Well its official! There is a new ethanol plant that is going to be built in my hometown and I have some questions! My hometown is small with a pop. of about 1400 so this is a big deal for the town! Overall, I think it will be excellent for the town and surrounding area, but what negative impacts will it have?
Also will it raise/lower or have no impact on the local gas/diesel prices?
Is there any chance that the local stores might start selling Biodiesel?
How big is this thing going to be?
etc. etc. etc...

 

Can you say STINK.

 

don't anticipate that the new plant will offer great pay either. One reason they put those big plants in small towns is to maximize profit, and john and jane from high school that will nevber leave there will have to have some sort of job. Where else to go other than the mill )or in this case the ethanol plant and work for $6 to $7 an hour.

That is how a lot of big businesses work.

Fuel prices, prolly will not change much, but supply would be pretty good. haha The companies are not gonna give any Ma and Pop stores any breaks because they will not buy enough to justify giving a price break, but will give companies that buy in larger volumes a few kick backs.

Just a few observations from my 24 years of existance.

Also, If they were in an industrial park near some big town, the EPA would inspect them a lot more often also. SO I adon't know how far the next big town is, but do you see where I am going with this.

You can expect the roads in your town to deteriorate more also, from all the tankers that will now be moving in and out of there to get fuel. Yall might geet a truck stop though, to give the drivers a break and fuel before getting back out on the road.

 

Thanks for the info! The next bigger town is about 30 miles away, and they have a big nitrogen/fertilizer plant there so im assuming the EPA is around there some. My hometown's main business a major grain supplyer/warehouser so im sure thats probably one reason they picked there as a site for an ethanol plant. It also brings in a lot of truck traffic so thats pretty normal already...They are also on a main line for the BNSF so they are planning on putting the plant right across the railroad tracks from the main grain elevator so it should be kind of a neat deal. I really hope it helps the town's economy a bit. It will probably actually be a good thing that they will hire anyone that needs a job because my town has needed that for a LONG time...for some reason, nobody from there wants to go to college... Anyway..any other info would be helpful! Thanks!

 

Don't look for biodiesel to become available either... ethanol is a different creature. Your plant is probably designed by ICM which is based in a small town just outside of Wichita. The "home" plant is notorious for a bad odor.

 

ratat98,
If you want to talk to someone who works at one, I can give you a couple of phone numbers. There is currently one in operation for about 1 year in Garnett, Ks. On the news just about 1/2 hr. ago they announced another plant being built in central Ks.

They're required to put air scrubbers on stacks to clean the air so the entire town doesn't stink.

Have you ever been in a town that has a cheese plant before they were required to clean the exhaust? They smell so bad I left a farm sale 'cause the order was repulsive!

 

Small? you got the world famous Joes

What more does the town need?

 

We are getting an ethanol plant right next to a town with 60,000 ppl. So I would be willing to bet that they will have any smell issues figured out before they start operations.

 

Thats what I was just about to post. Yall have Eskimo Joes and you call it a small town??? Everyone know Eskimo Joes!!

Did I spell eskimo right????


I used to live in Edmond OK and that was the think during football season, cruise up to Stillwater!

 

Im talking about my HOMETOWN, Shattuck. Its about 180 miles west of Stillwater...and no, I don't consider Stillwater small, although my cousin, who grew up here, does...weirdo.

Gotta love those cheesefries! < That smile always reminds me of Joes!


Edit: What part of the refining process causes the odor? i figured it was all clean and stuff, but I have smelled rotten wheat before...

 

jOES????

WORLD FAMOUS????

FUNNY, I have never heard of it.

 

http://www.eskimojoes.com/

MikeyB

 

Ethanol plants use LOTS of water. Some plants here in Minnesota are piping water dozens or hundreds of miles to get enough.

Water is one big reason besides the supply of corn why corn-based ethanol can't replace gasoline.

Brian Elfert

 

Ethanol plants use LOTS of water. Some plants here in Minnesota are piping water dozens or hundreds of miles to get enough.

Water is one big reason besides the supply of corn why corn-based ethanol can't replace gasoline.

Brian Elfert

 

well if these plants need lots of water, it would seem that they would build close to a river of some sorts.

Do these palnts just use the water for power, or cooling? I guess I am trying to ask if the water gets used up, or becomes toxic? If not, I would thinkthey could pipe it in, and then pipe it back out.....