Producing the World’s Lowest Carbon Ethanol through Waste-to-Energy
The Integrated Biorefinery project was funded in 2011 through Round 3: Renewable Energy and successfully demonstrated the world’s lowest carbon intensity ethanol production at a renewable natural gas plant. Despite early technical challenges, the project met key milestones and began commercial ethanol production in early 2013, laying the groundwork for future expansion to further lower carbon intensity and increase renewable energy generation.
The project uses a unique combination of technologies to turn agricultural waste, surplus grain, and cattle manure into low-carbon ethanol and renewable electricity. The system links three facilities: an ethanol production plant, a biogas facility (IMUS) and a 36,000-head cattle feedlot. What makes this setup novel is how tightly connected these systems are. Waste from the feedlot and nearby sources is processed in anaerobic digesters to create biogas, which is then used to generate electricity and heat for the ethanol plant. In turn, the ethanol plant produces fuel and high-protein animal feed, which goes back to the feedlot. The integration also allows heat and water to be shared between facilities, such as using waste heat to warm cattle drinking water, which improves animal productivity while reducing cooling loads. This closed-loop system sharply cuts greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, avoiding methane releases from manure, and making efficient use of all inputs. As a result, the technology can produce ethanol with some of the lowest carbon intensity scores in the world.
Overcoming Technical Challenges for Successful Waste-Refinery
This project proved that combining ethanol production with biogas and a cattle feedlot can produce extremely low-emission fuel and operate as a successful, integrated system. One of its biggest achievements was how efficiently the different parts worked together—turning waste into energy, reusing by-products, and reducing emissions and resource use. The project stayed on budget, met a tight construction timeline, and benefited from early hiring and training of skilled staff, which helped ensure a smooth startup. At the same time, the team faced technical challenges that provided valuable lessons. A digester failure caused delays, and the system struggled to process thick wheat mash as it was originally designed for corn. These challenges lead to higher energy use and lower efficiency. Equipment reliability and accurate measurement tools also proved critical. These experiences showed the importance of feedstock-specific design, flexible operations and strong project management.
What’s next?
Overall, the project confirmed that integrated biorefineries can be successful and market-ready, especially in places with clean fuel standards that reward low-carbon fuels. After the project was completed in 2013, a follow-on project was funded in partnership with ATCO. The project is ongoing and a first-of-kind commercial demonstration to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) from biogas. The RNG will be injected into the Alberta pipeline system, where a portion will be used within Alberta in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fleet vehicles and commercial applications. This project addresses a gap that bridges feedstock waste producers with end-use RNG consumers to create emissions reductions with renewable natural gas technology within Alberta.