New Energy Blue an­nounced last week it plans a biomass refinery on a 155-acre site near Mason City. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.

Once operational, the plant will convert 275,000 tons of cornstalks and wheat straw into 20 million gallons of ethanol and 95 tons of lignin, a solid biofuel and natural binder, local media reports indicated.

The company claims this would be one of America’s first carbon-negative refinery and would be the first large-scale use of Inbicon...