KL Process Design Group Goes Public and Changes Name to KL Energy Corp.

Rapid City, SD—KL Energy Corp. (OTCBB: KLEG) announced October 8 that it has acquired KL Process Design Group (KLPDG), a leading process design and engineering firm and a pioneer in the commercialization of second generation cellulose-based ethanol (CBE) production.

This acquisition and accompanying funding will allow KL Energy Corp. to develop its second commercial scale CBE production facility.

Ethanol produced from cellulose is an alternative energy source highly-anticipated globally as a means of generating energy production through various waste materials and biomass and therefore does not come into competition with food sources.

In connection with the transaction, $6.1 million in notes made in anticipation of the transaction and held by European institutional investors Fair Energy (through affiliate company Niton Capital) and The Green Fund, were converted into common stock in KL Energy Corp.

KL Energy Corp. (previously KLPDG) was formed early in 2000 to focus on the design and production of bio-ethanol plants, with projects focused on efficient construction, process optimization, and industry leading energy-efficiencies.

Applying their advanced engineering skills and knowledge gained in petrochemical process design, the Company has become a leader in the design and optimization of grain-based ethanol (GBE) plants.

Simultaneously KL worked to design, build and operate the first small commercial scale 2nd generation cellulose-based ethanol (CBE) plant in the United States.


Since January of 2008, the Company has been successfully producing cellulosic ethanol using waste wood as feedstock, at its commercial scale facility near Upton, Wyoming.

The first facility of its kind in the country, the new plant was completely designed, engineered, constructed and is being operated by KL Energy (KL).

The current success is the result of six years of development efforts between KL and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

KL's cellulosic ethanol plant is supplying fuel grade ethanol today, which is being used in traditional and high performance motor-sport applications (ALMS).

KL's "zero radius" design concept technology has proven its adaptability to other biomass feedstock based on the geographic availability of feedstock and local economic drivers.

Randy Kramer, KL Energy's President and Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, said, "We are at a major inflection point for our company, as we transition to the public markets as the leader in engineering, design, and production of cellulose ethanol.

"The interest we have developed not only in the United States, but globally since beginning production at our Upton, WY facility has been astounding.

"As world economies continue searching for feasible alternatives to carbon-based fuels relying on non-food feedstock, we believe KL Energy is a leading solution provider having already proven our technology on a commercial scale.

"Our company has the expertise and experience required to address the needs of the United States and International markets with a wide variety of new projects," continued Mr. Kramer.

Dave Litzen, KL Energy's Vice President of Process Engineering, and co-founder, stated, "We have combined our experience of energy efficient corn based ethanol process design with tried and tested petrochemical optimization and design methodologies as our foundation.

"Concentrating our teams combined multi industry experience on the most economic way to design, build and operate CBE plants we have dramatically reduced the development and implementation time lines and economics, enabling us to offer to the market financially viable commercial scale CBE production today.

"We have established what we believe are the most environmentally friendly methods of extraction and production of cellulose ethanol currently available for commercial implementation."

For more information, call 605-718-0372, Ext. 16.

see related article or website : http://www.klenergycorp.com

INTERACTIVE DESIGN OF MULTICOMPONENT DISTILLATION COLUMNS by Maria Regina Wolf Maciel

Integrating process and operational factors into an overall design strategy requires a deep insight into the multivariable functional relationships which characterize the system so that optimal decisions can be taken. Specifically, multicomponent separations processes highlight these issues because of the abstract nature of the problem which is difficult to interpret. These relate operational states to the associated phase equilibria in an operational phase space which projects an image of the relative enrichment so that the influence of operational and design variables can be assessed.The work reported here presents the development of an approach to interactive computer based design of multistage separation processes and analysis, using projections of the operating line and phase equilibrium relationship into operational subspaces. It is illustrated with reference to ternary systems and demonstrates that it can be used to overcome the intrinsic restrictions of the conventional triangular diagrams which do not emphasize the relationship between vapour and liquid compositions resulting in a loss of important information. Without this facility it is difficult to determine what design decisions are required to improve performance since it is not possible to see the overall fundamental pattern of interactions between the variables at a glance. The objective is to provide a framework which enable the variables in both liquid and vapour phase to be displayed simultaneously. It is shown that this provides a means of identifying features which are crucial in design, particularly the number of stages, feed position, sidestream position and reflux ratio. The general shape of the equilibrium surfaces and the relative positioning of the operating line trajectories in terms of design and operational variables gives very useful picture of the patterns of behaviour as optimal conditions are approached.A modified interpretation of minimum reflux ratio is proposed which takes account of the partial specification of product streams and which constrain the operational trajectories. Because product specifications of multicomponent systems only partially define acceptable compositions, the concept of minimum reflux ratio is therefore not well-defined and is constrained by operational and design factors. The interactive design environment makes it possible to develop heuristic rules which facilitate the rapid identification of characteristic local points in the operational phase space which define the principal factors governing the overall performance as well as determining flexibility and controllability.
source : http://biblioteca.universia.net

Biodiesel and Ethanol Investing

Ethanol Fuel Benefits

1. Ethanol is a renewable fuel. Renewable fuels are fuels that we can make again and again without depleting valuable resources in the earth. Extracting crude oil from the ground depletes resources from the earth’s crust. The crops we use for ethanol, on the other hand, can be grown, harvested, and grown again every year. This means that we can make ethanol this year, next year, and the year after that by growing corn or other crops. By using renewable fuels, we can preserve the resources that are remaining in the earth - but still get the fuel our economy needs.
2. Ethanol reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Ethanol contains a higher percentage of oxygen than traditional petroleum-based gasoline. Because of it, Ethanol burns more completely than petroleum-based gasoline, and does not contribute to global warming like burning petroleum-based fuels does. In fact, using ethanol as a motor fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 46%. Using just 10% ethanol in your gas tank reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19%.
3. Ethanol does not pollute ground water. Because of ethanol’s chemical structure, ethanol phase separates when it comes into contact with water. This makes it very safe for the environment because ethanol is biodegradable. It also means that ethanol will not pollute ground water like many other potential fuel sources could.
4. Ethanol Is Cheaper To Make Than Gasoline. Ethanol costs about 75 per gallon to make. Gasoline cost about $1.60 per gallon to refine. It only costs about $30 to convert a car to be a flex fuel vehicle, but doing it can save hundreds of gallons of fuel per year.
5. Ethanol Is Easy To Switch To. Ethanol can use today’s vehicles, today’s fuel distribution infrastructure, and allows us to leverage today’s technologies in order to use these renewable resources. We can blend ethanol with traditional gasoline in grades from E10 to E85. Even hybrid vehicles can run off of ethanol.
6. Ethanol supports local farmers. Ethanol is produced in local markets from available renewable resources, such as corn and sugar cane. When you purchase ethanol, your money stays nearby, going to local farmers that produced the crops used and the refineries that produced the fuel. But when you buy gasoline, some of each dollar boosts oil companies’ record profits - and the rest goes overseas.
7. Ethanol reduces our dependence on foreign oil. About 45% of all of American oil consumption is used as gasoline fuel for consumer vehicles. By using ethanol as a substitute and/or additive to petroleum-based gasoline, ethanol helps to reduce regional dependence on imported oil and petroleum products. We import millions of barrels of oil and millions of gallons of refined gasoline every day. By switching to ethanol and ethanol blends, we can continue to grow our economy while reducing our addiction to foreign oil.
8. Ethanol can be made from nearly anything. Though ethanol was first made decades ago, the technologies used in today’s ethanol industry are still in their infancy. Most of today’s ethanol production is made from corn and sugar. The technology for using waste products, such as unusable portions of crops, to produce cellulosic ethanol is on the horizon - and it will completely revolutionize the way we fuel our cars.