In the United States (US), RCM Thermal Kinetics (Thermal kinetics), a division of RCM Technologies Inc., has announced the successful completion of the first project under its New Ethanol eXpansion Technology (NEXT) engineering program.
Launched in 2025, this inaugural NEXT project marks a historic milestone: an undisclosed Midwestern ethanol facility originally designed for 40 million (US) gallons (≈ 151.4 million litres) per year has now been scaled to 105 million gallons (≈ 397.4 million litres), the first time a standard 40-million-gallon plant has surpassed the 100-million-gallon threshold while retaining its original distillation columns and without the addition of parallel columns.
The facility underwent a series of incremental expansions with Thermal Kinetics, first to 65 million gallons (≈ 246 million litres), then to 86 million gallons (≈325.5 million litres).
That ceiling has long represented the practical limit for more than a hundred ethanol plants built to this standard design across North America.
Our senior engineer, Roy Viteri, utilized precision engineering techniques drawn from his extensive petroleum industry background. Instead of replacing major equipment, we applied surgical upgrades and advanced system design methods that unlocked hidden capacity in the plant’s existing footprint, said Christopher J. Brown, Founder, Thermal Kinetics.
New ethanol industry benchmark
By applying NEXT, Thermal Kinetics has redefined that ceiling and demonstrated how advanced process optimization can extend the capabilities of legacy infrastructure.
This project demonstrates what is possible when advanced process design meets real-world constraints. It opens the door for existing plants to dramatically increase output, reduce cost per gallon, and strengthen their competitive position in the renewable fuels market, Roy Viteri said.
The expansion to 105 MMGY establishes a new benchmark for the ethanol industry.
It proves that existing plants can be transformed to deliver world-class performance through innovation and optimization—without the capital intensity of major equipment replacement.
As the first completed NEXT project, this installation validates the program’s potential. Thermal Kinetics currently has several NEXT projects underway, further evidence of the program’s rapid adoption and the company’s continued leadership in ethanol plant innovation, concluded Scott Yenzer, newly appointed General Manager, Industrial Markets at RCM Thermal Kinetics.
