Lincolnway Energy, LLC
59511 West Lincoln Hwy, Nevada, Iowa, United States

Lincolnway Energy, LLC was formed on May 2004 to pool investors to build a name plate 50 million gallon per year dry mill ethanol plant. Lincolnway Energy has been processing corn into fuel grade ethanol and distillers’ grains at the ethanol plant since May 22, 2006. It is located in Nevada, Iowa in an area of abundant corn production. The site was chosen for its central proximity to an ample supply of feedstock, with a location near a major national transportation corridor of Interstate 35 and US Highway 30. It is adjacent to Union Pacific’s Class 1 Rail Road. The site is annexed by the City of Nevada with advantages of three phase electrical service, ample and inexpensive water supply, waste water discharge, fire protection and other municipal services.  Lincolnway Energy began extracting corn oil from the syrup which is generated in the production of ethanol in April 2008. In August 2010, Lincolnway Energy entered into an agreement with a third party to collect the carbon dioxide gas which is produced as part of the fermentation process and converts the raw carbon dioxide gas into a liquid carbon dioxide. Both of these co-products generate additional revenue for the company with minimal operating costs.  Lincolnway Energy strives to be an efficient and low cost producer of ethanol. Growing demand will keep the ethanol industry growing and will help assure a strong future for clean, renewable and domestically produced fuels that will benefit the country. Lincolnway Energy wants to be a long term player to continue to make this happen.

Mission:

Our mission is to provide clean renewable energy, maintain a safe and rewarding place to work and maximize shareholder value.

Dried Distillers Grains

The dry mill ethanol production process only uses the starch portion of the corn, approximately 70 percent of the kernel. The remaining components of the corn kernel – protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins comprise what is known as distiller grains. A profitable and in-demand co-product, distillers dry grains (DDG) are used for livestock and animal feed for dairy and beef cattle, swine, poultry, and aquaculture. DDG are an economical replacement for a portion of the feed in an animal’s diet including corn, soybean meal and dicalcium phosphate. On average, 85 percent of all DDG are fed to beef and dairy cattle.  One bushel of corn produces 17 pounds of DDGS as well as 2.8 gallons of ethanol. It takes between 18-20 million bushels of corn to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol and 136,000 tons of DDG’s on average per year.  While distiller grains can be fed to animals as either a wet (WDG) or dry feed (DDG). Lincolnway Energy produces dried and wet distiller grains. During the distillation process, liquid is separated from the mash and partially dehydrated into syrup. To create dried distiller grains with solubles (DDGS), the syrup is added back into the dried distiller grains.  There are several advantages of DDGS. Drying them increases shelf life and improves the ability for them to be transported over longer distances. For example, the U.S. ethanol industry produces, on average, nearly 90,000 tons of distiller grains each week. While a portion of the distiller grains is sold domestically, a large portion is exported. On average, 600,000 tons a month are exported to countries such as China, Mexico, Canada, Spain, and Vietnam.

Inedible Corn Oil

An emerging co-product for the ethanol industry is inedible corn oil. During the distillation process, liquid is separated from the mash and partially dehydrated into syrup. Removing the crude oil from the syrup before it is mixed with distiller grains creates an additional co-product and revenue stream – inedible corn oil. The corn oil can be used by the biodiesel industry to produce ASTM biodiesel. In fact, biodiesel produced from inedible corn oil has the lowest carbon intensity score of any biodiesel feedstock. Inedible corn oil can also be sold to feed lots and poultry markets among others.