OMAHA, NEBRASKA, US — Green Plains Inc., a biorefining company, has begun ongoing production of lower-carbon dextrose syrups at what the company said is the world’s first commercial deployment of Clean Sugar Technology (CST) at its facility in Shenandoah, Iowa, US.

The facility produces dextrose and glucose corn syrups with up to a 40% lower carbon intensity than existing alternatives using a patented system designed by Fluid Quip Technologies. The low carbon-intensity ingredients are designed for renewable chemicals, bio-based materials, and food and beverage formulations.

The dextrose and glucose corn syrups produced with CST have proven successful in trials as feedstocks for fermentation of various bio-products and bio-chemicals, in addition to food ingredients, Green Plains said.

“The successful start of the game-changing Clean Sugar Technology in Shenandoah, combined with the first-ever dextrose from a dry mill, ushers in a new era for Green Plains and the sugar industry as a whole,” said Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer at Green Plains. “Not only is this disruptive to traditional manufacturing of dextrose and glucose products but we believe our entry into this market with a focus on low carbon-intensity ingredients better positions us to meet expanding demand.”

Bulk shipments of commercial quantities to end-use customers will begin in the coming weeks, Green Plains said. The facility has achieved third-party certification for current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) with FSSC 22000 certification expected to be completed in the next quarter. Over the next several quarters, the facility will be optimized to increase production.

“Clean Sugar Technology unlocks the corn kernel to produce products similar to a corn wet mill but with a lower carbon-intensity as the demand for dextrose and glucose corn syrups continues to grow,” Becker said. “These sustainable ingredients are enabling a new path for the bio-based economy to achieve breakthroughs in renewable chemicals and beyond.”

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, US, Green Plains is focused on the development and utilization of fermentation, agricultural and biological technologies in the processing of annually renewable crops into sustainable value-added ingredients. This includes the production of cleaner low carbon-intensity biofuels and renewable feedstocks for advanced biofuels.