Alta. grain processor charged over wastewater

Grain processor and ethanol producer Permolex is due in court in Red Deer next month to face charges over disposal of its wastewater.

Alberta Environment said in a release Friday that the charges related to an incident that occurred near Red Deer in July last year.

The allegations involve “improper disposal of industrial wastewater” but the province didn’t elaborate Friday.

The company’s first court date is Aug. 25, the department said.

The Red Deer facility, which has been producing ethanol since 1998, includes grain fractionation equipment to mill flour and process gluten from feed-grade wheat.

Permolex, which has operated the Red Deer plant since 2003, also operates the former Northeast Biofuels corn ethanol plant at Volney, N.Y., about 40 km north of Syracuse.

The company is co-owned by an affiliate of Citigroup Venture Capital International Growth Partnership and by BMG Limited Partnership, an investment group based in businesses such as biofuels and food processing.