Quoting the U.S. Department of Energy announcement on July 14, "The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of two small-scale cellulosic biorefinery projects in Park Falls, Wis. and Jennings, La. for federal funding of up to $40 million over five years. These projects will further President Bush’s goal of making cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2012, and help reduce America’s gasoline use by expanding the availability of alternative and renewable transportation fuels." The Jennings facility is owned and operated by Verenium, headquarted at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Back in April, Verenium announced that it was commencing the start-up phase at its 1.4 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol plant. The DOE grant money will be used to support ongoing activities at its demonstration-scale facility in Jennings. The primary feedstock is sugarcane bagasse which can be stored and utilized year around. If the cellulosic technology used at Verenium is validated, and shown to be economically feasable, the next step would be full-scale commercialization. I understand this would mean going from 1.4 million gallons per year to something like 30 million gallons per year. I wasn't able to be at the "commencement" ceremony, but I was able to see the earlier 70,000 gallon per year pilot plant operating. To me, that was pretty impressive. The process for converting biomass to ethanol is described at their website. Key to their success is the use of novel microorganisms developed by scientists at the University of Florida.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Verenium Awarded DOE Grant to Support Cellulosic Ethanol Biorefinery in Jennings LA
Quoting the U.S. Department of Energy announcement on July 14, "The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of two small-scale cellulosic biorefinery projects in Park Falls, Wis. and Jennings, La. for federal funding of up to $40 million over five years. These projects will further President Bush’s goal of making cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2012, and help reduce America’s gasoline use by expanding the availability of alternative and renewable transportation fuels." The Jennings facility is owned and operated by Verenium, headquarted at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Back in April, Verenium announced that it was commencing the start-up phase at its 1.4 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol plant. The DOE grant money will be used to support ongoing activities at its demonstration-scale facility in Jennings. The primary feedstock is sugarcane bagasse which can be stored and utilized year around. If the cellulosic technology used at Verenium is validated, and shown to be economically feasable, the next step would be full-scale commercialization. I understand this would mean going from 1.4 million gallons per year to something like 30 million gallons per year. I wasn't able to be at the "commencement" ceremony, but I was able to see the earlier 70,000 gallon per year pilot plant operating. To me, that was pretty impressive. The process for converting biomass to ethanol is described at their website. Key to their success is the use of novel microorganisms developed by scientists at the University of Florida.
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