MINNEDOSA, Man. – They’ve struck Fibrotein!
The Mohawk Oil plant in this southwest Manitoba town will soon produce a high fibre and protein product from leftovers of wheat it distills into ethanol.
Mohawk recently announced it will spend $1.5 million on upgrades to the plant so it can sell Fibrotein to Canadian companies that make bread, muffins, cookies and cereal.
Ron Wilmont, plant superintendent said the additive is already being produced in the United States. It’s taken the company about three years to get the Canadian rights to Fibrotein, conduct research and feasibility studies, and get approval from Health Canada.
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Wilmont said the plant will initially make about 1.35 million kilograms of the additive, which looks and tastes similar to a bran flakes breakfast cereal. But he said the company sees an eventual demand of more than 4.5 million kg.
“This is great for the plant,” Wilmont said. “It will certainly make the production of ethanol a lot more economically feasible.”
Ethanol is an alcohol used as an oxygenate to blend with gasoline. It increases the octane level of gasoline, which Wilmont said is better for cars and the environment.
“You end up with a lot less fuel emissions going out the gas pipe of your car,” said Wilmont, adding that up to 10 percent can be blended with gasoline. The company has about 350 retail and bulk fuel outlets in Western Canada.
Wilmont said the plant now produces about 10 million litres of ethanol a year. With the expansion, he said it could eventually make up to 12 million litres of ethanol.
Better prices for quality wheat
Wilmont said the expansion is also good news for farmers in the area. The plant currently buys more than 75 tonnes of low-grade wheat from about 150 farmers and grain companies each day. But it will need higher-grade wheat for Fibrotein and that should mean better prices for those who contract with the company.
The plant dries the leftover wheat mash from the distilling process for distillers’ dry grain, used in feed rations for dairy cattle. Wilmont said Fibrotein will be “dramatically more profitable” for the company to produce.
