NCERC expansion opens doors to new corn-based products

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — A $15 million investment in the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will expand the facility and provide opportunities for new bio-products using corn to scale to commercialization.

The investment builds upon a more than 20-year legacy of 100-plus technologies that have made ethanol production more efficient and powered more ethanol per bushel of corn.

“Illinois is home to cutting-edge institutions, and we’re building our state’s reputation as a world-class leader in research by expanding the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at SIUE,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.

“As federal policies drive up costs for farmers and consumers, we’re working to provide relief while providing new investments for Illinois farmers to grow. This expansion will help turn Illinois crops into new products and create more opportunities and good-paying jobs in southwestern Illinois.”

U.S. Innovation, Growth

The United States currently has limited fermentation capacity for developing and testing new products at commercial scale. As a result, some U.S. companies must use facilities outside the country.

Europe has approximately twice the precision fermentation capacity of the United States, while China accounts for approximately 70% of the world’s basic fermentation capacity.

The NCERC expansion would increase domestic fermentation capacity, giving companies in the United States greater access to the facilities needed to develop, test and commercialize new bio-products.

“An expansion in this facility will allow the testing and trials required for new corn products to scale in Illinois, building both future markets for Illinois corn and creating jobs in the agriculture and processing sectors for our state,” said Rodney Weinzierl, IL Corn executive director.

Timing Is Critical

According to Weinzierl, Illinois farm families are struggling financially, balancing razor-thin margins with the needs of the farm and the family.

The Illinois corn checkoff committed $2 million to the NCERC expansion, understanding the opportunity to build new markets that would improve commodity prices long term and provide for the next generation of Illinois corn farmers.

Broad Support

In addition to the $15 million from the state of Illinois and the $2 million allocation from IL Corn, SIUE and Southern Illinois University have made commitments to the expansion.

The partnership with SIUE provides the education and experiential learning piece that grows expertise and makes Illinois a long-term center for the scaling of new bio-products.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski has also requested funds from the federal government for the project as a part of her effort to invest in “Sili-corn Valley” in Illinois. Her district merges traditional farming with high-tech innovation, artificial intelligence in agriculture and research institutions.

State Reps. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, and Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, along with Deputy Gov. Andy Manar and Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II also advocated for NCERC expansion over the last year.

“I’m proud to continue supporting NCERC back in Washington as co-chair of the Biofuels Congress,” Budzinski said.

“This year, I submitted an additional federal funding request that will hopefully boost this already robust investment. Ultimately, this funding will help propel NCERC forward and allow them to expand on the groundbreaking work they are doing right in our district.”

Building Capacity, Talent

The expansion will build new, explosion-proof Biosafety Level 2 work areas and will add two 5,000-liter bioreactors to the facility.

The bioreactor availability creates a major opportunity for commercialization of new bio-products, as bioreactors are currently a limiting factor for many companies with proof of concept.

Through the connection with SIUE, the expanded facility will include a Workforce Training and Experiential Learning Center, ensuring the cutting-edge curriculum and hands-on learning to prepare students for careers as plant operators, research engineers and scientists, lab analysts, project and business managers and more.