Minnesota Corn Growers Association

Photo provided by MCGA

 

Nearly all semi-trucks on the road and tractors on the farm are powered by diesel engines. While proven to be reliable, diesel-powered engines are a notorious contributor to the emissions that harm our environment. A new technology is replacing diesel with ethanol to reduce the environmental costs while keeping these engines running as a vital part of our economy.

Based in Illinois, ClearFlame Engine Technologies keeps nearly all of the diesel engine characteristics intact while replacing only the components that allow it to switch to ethanol. With as much as 90 percent of the original engine still intact, the engine maintains the same durable, high-power output end users depend on.

For engine manufacturers, Clear Flame is a solution that allows them to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations without sacrificing performance, according to ClearFlame Engines Co-Founder and CEO BJ Johnson.

“We don’t have to fundamentally move away from a technology that has been around for 100s of years,” Johnson said. “The diesel engine is great, the diesel fuel is the problem.”

Johnson said ClearFlame also eliminates the need for complex catalytic reduction systems since Clear Flame technology already uses clean-burning, low-carbon ethanol fuels. Clear Flame technology is currently being tested on E98.

Johnson said Clear Flame is currently working with Cummins to bring its solution to the long-haul trucking industry, and John Deere to incorporate its technology into diesel-powered farm equipment.

For the future of ethanol, carving out an increased role in heavy duty transportation would greatly increase demand. If only 20 percent of the heavy duty transportation industry uses ClearFlame technology, it would double ethanol demand. With that, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council partnered with ClearFlame to support and accelerate their efforts.

Johnson sees ClearFlame’s technology and the role of cleaner-burning ethanol to work alongside electric as the nation focuses on reducing emissions. Electric has proven to be an effective solution in metro areas where the commutes are shorter, but the technology is not ready for interstate travel. Ethanol is the perfect partner with electric to lower emissions on a larger scale.

“There is a narrative that we are going to have one technology that is going to kill off all the old technologies, but we can’t wait for one solution to replace it all,” Johnson said. “There is a lot of noise around electric, but we make 15 billion gallons of [ethanol] today and we need to take advantage of it.”

Farmers’ investment in the Minnesota corn check-off is building a more sustainable future on the farm by fueling the efforts that increase profitability. Supporting Clear Flame and their mission to replace diesel with ethanol in diesel engines is one of many ways the check-off is working on behalf of the state’s corn growers.