Aemetis to lower biofuel’s carbon intensity with Mitsubishi ZEBREX technology

September 2, 2018 |

In California, Aemetis, Inc. will be implementing the Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation ZEBREX membrane dehydration system at the 60 million gallon per year Aemetis fuel ethanol plant in Keyes, California. The Aemetis plant upgrade is the first ZEBREX system installation in North America and is the largest implementation of the ZEBREX system worldwide. The sales transaction involves a subsidiary of MCC, Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc.

The upgrade from the traditional Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) dehydration process to the ZEBREX system can reduce energy consumption in the production of biofuels by up to 25%, increasing production capacity while reducing the usage of fossil fuel-based energy and lowering the carbon intensity (CI) of ethanol produced at the plant. The unit will be designed and fabricated for Aemetis by ICM, Inc., headquartered in Colwich, Kansas, a leading ethanol technology provider, according to the press release. The Aemetis plant upgrade is the first ZEBREX installation delivered by MCC’s strategic engineering partner, ICM, in North America.

The ZEBREX system has been installed in approximately 70 alcohol production plants worldwide. According to the press release, the system is a state-of-the-art, continuous membrane dehydration technology to separate water from ethanol for purification into fuel quality biofuel at lower cost than the energy-intensive PSA units commonly used at ethanol plants.

Category: Fuels

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