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Grain Processing Corporation To Invest $95 Million in Two Projects To Reduce Emissions, Improve Productivity
MUSCATINE, IOWA – May 24, 2011 – Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) of Muscatine today broke ground on a four-year, two-part project that will significantly reduce emissions while improving operational productivity.
As part of a total $100 million investment in sustainability measures, the company is building a $75 million, state-of-the-art grain dryer at the plant site along the Mississippi River on Muscatine’s south side. At the same time, GPC also will spend $20 million to upgrade environmental control systems for its boilers. Both projects are scheduled to be complete in 2015.
“These two projects will help GPC reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 87 percent and small particulate matter emissions by 63 percent,” said John Thorpe, GPC president. “The result is that smoke, odor and haze issues that have concerned the Muscatine community will be nearly eliminated.
“And, while this investment won’t eliminate the air quality issues in Muscatine, it will significantly reduce our company’s contribution to them,” Thorpe added.
When the new dryer and boiler environmental controls are fully operational in 2015, they will enable GPC to reduce total emissions by 72 percent compared with current levels, according to Mick Durham, director of environmental services. Additional systems improvements will reduce emissions to just 18 percent of current levels by 2020.
The company’s sustainability measures already have begun to pay off, Durham noted. In the last decade, energy use has been cut by 18 percent, water use by 20 percent, and carbon dioxide emissions by 5 percent.
Other projects that will enhance the GPC plant and grounds include the building of a 16- foot-high, stone-clad containment wall surrounding the construction site to minimize the impact of project activities, such as noise and construction debris, on nearby residential neighborhoods.
Also planned is a decorative fence similar to those found at the riverfront park in downtown Muscatine. The fence and wall satisfy facility perimeter requirements from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard related to the products made in Muscatine, and the decorative design allows for a continuation of the river front park appearance.
Sustainable Economic Impact
According to GPC’s Thorpe, the project also supports the company’s objective to deliver sustainable economic contributions to Muscatine and throughout Iowa. Each year, GPC, a corn wet milling company, purchases more than $400 million of corn produced by Iowa farmers. GPC’s products include food and pharmaceutical grade alcohol, starches, corn oil and maltodextrins for functional foods ingredients, and ingredients for livestock and pet foods.
GPC’s parent company is Muscatine Foods Corporation (MFC), which provides management and administrative services for GPC and two other operating companies: the Kent Nutrition Group, Inc., and Precision Foods, Inc. Including its operating companies, MFC employs 760 people in Muscatine, 830 in Iowa and 1,800 worldwide. Each day it contributes more than $1 million to the local and state economy.