US-headed corn processing technology provider ICM Inc. has announced that it together with Impacto Energia S/A, and its sister company, Impacto Bioenergia (Impacto), have agreed to build a new dry-mill ethanol production facility in the state of Bahia (BA), Brazil, with an estimated Q1 2025 start date.
The greenfield plant, designed for a daily grinding capacity of 1 700 tonnes of corn, will be equipped with ICM’s proprietary “Base Tricanter System”, “Selective Milling Technology”, and “Fiber Separation Technology”.
In addition to producing 260 million litres of anhydrous ethanol per year, the biorefinery will be able to recover 9 000 tonnes of corn oil and recombine separated animal feed components into 185 000 tonnes of standard dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).
We are thrilled to work with ICM, which we consider the gold standard for corn-based ethanol process design. This project will bring many agribusiness opportunities to the region, and we believe it’s just the beginning. We are already looking at a future expansion. When we’re ready, we’ll be able to build on our capabilities and do more, said Emilio Rietmann, CEO of Impacto.
Enable year-round operations
Impacto Bioenergia currently owns and operates an ethanol plant in northeast Brazil, but this latest biorefinery will be the first to exclusively process corn instead of sugarcane.
Brazil has two corn seasons, allowing biorefineries that use ICM technologies to operate continuously year-round, maximizing uptimes and profits.
Sugarcane plants on the other hand typically operate up to eight months out of the year.
We are excited to be the first adopters of corn-based ethanol biorefining in the state of Bahia. By supplementing our sustainable fuel offering with DDGS and renewable power to the grid, we can make a bigger impact on the region’s economic growth, said Hermes Eduardo Moreira Filho, President of ENESA Investimentos, the majority shareholder in Impacto Energia.
ENESA is an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor with nearly 50 years of experience operating in energy markets.
This is new and inspiring territory for Impacto. Exciting opportunities come with ICM’s proprietary process technologies, namely the possibility of one plant creating diverse streams of revenue on a daily basis, said Manoel Carnaúba, President of the Board of Directors of Impacto Bioenergia.
A shared mission
According to Impacto Energia’s own mission statement, the company aims to help customers become agents of economic and environmental change, which begins with achieving financial and sustainability goals through biofuel and bioenergy solutions.
ICM’s Director of Global Business Development, Issam Stouky shares the excitement of working with Impacto.
We’re looking forward to more projects together and further developing Impacto’s relationship with Brazil’s energy and feed markets. We both have the same mission for sustainable, energy-efficient solutions, Issam Stouky said.
