Verbio’s Nevada, Iowa Biorefinery recently announced production has begun at its corn ethanol biorefinery. The 60-million-gallon corn ethanol plant utilizes assets acquired by Verbio when they bought the former DuPont location. Verbio has been producing renewable natural gas (RNG) from corn stover at the location since 2021.
“Verbio continues its unique innovations with combing digesters to produce RNG with more traditional ethanol production,” stated Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “It’s been amazing to watch them utilize every part of the preexisting facility while incorporating their novel RNG technology. Their Nevada location is truly a biorefinery adding value to every part of the corn plant.”
“The start of ethanol production, in addition to our RNG operations, is another important milestone for us,” said Greg Faith, Verbio Nevada plant President and General Manager. “At Verbio we see ourselves as innovators with a strong focus on our sustainable business model. Transitioning towards renewable and clean energy is essential to the economy. We are committed to contributing to this path by providing bioenergy for transportation fuels, as well as for industrial and commercial uses.”
Operating as a full biorefinery, Verbio combines both bioethanol and associated biomethane production from corn stillage, a by-product from ethanol production. The interaction of RNG and ethanol production incorporates advanced technology developed and successfully used for more than a decade at the company`s facilities in Germany.
To secure feedstock for RNG and ethanol production, Verbio collaborates with local growers in the region. By buying not only their ag residues, but as of now, also their corn, the company is able to provide Iowa growers with additional revenue streams for their businesses.
“Our goal is to bring added value to the region. The sustainable production cycle we use at Verbio allows us to sell back high-quality co-products from our production, such as humus, ammonia sulfate fertilizer, NPK fertilizer, and corn oil,” said Faith.
Verbio was the first RNG member of IRFA and sits on IRFA’s board of directors.
