Cenovus Energy’s Lima Refinery dates back to when John D. Rockefeller built a refinery in 1886.
Precious Grundy | The Lima News
LIMA — Fuel is a gem that empowers products such as machines to go. The resource is created around the world and in the backyard of Allen County.
The Lima Refinery was birthed after Benjamin C. Farout discovered oil. According to a Lima News article, John D. Rockefeller built a refinery in 1886. Today, the refinery is owned by Cenovus Energy. In recent news, the company invested $250,000 in MakerSpace in Lima to provide a place for future innovators.
Companies such as Poet in Leipsic and Guardian in Lima create bio-ethanol.
According to Poet General Manager Ken Miceli, bio-ethanol is a plant-based fuel that is used for vehicles. Poet utilizes corn from local farmers to create the fuel.
“We take the starch that is in the corn which has no nutritional value at all,” Miceli said. “We convert that starch into bio-ethanol. Then we re-combine the nutrients back into animal feed, so we reintroduce the solids back into the feed market, so the starch goes to ethanol. We call that feed-dried distillers grains or Dakota gold feed. We take the fat, and we separate that out. We produce a corn oil product that is called voila. That corn oil product can go either way. It can go into feed as well or some of it goes to biodiesel.”
Miceli said bio-ethanol is a renewable fuel. As the plant grows, it consumes CO2 from the atmosphere. Once bio-ethanol is produced from that plant, it releases the CO2 back into the atmosphere. Miceli said bio-ethanol is not a new way of production but has been around for years.
“When Henry Ford invented the Model T, that vehicle was actually able to run on ethanol,” Miceli said. “Ever since vehicles have been around, ethanol as a fuel has been on the table. When 9/11 happened, one of the things that came out was America’s energy independence. Some of that was about as much about the environment as national security back then to try to get this country capable of some fuel other than gasoline that would be better for the future and also make sure Americans would have access to energy for their vehicles. That set the stage for the growth of American ethanol energy in this country.”
Guardian Lima in Lima grinds 23 million bushels per year to produce approximately 70 million gallons of denatured ethanol per year, according to its website.
As Poet moves forward, it has plans to expand its use of bio-ethanol. Due to Poet building a purified alcohol plant two years ago, the company now has the ability to produce bio-ethanol for other industries. The product can be used for paint, cosmetics, disinfectant, hand sanitizer and much more.
“A lot of products have chemicals like methanol in it, which are poisonous chemicals,” Miceli said. “There is the capability to replace methanol with plant-based ethanol. It makes for a greener product and user friendly. So there is more demand from consumers for products that are environmentally friendly and more sustainable. That is the future for us. A fuel that is good for the environment getting access to other revenue or businesses or opportunities where plant-based ethanol is good as well.”
CELEBRATING OUR SPIRIT
Plenty of foods, items and ideas are created right here in the Lima region. Celebrating Our Spirit looks at those organizations that make the area such a vibrant place to live, work and play.
Read more stories at LimaOhio.com/tag/spirit.
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
