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site . They now produce a million gallons of ethanol daily at what they believe to be the largest dry mill plant in the United States . The company also has a second plant in Wisconsin with an annual production capacity of 90 million gallons .
“ We market all of our own products , and export 60 percent of our ethanol and 90 percent of our dried distiller ’ s grains ( DDGS ),” Marquis said . “ We ’ ve shipped to Europe , China , South America , and even Dubai . Even there they see the octane and oxygenation advantages of ethanol .”
Marquis ’ extensive business travels have taken him to all 50 states and 36 countries . Those experiences have provided him with a window to a rapidly changing world that holds tremendous promise for the twin ethanol and DDGS industries .
“ As the economies in high-population countries like China and India improve , citizens tend to move from bikes to mopeds and cars , and that is creating an issue for these countries ,” Marquis explained . “ I was in China when they had their first air quality red alert . The fact that ethanol burns cleaner and also has an exponential impact on improving tailpipe emissions from gasoline is going to become increasingly important in those countries .”
That same upward mobility is also impacting dietary patterns , increasing meat consumption , and opening the door for higher DDGS imports . “ The world is long on starch and short on protein ,” Marquis observed . “ DDGS is an environmentally-friendly , high-protein feed for livestock producers in these growing economies with great growth potential .”
“ Ethanol just fits where the world is headed .”
Marquis is confident not only in the future of ethanol but also in the fact that America has the inside track to be the preeminent player in the international ethanol market . He noted that while Brazil initially held the position of lowcost producer due to its experience in the production of sugar-based ethanol , the United States now holds that title . “ Technology has delivered dramatic increases in corn yields ; we have tremendous farmers and agricultural resources , and our production facilities continue to increase in efficiency ,” he stated .
Helping turn that potential into reality is Marquis ’ focus as a member of the Growth Energy board of directors and chair of the foreign market development committee . “ Our goal is to build the ethanol export business , which last year surpassed 1 billion gallons , to at least 2 billion gallons in 2022 and 4 billion in 2024 ,” he said . “ We will be adding both staff and resources in the coming year to help us in accomplishing those goals .”
Marquis Energy remains a family business . Mark is the CEO ; son Jason manages day-to-day ethanol production operations ; cousin Tom is in charge of marketing and procurement ; and Tom ’ s two sons , Alex and Ben , serve as logistics manager and director of technology , respectively .
To say that Marquis is optimistic about the future of ethanol is an understatement , and Marquis Energy is poised to grow with the industry . “ I don ’ t believe we ’ re done expanding our presence in the ethanol industry ,” he said . “ We ’ re very optimistic about ethanol ’ s future as a product . It ’ s high octane , high oxygen , and not only allows us to have smaller , high-compression engines but also helps gasoline burn cleaner and exponentially reduces tailpipe emissions . It fits where the world is headed .”
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AMERICAN ETHANOL THE MAGAZINE