Talking ethanol at Commodity Classic

By Dusty Sonnenberg and Matt Reese

John Settlemyre, who farms in Warren County and serves as the current president of Ohio Corn & Wheat, was busy talking, learning about and discussing ethanol at Commodity Classic in Orlando. 

Scientists are finding ways to not only enhance the ethanol but also the byproducts that are coming off of ethanol production, he said. 

“One company in Houston, for example, is taking ethanol and producing ethylene which is going to be used in polyethylene plastics — a huge green source of plastics which are recycled and very important for our environment and a very valuable use for ethanol,” Settlemyre said. “Currently when we produce ethanol, we’re about 42% less greenhouse gas emissions when we use it as a fuel. When we produce ethanol, we also produce about a pound of CO2 for every pound of ethanol, so if we can capture the CO2 out of the reactor vessels and do something with it, it’s a free source of CO2.… Continue reading