Working alongside 3 Rivers Energy Partners (3 Rivers), a facility is to be built nearby that will use anaerobic digestors to convert spent stillage from bourbon production to biogas.
After being treated to renewable natural gas (RNG) standards, the biogas will be piped directly back to the Booker Noe facility to be used as part of a 65% biogas – 35% fossil-based natural gas blend.
The digestors will also produce a fertiliser to be made available to farmers across the region.
“This expansion will ensure we meet future demand for our iconic bourbon in a sustainable way that supports the environment and the local community that has helped build and support Jim Beam,” commented Albert Baladi, President/CEO, Beam Suntory.
Producing 95% of the world’s bourbon, Kentucky has seen its whiskey distillers expand by 250% in the last 10 years alone, causing concern over the supply of Distiller’s Spent Grains (DSG) resulting from the manufacture process.
According to the Beam Institute, 10 gallons of stillage are created for every gallon of bourbon made, with an estimated 96 million gallons of stillage produced state-wide each year.
Although larger distilleries have the means to dry out whole stillage, making it more portable for farmers to remove, smaller craft distillers may not have the funds to dry the grains and are left with an unusable by-product.
By enabling the reuse of spent stillage, the project could also support a local market for DSGs, boosting the economy and creating jobs.
In addition to a 50% capacity expansion, the project will see the distillery installing high-efficiency gas boilers, using scrubbing technology to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from fermentation tanks and reusing more than 100,000 metric tonnes of high-purity CO2 annually.
As specialists in the design, build, and operations of RNG projects, 3 Rivers stated that it intends to aid in the creation of a sustainable future for both Jim Beam and the planet.
“With this process, we will create new renewable energy, and help sustain the agriculture needed to create their products,” said John Rivers, CEO, 3 Rivers Energy Partners.
“It is truly a full circle sustainability approach.”