Web exclusive posted Feb. 28, 2008, at 9:18 p.m. CST

Poet LLC announced Feb. 20 that it's funding a research collaboration with Iowa State University researcher Jay-Lin Jane to improve the efficiency of Poet's patent-pending Broin Project X process.

The BPX process uses raw-starch hydrolysis that converts starch to sugar and then ferments it to ethanol without the use of heat. It's used in 20 of Poet's 22 U.S. ethanol production facilities. The benefits of the process include reduced energy costs, increased ethanol yields, increased nutrient quality in the distillers grains and decreased plant emissions.

According to Poet, the BPX process, which yields 20 percent ethanol in fermentation, increases ethanol yields from the industry standard of 2.7 gallons of ethanol per bushel of corn up to to three gallons per bushel. The purpose of the research collaboration with Jane is to gain an even greater yield by understanding the starch structure and methods of processing starch, said Mark Stowers, vice president of research and development at Poet.

Jane has dedicated her research to understanding the internal structures of starch granules, the biosynthesis of starch, and the chemical, physical and enzymatic modification of starch. For Poet, she will identify the most suitable starch for the raw-starch hydrolysis process. "There are differences between the starches in different lines of corn," Jane said. "Starches are made different, and we are trying to identify which lines of corn starches are more easily hydrolyzed by the enzyme and the mechanism of enzyme hydrolysis of uncooked cornstarch."

The research collaboration received additional support through a grant from the Grow Iowa Values Fund, which creates high-quality jobs through business development and expansion.