Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, IA
008-26-06
Turning kernels to suds
Phil Rooney, Staff Writer
Raise a glass to the Cardinal and Gold!
Iowa State University researchers are working on a project that could have the state fueling the nation's parties as well as its cars and trucks.
Jacek Koziel and Hans van Leeuwen, who both work in ISU's engineering department, are collaborating on a project that would convert fuel ethanol into a more pure food-grade alcohol like that used in alcoholic drinks, cough medicines, mouthwash and other products.
Still, researchers say there's plenty of study needed before you slam your first Iowa-born gin and tonic or whiskey sour or even start gargling corn-based mouthwash.
The two researchers are trying to refine a pair of technologies that work in combination to efficiently purify and remove bad-tasting components from fuel ethanol.
Van Leeuwen, who also is vice president of MellO3z, a Cedar Rapids company that has developed technology for purifying alcoholic beverages, is collaborating on the project, which is partially supported by a $79,900 grant from the Grow Iowa Values Fund.
As the nation's leading ethanol fuel producer, Iowa provides plenty of raw research material. With 25 plants annually producing 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol and more plants on the way, according to the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, that's unlikely to change any time soon.
The plants produce alcohol similar to what's used for the beverage industry, but lacking the purity needed for human consumption. Currently the extra distillations required to produce food-grade alcohol increase the costs by 50 cents per gallon.
Van Leeuwen thinks their work can reduce that to an additional penny per gallon.
Koziel said the researchers are using two purification technologies: They're bubbling ozone gas through the fuel to remove impurities, and they're filtering the fuel through granular activated carbon to absorb impurities.
"We started working on this last fall," he said. "We've shown that the process works. We applied for two patents related to this."
Koziel said the Grow Iowa Values Fund looks to increase the number of value-added products made in the state's rural areas, and this would take a relatively inexpensive raw product and make something of greater value from it.
"All sorts of things utilize food-grade alcohol. It could be used as syrups. Some medicines, too," Koziel said. "It potentially means additional revenue for the state."
For example, major manufacturers could pay a licensing fee for the patent and save money on the products that are made in Iowa while creating more revenue in the state.
Van Leeuwen sees huge commercial potential in the research.
"Absolutely. The quantities involved are staggering. The amount of food-grade alcohol produced in North America is a quarter of a billion gallons," he said.
With four billion gallons of ethanol produced, more could easily be converted to food-grade if the cost is reduced. That alcohol could be blended to taste like any number of beverages. Special extracts and potions can be made, colorings added and the liquid then aged.
Food-grade alcohol could be sold to distilleries in other states, but van Leeuwen said there are other possibilities; and it could result in Iowa-distilled whiskey or any number of other blended alcoholic beverages.
"The longer-term goal would be to have the company (MellO3z) enter the liquor market," he said. "Obviously we would like to get this off the ground in Iowa."
Iowa already has MGP distillery in Muscatine where food-grade alcohol which is sold around the country to put in alcoholic beverages, is manufactured, he said.
Before those so inclined begin the celebration, van Leeuwen warned that making liquor at Iowa distilleries wouldn't necessarily reduce the cost of a bottle.
"By far the largest component of what we pay for booze is the excise tax," he said. "It only costs a few dollars to make the original alcohol."