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GreenField Ethanol Chatham plant to host full-scale demonstration of Vaperma energy-saving refining technology

TORONTO

GreenField Ethanol Inc., Canada’s largest ethanol producer, today announced that its Chatham, Ontario ethanol facility has been chosen to implement Vaperma Inc.’s newest innovative technology; SiftekTM polymeric membranes. This made-in-Canada technology represents a new process for the production of fuel ethanol that uses substantially less energy therefore lowering the level of greenhouse gases produced and thus the plant’s overall CO2 footprint.

This first industrial scale demonstration system for refining fuel grade ethanol will be set up in Chatham and is a new trial that follows a successful small scale demonstration of the Vaperma gas separation technology at the GreenField plant in Tiverton, Ontario. In producing ethanol, steam is the most important cost after corn, thus the less natural gas that is used to make the steam which powers the plant, the better for the environment.

“With $140 oil and global warming upon us, it is more critical than ever for companies to reduce their energy costs and consumption,” said GreenField Ethanol President and CEO Robert Gallant. “We are confident that this full-scale Vaperma unit will cut our energy expenditures compared with conventional technologies.”

The Chatham demonstration project is also equipped with auditable and credible greenhouse gas (GHG) protocols and proprietary software to measure the emissions reduction benefits generated by the SiftekTM membrane system, thereby creating tradable carbon credits.

“By saving energy and reducing their carbon footprint, our clients can add a new revenue stream that is linked to the emission reduction credits resulting from the SiftekTM technology, under conditions that fit with carbon credit market regulations,’’ said Claude Létourneau, President and CEO of Vaperma. “We are providing a win for the environment and a win for our clients’ bottom lines.”