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PRESS RELEASE
Golden Grain Energy LLC to install Whitefox ICE® membrane dehydration unit for improved energy use & future expansion
Whitefox’s 10th U.S. installation will take installed ICE® membrane system capacity to over 150 million gallons per year.
Mason City, IA – July 6, 2021 – Whitefox Technologies is excited to announce that Golden Grain Energy LLC will install a Whitefox ICE® membrane dehydration system at its 120 million gallons per year (mmgy) plant in Mason City, Iowa.
The plant, located in north central Iowa, is dedicated to adding value to the local community by turning locally grown corn into clean-burning ethanol and animal feed. Golden Grain is a key player in the regional economy and a long-standing leader in Iowa’s ethanol industry.
With a firm commitment to sustainable and energy efficient ethanol production, Golden Grain was one of the first Midwest plants certified under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program. The plant has continued to take significant steps through innovative technology and operations to increase its efficiency and lower its carbon intensity (CI) score. Installing Whitefox’s energy-efficient membrane technology will further improve its efficiency and competitive advantage.
Chad Kuhlers, CEO of Golden Grain Energy, said, “We’ve been in discussions with Whitefox and watching the technology continue to advance for a few years now, and we felt the time was right to adopt membrane dehydration as part of our operational future. Whitefox systems have been verified in 24/7 operations at several other plants. With the other yield and operational improvements Golden Grain has implemented, Whitefox is a good solution for our plant to debottleneck existing process units and we expect additional benefits in plant maintenance and overall operational efficiency.”
Whitefox Technologies CEO, Gillian Harrison, said, “It’s great to be working with the team at Golden Grain, and to help improve their already impressive operational efficiency. They are a long-time leader of the Iowa ethanol industry, and their chairman Dave Sovereign has been a real champion for the industry as a whole. We look forward to working together to ensuring a successful project, which is intended to be the first step in further expansion with membrane dehydration at the plant. This installation will take Whitefox to over 150 mmgy of installed membrane capacity in the U.S., which is an exciting milestone.”
Paul Kamp, Whitefox Technologies VP North America, adds, “Golden Grain has been an ethanol innovator since their early days. Some of the operational and equipment changes made first in Mason City have been widely adopted across the industry. Whitefox knows the project had to pass disciplined assessments of technology fit and project economics. We’re pleased to be moving ahead with the project and helping Golden Grain achieve their longer-term objectives, and to partner with KFI / McGough on project execution.”
About Golden Grain
Golden Grain Energy is a privately held company that annually purchases approximately 42 million bushels of corn and produces over 120 million gallons of ethanol, distiller’s grains and non-food grade corn oil at their plant in Mason City, Iowa. Golden Grain strives to meet the growing demand for domestically produced biofuels and reducing carbon emissions in transportation, while helping to improve air quality around the country. Owned by more than 900 members, the majority of whom are Iowa farmers, Golden Grain Energy is committed to being a strong partner in the local community, a key player in the regional economy, and a leader in Iowa’s ethanol industry. www.ggecorn.com
About Whitefox Technologies Limited
Whitefox specializes in technology development and process integration based on its proprietary membrane solutions. Whitefox ICE® (Integrated Cartridge Efficiency) is a bolt-on solution developed for the ethanol industry. With a small footprint, it is designed to de-bottleneck distillation and dehydration, which boosts output, improves CI scores by reducing energy and water consumption and reduces operation & maintenance costs by simplifying operations Whitefox provides solutions for all types of alcohols, biofuels, and renewable chemicals in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America.