New Energy Blue’s Green Solution
While sustainability remains a key focus across industries, one of the most pressing concerns is whether the climate crisis has reached an irreversible stage or if viable solutions still exist to counteract human-driven environmental damage.
What if there was a solution that could not only slow our impact on the planet but also transform many aspects of daily life? New Energy Blue is at the forefront of such a shift, offering “a green carbon cure to heal our blue planet.” As the urgency around carbon reduction increases globally, the company is advancing a new era of bioenergy.
With its first biomass refinery under development, New Energy Blue is poised to introduce a fresh generation of clean technology. This innovation has the potential to replace petroleum-based products across industries—from fuels and plastics to road materials and even food ingredients.
Advancing the Green Ethanol Industry
New Energy Blue’s CEO, Thomas Corle, has spent 27 years in the ethanol industry, playing a crucial role in shaping the green ethanol sector in the U.S. Now, his team is expanding that progress. “My focus has always been on the next generation,” Thomas shares. “I acquired the technology from its developers in Denmark and, along with my team, collaborated with their R&D and operations departments over the past decade to validate its commercial feasibility. This work is fundamental to what we’re building in Iowa and the greater Midwest.”
“Our technology allows us to convert biomass into renewable resources like lignin while extracting sugars, nutrients, metals, and ash, leaving behind a clean-burning fuel. Unlike oil refineries, we use feedstocks that are cultivated and harvested rather than drilled and extracted, ensuring that our carbon is pulled from the atmosphere and either stored in the final products or reabsorbed by the next year’s crops.”
While conventional biofuels rely on corn kernels, New Energy Blue is the first to process corn stover (the stalks and leaves left after harvest) into biofuel and bio-solid material at a large commercial scale—doing so in a fully sustainable way. “The corn stalk is nature’s most efficient solar panel, absorbing sunlight and capturing carbon dioxide. By harnessing the sugars within, we can continuously recycle atmospheric carbon,” Thomas explains. The company has also developed methods to convert wheat straw, sugar bagasse, and palm oil bunches—materials that would otherwise contribute to waste and pollution.
Optimizing Biomass Refining
To provide context, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap solar radiation in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to global warming. Plants counteract this effect by absorbing carbon dioxide, storing solar energy as sugar, and releasing oxygen. With its vast annual wheat and corn production spanning 115 million acres, America’s Midwest presents an ideal location for biomass processing.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Billion Ton Report, the country can generate over one billion dry tons of biomass resources each year without harming the environment—sufficient to support 1,800 biomass refineries, each handling 550,000 tons of material annually.
“We’ve successfully scaled commercial operations, with Iowa—a global leader in corn production—as our initial hub,” Thomas explains. “Here, yields exceed 200 bushels per acre, producing five tons of corn stover per harvest. We’ve developed an efficient system to collect and process the material, minimizing dirt and moisture content to maximize refining efficiency.”
Biomass refineries also consume far less water than traditional oil refineries. “Our ethanol is a pure alcohol derived from cellulose, making it an environmentally friendlier alternative to gasoline, which contains harmful carcinogens,” Thomas adds. “Instead of drawing from freshwater supplies, our closed-loop system recaptures moisture from the biomass itself, often generating an excess of clean water for other uses.”
Construction of the company’s first facility in Mason City, Iowa, is in its final stages. “For the last ten months, our team of 80 engineers has been finalizing the engineering. We’re working closely with a major global bank, the USDA, and Danish loan guarantee programs to secure funding. Once operational, the site will produce 16 to 20 million gallons of ethanol annually, processing 275,000 dry tons of corn stover.”
Perennial Energy Grasses: A Sustainable Future
The company’s process fosters a mutually beneficial partnership between local farmers and biomass refineries. “At first glance, it may seem like we’re depleting farmland resources, but in reality, Iowa’s dense corn fields benefit from the removal of three out of five tons of stover per acre. This enhances future yields while leaving the nutrient-rich lower stalk and cobs intact,” Thomas explains. “Farmers also gain an additional income stream by participating in our program.”
Beyond financial incentives, New Energy Blue’s farmer initiatives provide educational resources and ownership opportunities. “To sustain our operations, each refinery requires about 150,000 acres of land, with participation from roughly 20 percent of farmers within a 30-mile radius,” Thomas elaborates. “By partnering with us, farmers can expand their biomass business and contribute to an industry poised for rapid growth.”
New Energy Blue’s bio-based products have wide-ranging applications—from automotive fuels and road binders to textiles and even sneakers. “We’re not an ethanol plant; we produce ethanol molecules,” Thomas clarifies. “Our goal is to replicate everything an oil refinery does today, but using sustainable feedstocks and energy grasses.”
The company recently signed a major contract with Dow Chemical to supply ethanol for an ethylene project in Port Lavaca, Texas. “About 40 percent of our ethanol will be shipped to Dow’s ethanol-to-ethylene facility, where a specialized catalyst converts it into poly-grade ethylene. This ethylene will then be used in bio-based plastics at one of Dow’s four Gulf Coast facilities,” Thomas notes. “Additionally, our process enables us to extract food-grade sugars to produce xylitol, which can be used for healthier snacks and probiotics.”
New Energy Blue’s research also shows promising results in utilizing drought-resistant energy grasses to rehabilitate degraded lands. “Planting and harvesting fast-growing grasses in arid regions can improve soil retention and restore agricultural productivity,” Thomas highlights. “With increasing concerns about food security, governments are taking interest in this approach to revitalize land.”
Driving Revolutionary Change
Despite the promise of bio-based chemicals, widespread government support remains focused only on auto and jet fuels. “Consumers are becoming more aware of their environmental footprint, but policymakers need to act,” Thomas urges. “Many chemical companies are striving to meet sustainability targets, yet policy incentives are needed to propel these projects forward. By replacing fossil carbons with atmospheric carbons, we have the potential to slow—or even reverse—climate change.”
Looking ahead, New Energy Blue envisions an expansive future. “Over the next six years, we plan to develop five additional sites, with at least seven more shovel-ready locations identified in Iowa and Nebraska. We’re also working on the New Energy Biomass Technology Campus in Mason City to support ongoing R&D and workforce training,” Thomas explains.
“Beyond the U.S., we see global opportunities for our bioenergy to replace up to 23 metric tons of petroleum-based polyethylene. With investment in biomass aggregation reaching $20–$40 million annually and the full project generating over $1 billion in economic impact, we’re not just transforming energy—we’re revitalizing communities worldwide. That’s my mission: to drive revolutionary change, starting with delivering a clean, green future.”