US-headed KATZEN International, Inc., a leading bioethanol process technology, design, and engineering company, has announced the completion and startup of the INPASA Agroindustrial S/A bioethanol plant expansion project in Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The expansion boosted the plant’s production capacity to 2.1 billion liters per annum, making it the world's largest grain-based “dry mill” bioethanol plant.
Founded in 2007, INPASA del Paraguay (INPASA) has grown to become South America’s largest grain-based bioethanol producer, operating two plants in Paraguay and four in Brazil, with an additional two plants under design and construction in Brazil.
The KATZEN-designed Sinop plant in Brazil was constructed by INPASA in 2019 to produce 490 million liters of motor fuel-grade ethanol annually.
INPASA commissioned KATZEN to expand the plant in four stages commencing in 2021. The new plant configuration will process 4.6 million tonnes of locally grown corn to produce 2.1 billion liters per year of ethanol, 1 million tonnes of DDGS (high value-added protein), 105,000 tonnes of corn oil, and 804.1 GWh of bioelectricity.
According to the company, the INPASA Sinop Plant “further demonstrates KATZEN’s leadership in bioethanol production technology.”
KATZEN-designed plants presently account for 60 percent of Brazil’s grain-based ethanol production, with an additional 1.7 billion liters capacity under design and construction.
According to David Lococo, President, and CEO of KATZEN International, “KATZEN is proud to support INPASA in this monumental achievement. The Sinop expansion symbolizes KATZEN’s mission to develop and implement state-of-the-art bioprocessing technologies to support the world’s increasing demand for renewable fuels.”
