In the Spring of 1999, ICM was contracted by Denco, LLC for the complete Design, Construction Supervision, Start-Up, and Training for the 9.2 million dollar Rebuild and Expansion of the Denco Fuel Ethanol Plant in Morris, Minnesota.

     The project was done on a Fast-Track basis.  The former Denco Plant was completely rebuilt from a seven million gallon per year fuel ethanol plant to a fifteen million gallon per year plant.

     Over eighty-five percent reconstruction of the original plant was required.  Only the process buildings, parts of evaporation and distillation were retained from original.  The solids separation device, the Conturbex, was retained, but is scheduled for upgrade with a solid-bowl decanting centrifuge.  Hence, all process units were effectively replaced, as well as utility units including the plant boiler, water treatment systems, electrical, and central computer control systems.

     All Process Units, Tanks, and Piping designed or provided by ICM were constructed of stainless steel for ease of cleaning, maintainability, and long life. 

     ICM, acting as Construction Superintendent, and in close association with Denco personnel, completed plant reconstruction between April and October 1999 (six months).  The plant was started-up in mid-October 1999 and came on-stream within a matter of weeks. 

     In addition to overall plant design and construction supervision, ICM also provided an ICM DDGS Direct Gas-Fired Rotary Drum Dryer for the production of golden Distiller's Dried Grains.  An ICM/Phoenix Bio-Methanator for the treatment of process waste water for reuse was also supplied as a skid-mounted package unit.

   The Denco, LLC plant has been in production since October 1999 and has moved rapidly into profitability.  Production of Fuel-Grade Ethanol has consistently averaged over 44,000 gallons per day and Distiller's Dried Grains production have been proportional to alcohol produced and of high quality.  Production rates continue to climb with average Fuel-Ethanol production near 48,000 gallons per day for the second half of January 2000.  This rate is well in-excess of fifteen million gallons per year.

Liquefied Mash is transferred to three new 250,000

gallon stainless steel Outdoor Fermentation Units. 

New Cook System includes slurry tank, hydro-heater

and liquefaction tanks.  Grain is slurried and converted

for fermentation.

New Grain Handling System capable of processing

over 20,000 bushels per day of corn. 

     The ICM DDGS Dryer has operated efficiently, producing high quality product since start-up.  The dryer routinely processes all wet Distiller's Grains and syrup produced by the plant, and has additional capacity for expansion. 

     Extremely poor well water quality at the Morris location required the application of iron removal and reverse osmosis systems in order to produce high quality water for boiler and cooling tower make-up.  ICM's experience with plant maintenance and water systems has been that high quality water for boiler and cooling tower use significantly enhances efficiency and longevity of these units, as well as other plant equipment such as heat exchangers, valves, and piping. 

     Fuel Ethanol plants historically try to recycle both thin stillage and evaporator condensate to the cook process in order to conserve water and to approach low or "zero" discharge.  Most plants have been marginally successful at this practice as many of the organic acids produced during fermentation, such as acetic and lactic acids, are recycled and accumulate in fermentation, causing the inhibition of yeast and subsequent losses in yield and efficiency.

     ICM/Phoenix recognized this problem and have developed the ICM/Phoenix Bio-Methanator which removes these inhibitory organic acids.  In several other Fuel Ethanol plants, the ICM/Phoenix Bio-Methanator has been used as a means of waste water treatment in order to discharge excess evaporator condensate to municipalities or public waterways. 

      In the Denco plant, the ICM/Phoenix Bio-Methanator is employed as part of an overall water balance design, in which one hundred percent of evaporator condensate is reused in grain cooking, resulting in a true "Zero Discharge" plant.  Results, to date, show that organic acid concentrations in fermentation are extremely low and often non-detectable.  This brings high-efficiency and yield to the Denco operation.

     A 'state-of-the-art' Quality Control Laboratory and Central Computer Control System were designed and installed by ICM.  Years of experience has shown that accurate and timely process control analysis adds very significantly to plant efficiencies and yields.  ICM's experience with central control computers has also shown these systems to be a valuable investment in terms of overall plant control and efficiency.  The computer system at Denco is backed-up by remote access systems, wherein the entire plant operation can be monitored from the ICM engineering offices.  This feature allows ICM to continue engineering and operations support well after start-up.   

After fermentation, mash is distilled in the

reconditioned Distillation System.  Ethanol is

further dehydrated in molecular sieves and whole 

stillage is sent to a separation device, a Conturbex,

for solids recovery.

Reconditioned Plant Evaporator.  Thin stillage is

concentrated in the Evaporator.  Syrup produced is

sent to the ICM Dryer for addition to grains

and drying. 

A mixture of wet grain solids from the Conturbex

Separator and syrup from evaporation is applied to

the ICM Direct Gas-Fired Rotary Dryer for the final production of golden Distiller's Dried Grains with

Solubles, DDGS.

   ICM/Phoenix has supplied detailed Operation and Maintenance Manuals, as well as on-going intensive training and follow-up to Denco personnel. 

     ICM/Phoenix's extensive background and years of experience in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of fuel alcohol plants has resulted in a successful, profitable project for Denco, LLC.  Independent financial analysis of the Denco, LLC operation indicates in-excess of twenty-five percent annual return to the LLC partners for the first year of operation.

Quality Control Laboratory.

Reverse Osmosis and Iron Removal Water

Treatment Units.

ICM/Phoenix Bio-Methanator.  Evaporator

Condensate is treated for organics removal and

reused in  grain cooking.