RCT-LENA
Adkins Energy’s project sheds light on other dimensions of developing a new fuel from its fermentation CO2. In Lena, Illinois, Adkins expects to have its demonstration plant operating by late fall, says COO Bill Howell. Adkins Energy has formed a joint venture with RCT-US called RCT Lena, utilizing Polish technology from Real Carbon Tech to produce methanol or DME (dimethyl ether useable in diesel engines).
“Our goal is to lower the carbon intensity score on the ethanol that we’ve been making for 20-plus years, so it becomes a viable feedstock for other clean chemicals. And to diversify our product line,” Howell says. He recently stepped back as CEO of Adkins Energy to focus on the new project and become CEO of RCT-US.
The modular unit planned for Adkins’s demonstration project is sized at 800 to 1,000 tons/year. “It’s a small unit,” Howell says. “A 200 ton-per-year unit was the pilot done in Warsaw, Poland, so this is the next step up.”
Other necessary steps are underway, he says. “We are currently having the process analyzed to see what the drop in CI would be for the ethanol and also get clarification on the 45Q model and pathway created so the DOE can give us the approval.” Initial indications are it will qualify for 45Q and will result in a CI reduction between 25 and 30 points. “We’re still waiting for that data to be finalized, and at the same time we have a second company that will do the review and validation which will set us up to go to the DOE for approval.” With Adkins’s CI currently scoring a little over 50 points, the project will put Adkin’s ethanol in good range for becoming a sustainable aviation fuel feedstock, Howell says.
One of Howell’s challenges has been sourcing renewable power. “We have all these data centers coming online that require tremendous amounts of electricity putting stress on the grid system,” he says. “Getting enough electricity is going to be a challenge, so we’re looking at all kinds of possibilities.” Adkins already has combined heat and power and claims 100% nuclear power. But while nuclear power is considered zero emission, it’s not considered a qualifying source for E-fuels in Europe—a target market for E-fuels. “At some point I think they’ll end up switching that,” he says. “Today we are focused on solar, wind or hydro.” Illinois, he explains, allows users to identify which power source they want to use, so as long as a utility sources one of the renewables and the renewable electricity credits are available to claim. “The issue is how much do you want to pay,” Howell says, “and availability.”
Howell considers CO2 utilization a great opportunity for the ethanol industry. “We need to change our mindset from thinking about CO2 as a waste product and start recognizing the value this material has. We just have to get innovative enough to figure out how to use it properly,” he says. Producers also need to recognize where they are in the organizational life cycle—one he learned about in studying about a totally different sector, but could see applies to businesses. “Companies start outgrowing the business, reach a satisfying level, and then they begin to decline. Years later, they’re no longer there. What we’re trying to do is identify the right technology, create a new future and start the growth process all over again.”
Article published in Ethanol Today, May/June issue, 2025
Full publication https://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=845977&p=0&view=issueViewer
