POET reduces water use at Minnesota ethanol plant by 30 percent; company-wide water conservation efforts in spotlight

In Minnesota, the POET Biorefining plant in Bingham Lake has deployed a new technology for eliminating water discharge, and the 35 Mgy corn ethanol plant is now using 2.64 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol produced, down from 3.42, with water discharges limited to steam and the water content in dried distillers grains and other byproducts. POET has been working on recycled water use, capturing 100 percent of its water used at its Portland, Indiana plant from recycled quarry water and 80 percent of its water at the Big Stone, SD plant from a power plant cooling pond.

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