From food to fuel

January 31, 2007

Based in Kassel, Germany, Anhydro Starch & Ethanol Europe is one of the pillars of the Starch & Ethanol Centre of Excellence.

"We are looking at a very considerable growth potential throughout Europe," says Thomas Holst, Vice President, Anhydro Starch & Ethanol Europe. "There are two main drivers of which the first is a ban in many countries on simply dumping by-products from food and food-related processes. The other is a call for alternative fuels together with various incentives in the form of tax relieve and financial subsidies."

Evaporation and drying of waste
Environmental legislation in Europe is driving a transition to "clean plants" with lower emissions and effluent streams. This means, for example, that by-products from food and food-related processes can no longer simply be dumped, but have to be dewatered and dried. The resulting dry matter can be re-used in a number of ways, for example as fuel to generate energy.

"This on its own is a major growth area for our business," Thomas Holst explains. "We are able to supply solutions that are technically ahead of the pack. And we can supply not only faster than our competitors, but also tailor our solutions specifically to the customer's individual requirements.

Alternative fuels
Anhydro GmbH has for some years been busy building a rapidly growing business supplying tube bundle dryers for the bio-ethanol industry, especially in Europe, but also in Asia.

"Our solutions have nothing to do with the bio-ethanol production process itself, but are used to dry the resulting waste products into animal feed. Here, of course, the same applies as in the drying of other waste products - the need for a supplier with superior and robust technology that can be tailored to individual requirements and delivered quickly," Thomas Holst continues.

Cross-border collaboration
Anhydro Starch & Ethanol Europe works closely together with its counterpart in the USA. "One of the major advantages of our new organization is the opportunity to present a single profile to the customer with the promise of world-class solutions," says Thomas Holst. "Now it is much easier for us to collaborate globally across the entire enterprise to make sure we can customize the best possible solution for each individual customer."