POET Innovation

> Overview

> Environment

> Greenhouse Gas

> Cold Cooked Ethanol

> Cogeneration

> Water Conservation

> Waste Powered Ethanol Production

POET Innovation - Water Conservation

Water is a precious natural resource and one that POET constantly strives to conserve. Since POET produced its first gallon in 1988, the company has reduced the amount of water used per gallon of ethanol by 80 percent. Today, the company uses less than three gallons of water for each gallon of ethanol which, according to Argonne National Laboratory, is less than the 2.8 to 6.6 gallons of water it takes to recover and refine one gallon of crude oil. But through innovation, POET is committed to reducing that even further in the future.

POET engineers have developed a proprietary process called Total Water Recovery. The four facilities where it has been installed average using 2 to 2.5 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol produced. Through the company's Ingreenuity™ initiative, POET aims to reduce its water usage per gallon of ethanol to 2.33 by 2014, which would conserve an additional billion gallons of water per year in comparison with its 2009 water usage.

POET also makes use of alternative sources of water wherever possible. Almost all of the water to operate POET Biorefining -- Big Stone comes from the retention ponds of the nearby Big Stone Power Plant. POET Biorefining -- Corning gets a third of its water from the Corning Waste Water Treatment Plant. POET Biorefining -- Portland draws all of its water from an adjacent quarry that discharges it as part of their normal dewatering operation.

Case Studies:

• Total Water Recovery
• Making use of used water
• Utilizing grey water