Process Technology Providers

The process design and technology is being provided by Katzen International of Cincinnati, Ohio and is based primarily on existing Katzen designs utilizing barley as a feedstock on similar sized ethanol in Europe. The NESRE Project barley - peas design is based on a 52.91 MGY barley plant just commissioned in Spain. The design criteria to incorporate field peas into the feedstock is the result of approximately 2 years of design development commissioned by PGRE and carried out by Ethanol Technologies of Montreal, the Feeds Innovations Center at the University of Saskatchewan, Satake USA (process to debran the barley), ESE Alcohol Inc and the Prairie Swine Center. The design criteria has been provided to Katzen for their due diligence and incorporation into the overall barley – peas process design. Katzen International Inc have included a process guarantee for the barley peas process and the barley only process in the process design and engineering support contract between PGRE and Katzen International.

The process design and technology for the future addition of a 10 MGY cellulose ethanol train / trains is being provided by KL Process Design Group of Rapid City, South Dakota. The history as to the development of the KL cellulose ethanol process involving several of the key members of PGRE, the KL Process Group and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology goes back to 2002. The KL Ethanol Cellulose process is current being proved up at the Western Biomass 1.5MGY commercial facility in Upton Wyoming. Provision for the addition of the 10 MGY cellulose train / trains is being incorporated into the current design of the NESRE facility. Implementation of the cellulose trains / trains would be considered after commissioning and at least 1 to 2 years of successful operation of the grain based side of the NESRE Project.  A detailed study has been carried out by PGRE to determine the cellulose feedstock availability from existing Weyheauser operations. This study has concluded a sustainable feedstock supply for 25 MGY of cellulose ethanol production is readily available from existing Weyerhaeuser forest residuals operations.  If the additional forest residuals from the Weyheauser operations at the harvesting sites, which are currently being burned, were to be redirected towards for cellulose  ethanol production, an additional 20 MGY to 30 MGY of cellulose ethanol production would be available.