CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fluid Quip Process Technologies® (FQPT) announces today that they will provide detailed engineering for a proposed second Maximized Stillage Co-products (MSC™) system for Flint Hills Resources®. The announcement comes as construction nears completion on an MSC system at the Flint Hills Resources Fairmont, Neb., ethanol plant.
The MSC system produces high-value protein animal feed from a portion of the distillers grains produced during the ethanol making process. The completion of the Fairmont Flint Hills Resources project marks the fourth FQPT MSC system operating worldwide.
“Flint Hills Resources has been a great partner throughout the design and construction of the Fairmont MSC system, and we are excited they are looking at the technology for additional facilities,” says Michael Franko, Vice President of Business Development for FQPT.
“The Flint Hills Resources Ingredients group has done a great job exploring and developing the market for the MSC protein product, which they brand as NexPro™ protein ingredient. The interest in a second MSC installation demonstrates the positive outlook their group is seeing for the worldwide demand for the product,” adds Franko.
Flint Hills Resources has already begun marketing NexPro™ to the aquaculture, pet food, swine and poultry industries as a high quality and cost-effective protein feed ingredient alternative.
“Demand for protein in the world is growing,” said Mark Murphy, general manager of ingredients marketing at Flint Hills Resources. “NexPro is a combination of corn protein and spent yeast. The combination contains about 50 percent protein and contains elevated levels of amino acids such as lysine, which is essential for growth animals. With its excellent protein content and improved amino acid profile, NexPro is a great alternative to traditional feed ingredients like soybean meal and corn gluten meal.”
FQPT developed the patented MSC technology as an innovative solution for dry mill ethanol plants to enhance their co-product streams. The MSC bolt-on technology produces a 50 percent purity protein product that trades in the alternative high-value protein market and is a unique blend of spent brewer’s yeast and corn gluten meal.
The protein has shown great success in the pet food, aqua, dairy, poultry, and swine markets. The MSC system allows ethanol facilities to diversify their product offerings and take advantage of a reliable manufactured revenue stream to balance income from the ethanol process, which is currently at risk of legislative change.
“The ethanol industry is highly competitive, and producers are looking for innovative ways to squeeze more value out of every kernel of corn than ever before,” said Todd Svihovec, ventures and capital projects director at Flint Hills Resources. “MSC technology provides an innovative pathway for dry mill ethanol plants to upgrade DDGS streams to produce a higher valued product. We believe protein will continue to be a major value driver in our industry, and we are exploring options for growing our high protein production capabilities beyond the Fairmont plant.”
About FQPT
Fluid Quip Process Technologies® is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has provided technologies for more than 1.3 billion gallons per year of biofuels production. FQPT was founded on the extensive experience and knowhow within the corn wet milling, ethanol and related ag production industries. The engineering and technical leadership team have been developing and implementing new technologies and process solutions applicable to the biofuels and biochemical markets for more than 30 years. FQPT has commercialized multiple patented and patent-pending technologies to enhance the base corn-to-ethanol dry grind process, create new and novel alternative co-products, and supply the growing need for carbohydrate feed stocks into the biochemical market. More information at www.fqptech.com.
