The Andersons and ICM team up on 70 million gallon per year biorefinery

In Kansas, The Andersons, Inc. and ICM, Inc., announced the formation of ELEMENT, LLC, a joint venture that will construct a 70 million-gallon-per-year bio-refinery located in Colwich, Kansas, adjacent to ICM’s headquarters. This strategic partnership will build and operate a technologically advanced ethanol production facility featuring several of ICM’s cutting-edge equipment and process technologies. The combination of ICM’s next-generation technologies and The Andersons’ merchandising, risk management and logistics expertise has the potential to produce the highest yielding, highest margin and lowest carbon intensity ethanol gallon in the United States today.

The plant is designed to be the most efficient dry mill ethanol plant in the United States. The features that will differentiate this plant from all others in the industry include waste wood heat and power generation, high protein distillers dried grains (DDGs), industry-leading cellulosic ethanol production using corn kernel fiber feedstock and advanced corn oil production. The plant is expected to produce ethanol yields in excess of 3.1 gallons per bushel at full capacity. The carbon intensity score for both the corn and cellulosic ethanol production will lead the industry and further demonstrate ICM and The Andersons’ commitment to environmental sustainability. Ethanol produced by ELEMENT will be sold primarily in California under the state’s progressive Low Carbon Fuel Standard as well as in other emerging low carbon markets.

Technology and site preparations have been underway by ICM for several years. Phase one start up is expected to occur in second quarter 2019. ELEMENT is expected to be fully operational by year-end 2019. The Andersons expects the investment in the plant to be accretive within one year of start-up.