Member News: VERBIO North America Forms New Sourcing and Logistics Company

A critical next step in securing feedstock for its Nevada RNG plant

CONTACT: Greg Northrup, (616) 204-0155, greg.northrup@verbio.us

Livonia, MICH (December 7, 2020): VERBIO North America Corp (VNA) today announced the formation of VERBIO Farm Services LLC (VFS) as the company progresses towards the successful startup of its Renewable Natural Gas production facility located in Nevada, Iowa. The facility has been under construction since early 2019, following VNA’s late 2018 purchase of the former DuPont cellulosic ethanol plant.

With the recent construction completion of 8 large fermentation tanks, plant operations are expected to commence operations early in the 3rd quarter 2021 (fermentation tanks photo, attached). The plant utilizes sophisticated anerobic digestion technology to convert cellulosic agricultural residue into RNG. The location in central Iowa is ideally suited to providing the approximately 75–100,000 tons of corn stover, annually, to produce 7 million ethanol equivalent gallons of RNG once the first phase of the site’s redevelopment is complete.

Bernd Sauter, COO, Director of Purchasing and Logistics, VERBIO AG, said, “This is a critical step for our North America operations and we look forward to engaging with the region’s growers to secure feedstock vital to the plant’s operations.”

VFS will be responsible for identifying and contracting for corn stover in partnership with local growers. Setting up the new company will be the responsibilities of Ronald DeJongh, the company’s newly hired President.

A resident of Ames, DeJongh has been active in agricultural processing for over 30 years, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the new operation. “I am very excited about the opportunity to put in practice the proven strategies and tactics of our parent company, combined with our local knowledge of our region’s growers,” DeJongh stated. “This partnership will add significant value to the local economy while producing renewable transportation fuel from residual agricultural waste.”

VNA, through its operating subsidiary VERBIO Nevada, LLC (VEN) currently manages 4 corn stover sites it acquired from DuPont. The sites will be integrated into VFS operations as part of a planned transition over the next several months.

About VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG
VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG is one of the leading independent bioenergy manufacturers, and is also the only large-scale producer of biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethane in Europe. The Group has approximately 700 employees at its locations in Germany, India, the USA, Canada, Poland and Hungary. VERBIO concentrates on the use of internally developed innovative and efficient energy-saving production processes. VERBIO’s biofuels achieve CO2 savings of up to 90 percent compared to petrol or diesel. In addition, VERBIO manufactures biofertiliser and animal feed for agricultural use as well as high-value raw materials for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and foodstuff industries. With its innovative processes and highly efficient production plants, VERBIO is a technology leader in the European biofuels market. The VERBIO share (ISIN DE000A0JL9W6/WKN A0JL9W) has been listed in the prime standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since October 2006.
More information can be found at www.verbio.de/en