Thomas Corle, CEO and Chair of New Energy Blue, brought home the urgency of combatting climate change with his appearance on September 19 as a panelist discussing “Reimagining Waste” at the Fast Company Innovational Festival in New York City.
He explained how we convert corn stalks left over from the grain harvest into lowest-carbon biofuels and biochemicals. What that means, he said, it that “we’ll be recycling atmospheric carbon in the stalks and sequestering it in plant-based plastics. We’ll use plant carbons to produce auto and jet fuel, textiles, cosmetics, even pave our highways. Everything now coming from refining oil and gas can now come from refining crop residue like corn stalks, wheat straw, and energy grasses. These are the world’s best solar panels.”
Finally, he invited anyone interested to come to Mason City, Iowa, for the fall harvest. We’re now demonstrating new equipment specifically designed to gather clean, dry bales of chopped stocks for the New Energy Freedom refinery we’re building. And if you can’t come for the harvest, he said, come for the groundbreaking celebration next spring. The refinery goes online late 2025.