Speaker Hastert helps dedicate Ethanol Research Center at SIUE
by Gregory Conroy
 (EDWARDSVILLE,
Ill.) U.S. Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., led the
Illinois delegation and other state, local, and university officials
today in dedicating the National Corn-To-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC)
located in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's University
Park.
Hastert, a long-time advocate for agriculture, joined U.S. Sen.
Richard Durbin, D-Ill., U.S. Congressman John Shimkus,
R-Collinsville, U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, and
Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn for the morning ceremony that took place
inside the main research bay of the center at 400 University Park
Drive. Also on the dais were Rodney Bothast, director of the new
36,000-square-foot center, SIUE Chancellor David Werner, and SIU
President James E. Walker.
The $20 million center was constructed with $14 million in
federal funds and $6 million from the state of Illinois.
Walker said the research center will play an important role in
fulfilling the university's mission of service. "This research
center is truly one-of-a-kind in the U.S., bringing unique
opportunities for research and business development to the
region," Walker said. "We are grateful for the support of
the many people who made this facility possible, especially our
elected officials."
Werner added that the center will help open new doors to
producing alternative, renewable fuels. "The Illinois
Congressional Delegation and our state senators and representatives
worked hard for the creation and funding of the research center, and
to bring it here to the SIUE campus," Werner said. "Their
hard work is the reason we can stand here on day one of what we
believe will lead to a revolution in the creation of alternative
fuels."
Center Director Rodney J. Bothast, internationally recognized
authority on industrial microbiology and biochemical engineering,
said the NCERC will enable researchers to experiment with
alternatives to fossil fuels in the only facility in the world that
fully emulates both a corn-wet mill and corn-dry mill in commercial
fuel ethanol production.
"The NCERC will serve a major role in commercializing new
technologies for producing ethanol more cost effectively from
corn," Bothast said. He explained there have been promising
efforts to find efficient production methods, but these results have
not been tested on a large scale. "Until now, these results
have not been tested because of the prohibitive costs and the risks
behind injecting an exploratory technology into an existing,
large-scale, commercial facility," he said.
Bothast pointed out that the center also will allow for finding
ways to add value to co-products from the ethanol process.
"Researchers are working to come up with better technologies to
break down corn and its co-products to make the process economically
sound," Bothast said.
 "The
NCERC will advance the role of bioconversion by developing and
demonstrating the next generation of advanced technologies, making
possible low-cost and sustainable biobased industrial products,
biofuels, and biopower. Since 1980, fuel ethanol production has been
increasing annually and has reached 2.7 billion gallons this year
from more than one billion bushels of corn grown in the United
States. We expect to go to five billion gallons a year in 10 years
if we are to meet the renewable fuel goals of this country."
For more information about the center, call Rod Bothast, (618)
659-6737, or Keith Nichols, (618) 650-3604, or, toll-free, (888)
328-5168, Ext. 3604.
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