Using corn for MEG may help farmers, environment alike

     In the struggle to increase demand for corn as supplies keep getting larger, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) believes it has come across one solution.

     The ICPB, in December, received a patent application on a production method that uses corn in the industrial manufacturing of monoethylene glycol (MEG).

     MEG is used in bottled water and soft drinks, antifreeze, polyester clothing, and more. Most MEG is produced from fossil fuels, with the exception of some bio-MEG made from sugarcane ethanol and sourced from Brazil, according to the ICPB.

     Area corn farmers say corn can contribute to that market, while benefitting the public, the environment and themselves.

     “Any product that uses corn will cause increased demand for the producers’ product,” said Jim Greif of Prairieburg, a farmer for 40 years and an Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) director.

     “Increased demand will help to balance the supply and demand we have in Iowa and the nation for corn.”

     Pete Brecht, a third generation farmer from Central City who also serves as an ICPB director, agreed that using corn to make MEG is a win-win.

     “Right now it’s mostly fossil fuels, and we want to change that to more renewable, biobased sources,” Brecht said in an interview that was recorded on the agricultural website agwired.com. “Consumers are driving that. They want bio-based products.”

     Greif added: “Consumers today are becoming more and more aware of where their products come from and how they are made. We have seen more and more consumers looking for bio-based and biodegradable products without having to pay higher prices.”

     Brecht said the current, fossil fuel-based MEG market sees about four percent growth annually.

     “If we could just capture that four percent increase in the market every year, we could be looking at grinding another 96 million bushels of corn annually, and that will help the farmer and reduce these stockpiles that we have,” Brecht said.

     Greif agreed that would be a benefit, as there are currently more than 2 billion bushels of corn in surplus in the U.S. alone.

     Greif said the process is not commercial yet.

     “The patent application is still making its way through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as the equivalent offices around the world,” Greif said. “We also have two different patents granted on this process.

     “Unfortunately, research doesn’t happen overnight. Iowa Corn is actively searching for commercialization partners as we continue development of a pilot plant.”

     Brecht agreed that the process is just in the beginning stages.

     “We’ve got a long ways to go,” Brecht said in the web interview. “All the research looks very positive. We know we’re on the right track, and it’s all going to come together eventually. It’s hard to put a time frame to it.

     “We don’t seem to have any problem on the production side, but we keep getting bigger and bigger piles, and we need to get rid of that somehow. That’s what we’re using our Checkoff dollars for, to find new uses for corn, and we believe this is going to be one of them.”