of technology and operations, FCStone Carbon.
“We are very pleased to have FCO2 joining our efforts,” states Curt Miller, president, MPI. “They have put together a compelling portfolio of technologies and services as well as a financial offering and this technology fits well into that package. The timing of this commercialization effort could not be better as ethanol producers must find ways to increase the value they get out of every bushel of corn they process.”
”This relationship has a great deal of synergy,” comments FCO2 president, Mike Knobbe. “We have multiple customers who can significantly benefit from installing this process and in addition, it appears some of our technologies may work in unison with the QQ approach.”
The patented fractionation technology was developed at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. It offers significant benefits to ethanol plants who wish to separate the corn kernel’s component parts for further downstream processing. The QQ process utilizes a short soaking step and appears to generate a more pristine germ and fiber fraction, minimizing the starch loss found with alternative “dry fractionation” techniques.
“That’s a really important difference,” says Miller. “Our patented technology enables the plants to create the new higher value co-products without losing production on the ethanol side.”
“Fractionation is getting a lot of attention these days but ethanol plants are hesitant to adopt it due to the significant capital cost and potential starch loss associated with dry fractionation,” Kinley adds. “We believe that by matching up with the MPI QQ process, our total package will minimize those issues and enable the ethanol plant to operate with greater flexibility over the long run.”
Maize Processing Innovators is an Illinois corporation, with offices in Champaign, Illinois. It evaluates and brings technology relevant to improvements in ethanol production, DDGS composition and other co-products to the marketplace. For more information, visit www.maizepi.com or call 1-217-355-4720.
A wholly owned subsidiary of FCStone Group, Inc., FCStone Carbon, LLC, is a carbon trading, integrated environmental risk management company dedicated to bringing new process technologies and environmental risk management services to the renewable energy and production agriculture sectors. For more information, visit www.fcstone.com or call 1-515-223-3771.
About FCStone Group, Inc.
FCStone Group, Inc., along with its affiliates, is an integrated commodity risk management company providing risk management consulting and transaction execution services to commercial commodity intermediaries, end-users and producers. The firm assists primarily middle market customers in optimizing their profit margins and mitigating exposure to commodity price risk. In addition to risk management consulting services, FCStone, LLC, operates one of the leading independent clearing and execution platforms for exchange-traded futures and options contracts. FCStone Group, Inc., serves more than 7,500 customers and in the 12 months ended November 30, 2007, executed 71.8 million derivative contracts in the exchange-traded and over-the-counter markets. The FCStone Group companies work in all the major commodity areas including agriculture, energy, renewable fuels, foods, forestry, and currency exchange. Headquartered in the Midwest, it has offices located throughout the world and is a clearing member of all major North American Futures exchanges. FCStone Group, Inc., trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “FCSX.” |
|
