LONDON, May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Whitefox (http://www.whitefox.com
), the clean fuel membrane
specialist, announced today that it has
signed an agreement with California based Pacific
Ethanol, Inc. (Nasdaq:
PEIX) for the delivery
of an industrial scale membrane
system. The objective is to reduce the consumption of water,
energy and emissions in the production of
ethanol while increasing product
output.
This project is fully aligned with California's push to cut water consumption and
reduce emissions, which is affecting both Californian ethanol
producers and companies wanting to export ethanol into California.
According to the agreement, Whitefox will deliver a stand-alone,
container based, membrane system that will be deployed at Pacific
Ethanol's Madera plant in
California. The Whitefox system is
scheduled for delivery this month with commissioning and start-up
in June.
The membrane unit will be used to assess the impact of treating
certain side streams in the ethanol production process and optimise
the design of a membrane solution to remove bottlenecks and improve
ethanol production efficiency at the Madera plant.
In a statement Whitefox's CEO Gillian
Harrison said: "We are very excited about the opportunity to
work with Pacific Ethanol. When I met CEO Neil Koehler last November, I was impressed by
the company's efforts to lead the way in the production of
low-carbon renewable fuels. It is clear that Pacific Ethanol is
investing in energy and water consumption reduction initiatives
because it makes environmental sense, but also because it makes
good business sense as it improves plant efficiencies. We are
confident that Whitefox's membrane solution will contribute to
Pacific Ethanol's ambitious targets and look forward to working
together."
Dr Stephan Blum, Whitefox CTO
said in a statement: "Existing ethanol producers are dealing with a
number of issues in the ethanol production process: One challenge
is cooling water during hot and humid summer months when output
capacity is sometimes reduced to maintain product specifications.
Another challenge is the constant recycle of water-rich ethanol
that consumes additional energy and prevents plants from operating
at their full capacity potential. These challenges can be addressed
with a membrane solution that give producers a more reliable and
efficient operation".
Notes to Editors
About Whitefox:
Whitefox is a specialist engineering firm that delivers innovative
membrane solutions for different solvent applications and chemical
reactions. The company has over 10 years' industrial experience,
focused on providing the most energy and water-efficient separation
systems worldwide. Projects range from integrating chemical
reactors and recycling waste ethanol in pharmaceutical plants to
producing high-quality potable and biofuel grade ethanol.
SOURCE Whitefox