Alco Bio Fuel

What Alco Bio Fuel does

Alco Energy Ghent, doing business as Alco Bio Fuel, is a privately held Belgian biorefinery headquartered in the port of Ghent (Pleitstraat 1, B-9042 Sint-Kruis-Winkel) and the largest biorefinery in Belgium. It operates as a joint venture between Alcogroup, a Brussels-based producer, trader, and distributor of ethanol that is the main shareholder, and Vanden Avenne Commodities, a grain and derivatives trading and storage specialist. The company processes grain, predominantly corn, into five product streams: bio-ethanol (renewable fuel for road, aviation, and shipping transport), DDGS protein-rich animal feed (a domestic alternative to imported soy), green CO2 captured and purified for the food industry, electricity, and corn oil, with seasonal wet corn sold during processing season.

The underlying technology is a corn-kernel fractionation process that separates sugar/starch from protein, ferments the sugar fraction into ethanol, concentrates the residual protein with added yeast proteins into DDGS, and captures the fermentation CO2 for purification. The asset is positioned around three primary customer verticals: transportation (fuel blenders and transport operators), food and beverage (green CO2 buyers), and agriculture/livestock (DDGS feed buyers). The company has accumulated 30 years of R&D in the sector and explicitly aligns its operations with Belgian and European climate targets of 55% CO2 reduction by 2030 and 95% by 2050.

The business model is B2B industrial manufacturing of commodity biochemicals and agricultural inputs. Revenue is generated through direct industrial sales of bulk bio-ethanol, DDGS, green CO2, electricity, corn oil, and seasonal wet corn to enterprise buyers in fuel, food, and agriculture. Pricing is contract-based and not publicly disclosed. The company markets primarily through its corporate website (available in Dutch and English) and relies on the established commodity trading and distribution networks of its two JV partners for go-to-market reach.

Name

Alco Bio Fuel

Legal name

Alco Energy Ghent

Website

https://alcobiofuel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alco Energy Ghent (Alco Bio Fuel) is the largest biorefinery in Belgium, a JV between Alcogroup and Vanden Avenne Commodities that processes corn into bio-ethanol, DDGS animal feed, green CO2, electricity, and corn oil for transportation, food, and agricultural customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bioethanol / Renewable Fuel Manufacturing

NAICS

Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193), Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122), Fats and Oils Refining and Blending (311225), Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040), Petroleum Refining (2911), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain & Sugar-Based Ethanol Production (EUAAAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biofuel Co-products & Byproduct Processing (DDGS, Glycerin, CO2, Lignin) (EUAAAHAJ), Bio-based Animal Feed Ingredients & Nutrition Co-products (e.g., DDGS, protein meals, yeast) (EUAAAIAI), Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD)

Keywords

• Bio-ethanol production
• Corn biorefining
• Renewable fuel manufacturing
• Animal feed DDGS
• Green CO2 supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Ghent

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Bio-ethanol Sales: Production and sale of bio-ethanol for food and industry applications, including use in transportation fuel, suitable for blending with gasoline and use in existing combustion engines.
2. Protein-Rich Animal Feed (DDGS): High-quality animal feed produced as a byproduct of bio-ethanol production, sold to livestock farmers as a sustainable alternative to soy-based feed.
3. Green CO2: Captured and purified CO2 from production process sold to food industry for sustainable food production applications.
4. Electricity Generation: Power generated from the biorefinery production process.
5. Corn Oil: Additional byproduct from corn processing sold as a commodity product.
6. Wet Corn (Seasonal): Seasonal sale of wet corn during the processing season.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Alco Bio Fuel operates Belgium's largest biorefinery, processing grain (primarily corn/maize) into a portfolio of value-added products: renewable bio-ethanol fuel for transportation, protein-rich DDGS animal feed as a sustainable alternative to imported soy, captured and purified green CO2 for the food industry, plus electricity, corn oil, and seasonal wet corn as by-products. The proprietary process splits the corn kernel into its starch and protein fractions, fermenting the sugar into fuel while maximizing protein retention for the food chain.

Product overview

Alco Energy Ghent operates as a single unified biorefinery that processes grain (primarily corn) into multiple value-added products. The core production process converts grain sugars into bio-ethanol (renewable fuel for transport), while the remaining protein is concentrated into high-quality DDGS animal feed. The biorefinery also produces green CO2 (captured and purified for the food industry), corn oil, electricity, and seasonal wet corn. This multi-output approach maximizes yield from each corn kernel, with the protein fraction directed to the food chain and the starch/sugar fraction converted to liquid energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bio-ethanol Renewable fuel produced from corn sugar (starch), suitable for blending with gasoline and used in existing combustion engines across road transport, aviation, and shipping. Emits 95% less fossil CO2 than gasoline in end-use.
• DDGS (Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles) High-protein animal feed produced from corn grain residue after ethanol extraction, supplemented with valuable yeast proteins. Sold to livestock farmers as a sustainable, domestically produced alternative to imported soybean meal.
• Green CO2 (Groene CO2) Captured and purified non-fossil CO2 from bio-ethanol fermentation, supplied to the food industry for climate-neutral food production and to greenhouses as a sustainable nutrient for growing plants and vegetables.
• Corn Oil (Maïsolie) Oil extracted from corn as a by-product of the bio-ethanol production process, sold as a commodity product.
• Electricity Electricity generated as part of the biorefinery's combined heat and power production process and supplied as a co-product output.
• Wet Corn (Natte Maïs) Wet corn sold during the seasonal period as part of the biorefinery's product offering, produced from the corn processing line.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cars running on Ghent bio-ethanol emit 95% less fossil CO2 than gasoline-powered cars
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AlcogroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlcogroup is the main shareholder of Alco Energy Ghent. Based in Brussels, Alcogroup is a producer, trader, and distributor of ethanol. This partnership brings extensive experience in all products related to the bio-ethanol production process.
• Vanden Avenne CommoditiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVanden Avenne Commodities specializes in grain and derivative trading and storage. The partnership combines expertise in grain sourcing with ethanol production capabilities, resulting in an excellent bundling of qualities needed for producing high-quality bio-ethanol and byproducts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alcogroup: Alcogroup is the main shareholder of Alco Bio Fuel and itself a major European producer, trader and distributor of bioethanol. It is a direct peer in EU ethanol production, sales and distribution, and is partly vertically integrated with the subject company.
• Tereos (Bioethanol & starch): Tereos is a French sugar/starch cooperative and one of Europe's largest bioethanol producers (ethanol, DDGS, wheat proteins) from beet, corn and wheat. Comparable grain-based ethanol and DDGS output, EU fuel-blend market exposure and co-product monetization make it a strong direct peer.
• CropEnergies: CropEnergies is one of Europe's largest bioethanol producers with multiple plants producing fuel ethanol, DDGS and food/feed co-products from grain. It is the closest direct European peer to Alco Energy Ghent in terms of feedstock (grain), product slate (ethanol + DDGS), and core market (EU road transport fuel blending).
• Vivergo Fuels: Vivergo Fuels operates the UK's largest wheat-to-ethanol biorefinery, producing bioethanol and high-protein animal feed (DDGS) for the UK fuel market. Same grain-feedstock platform, same multi-product biorefinery logic, and same downstream fuel-mandate dependency.
• Verbio: Verbio is a German producer of biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethane from agricultural crops, with overlapping EU regulatory exposure and a comparable multi-product biorefinery model. It is a direct peer in the EU crop-based biofuels space serving fuel blenders and industrial offtakers.

Broad incumbents

• POET: POET is the world's largest producer of bioethanol, operating a network of corn-ethanol biorefineries across the US producing ethanol, DDGS and corn oil. Same corn-to-ethanol-plus-DDGS platform and same multi-product monetization logic, though serving North American markets.
• Cargill: Cargill is a major grain trader and processor with growing presence in biofuels and bio-based ingredients. Adjacent to ethanol production via grain origination and supply, and competes for the same DDGS/animal-feed customers in Europe.
• Green Plains: Green Plains is a major US corn-ethanol producer with 12+ biorefineries producing ethanol, DDGS and corn oil, with growing focus on low-carbon/high-protein bioproducts. Broad peer with same multi-product biorefinery business model and commodity feedstock exposure as Alco Energy Ghent.
• ADM (Archer Daniels Midland): ADM is a global agribusiness that produces bioethanol, DDGS, corn oil and food/feed ingredients, owning corn processing assets and trading desks worldwide. Broad incumbent peer spanning grain origination, ethanol production and co-product marketing.

Emerging players

• European Energy (biofuels arm): European Energy develops renewable energy and biofuel projects across Europe, increasingly active in e-methanol and advanced biofuels. Useful as an emerging signal of where EU biofuel investment and offtake flows are heading relative to incumbent crop-ethanol producers like Alco Bio Fuel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alcobiofuel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alco Bio Fuel