In a recently signed contract, ICM, Impacto Energia S/A and its sister company, Impacto Bioenergia, have agreed to build a new dry-mill ethanol production facility in Bahia, Brazil, with an estimated Q1 2025 start date.
The greenfield plant, designed for a daily grinding capacity of 1,700 metric tons of corn, will be equipped with ICM’s proprietary Base Tricanter System™, Selective Milling Technology™ and Fiber Separation Technology™. In addition to producing 260 million liters of anhydrous ethanol per year, the biorefinery will be able to recover 9,000 metric tons of corn oil and recombine separated feed components into 185,000 metric tons of standard DDGS.
“We are thrilled to work with ICM, which we consider the gold standard for corn-based ethanol process design,” said Emilio Rietmann, CEO of Impacto. “This project will bring many agribusiness opportunities to the region, and we believe it’s just the beginning. We are already looking at a future expansion. When we’re ready, we’ll be able to build on our capabilities and do more.”
Impacto Bioenergia currently owns and operates an ethanol plant in the northeast of Brazil, but this latest biorefinery will be the first to exclusively process corn instead of sugarcane. Brazil has two corn seasons, allowing biorefineries that use ICM technologies to operate continuously year-round, maximizing uptimes and profits. Sugarcane plants typically operate up to eight months out of the year.
“We are excited to be the first adopters of corn-based ethanol biorefining in the state of Bahia,” said Hermes Eduardo Moreira Filho, president of ENESA Investimentos, the majority shareholder in Impacto Energia S/A. ENESA is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor with nearly 50 years of experience operating in energy markets. “By supplementing our sustainable fuel offering with DDGS and renewable power to the grid, we can make a bigger impact on the region’s economic growth,” Moreira added.
“This is new and inspiring territory for Impacto,” said Manoel Carnaúba, president of the board of directors of Impacto Bioenergia. “Exciting opportunities come with ICM’s proprietary process technologies, namely the possibility of one plant to create diverse streams of revenue on a daily basis.”
Issam Stouky, ICM’s director of global business development, said he shares the excitement of working with Impacto.
“We’re looking forward to more projects together and further developing Impacto’s relationship with Brazil’s energy and feed markets,” Stouky said. “We both have the same mission for sustainable, energy-efficient solutions.”
According to Impacto Energia’s own mission statement, the company aims to help customers become agents of economic and environmental change, which begins with achieving financial and sustainability goals through biofuel and bioenergy solutions.
About ICM, Inc.
Established in 1995 and headquartered in Colwich, Kansas, with a regional office in Brazil, ICM provides innovative technologies, solutions and services to sustain agriculture and to advance renewable energy, including ethanol and feed technologies that will increase the supply of world protein. By providing proprietary process technologies to over 100 facilities globally with a combined annual production of approximately 8.8 billion gallons of ethanol and 25 million tons of distiller grains, ICM has become a world leader in biorefining technologies. For additional information, visit www.icminc.com.
About Impacto Energia S/A
Impacto Energia was founded in 2016 to develop projects aiming at accelerating the global transition to a low-carbon, circular biofuel-based economy. Impacto Energia recently established its first landfill biogas to power a plant in Rio Grande do Sul and will soon announce a disruptive solution to convert food waste to biofuel. For additional information, visit www.impactoenergia.com.br.
About Impacto Bioenergia
Since 2019, Impacto Bioenergia has been focused on developing projects that produce biofuels and biochemicals from sustainable feedstocks, as well as pursuing diverse technologies that will disrupt current mindsets and business practices. During the most recent sugarcane season, Impacto Bioenergia rescued a stressed sugarcane mill, doubled the production of VHP sugar and bioethanol, and maintained direct and indirect jobs in the state of Alagoas. For more information, visit www.ibea.com.br.
About ENESA
Founded in 1977, ENESA is an engineering, procurement and construction contractor specializing in electromechanical assembly and maintenance across multiple industries, including mining, oil and gas, pulp and paper, steel and metallurgy, and hydropower and thermopower generation. ENESA employs more than 3,500 people and operates throughout Brazil, providing large-scale construction engineering solutions that help increase national prosperity. For more information, visit www.enesa.com.br.
