DECATUR, Ill.— Corn operations had resumed as of September 20 at ADM’s East Plant in Decatur, following a September 10 explosion that sent five employees to an area hospital and shuttered the biofuel processing plant for several days. Some news sources reported that as many as eight employees were injured in the blast.  

ADM’s East plant produces soybean oil and white flake for soybean protein production. It and an adjacent corn processing plant were temporarily down until operations could be safely resumed. 

“Raw material production capabilities at the East plant were impacted by the explosion. No damage occurred in the protein production area of the plant, and we are able to source raw materials from alternative facilities. We expect to restart the majority of protein production at the facility in the coming weeks. We will also leverage our vast transportation and origination network to meet customer needs until we can resume full operations at the plant,” ADM officials said following the blast. “Our investigation into the cause is ongoing.”

By Tuesday, September 12 one employee had been released from the hospital, as ADM provided counseling resources to colleagues on-site. As of September 20, ADM had resumed corn operations at the plant and was on track to restart the majority of soy protein production in coming weeks, Reuters News reported. 

Located about 180 miles south of Chicago, Decatur is also home to ADM’s North American headquarters. Around 4,000 workers hail from the area, comprising about ten percent of ADM’s global workforce. 

The ADM blast follows a deadly explosion at the Green Plains Ethanol Plant in Wood River, Nebraska on April 17, 2023.  Reports indicate that an explosion occurred while workers were performing maintenance on a stillage tank.  One employee was killed in the explosion, and one employee and several contractors were injured. 

In May of 2022, damages were estimated at over $2 million after an overnight grain bin explosion at the BioUrja ethanol plant in Peoria. The plant was formerly owned by ADM. Two people were transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. 

ADM had not issued an update on the September 10 Decatur explosion or the condition of the employees since September 12, as of press time.