Ill. plant to gasify soybeans into fuel and fertilizer

Princeton, Ill.-Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held last month for a proposed plant that will generate renewable power from soybeans and produce synthetic oil and an organic-based fertilizer from the waste material. The plant, at the site of a former Ag View FS outlet, is the result of a joint venture between U.S. Sustainable Energy (USSE), Natchez, Miss., and Illinois Biofuel Group. USSE officials said the Illinois facility will be similar to the company’s R&D facility at Natchez, where the first four commercial reactors are being completed. General Manager Jerry Brent told Green Markets a 7-3-7 fertilizer is what’s left over after the soybean feedstock is gasified with a proprietary catalyst in a reactor at 800 to 850F. The gas is turned into oil in a condenser, and the leftover vapor is used to operate the power plant. “The fertilizer drops out of a vacuum system used to operate the reactor,” Brent explained. Illinois Biofuel President Dennis Radcliff said the plan is to construct two facilities – one to produce biodiesel fuel, and the other to produce biofuel, electricity, and the fertilizer. “The USSE/SSTP process is groundbreaking because of the enormous yield per bushel of soy it produces,” Radcliff reported. “Because the USSE process is 8-1/2 minutes from bean to fuel, the processing costs are 50 percent less than other competitive methods. Lastly, we can purchase from the farmers off spec soybeans not fit for normal use.”