Big names partner in cellulosic ethanol race
December 13, 2006
The commercialization of cellulosic ethanol production technology made headway in October after several research and development partnerships were announced. In dizzying succession, several well-known companies and organizations revealed plans to work together to develop commercially viable fuel from feedstocks such as switchgrass or corn stover.
Breaking It Down
Broin Companies announced partnerships with two separate companies to develop the tecnology to make ethanol from corn stover. In early October, Broin said it would be working with DuPont; 21 days later, the company revealed it was also collaborating with Novozymes.
The partnership with DuPont involves work on a biorefinery at an existing dry-grind Broin plant in Iowa, according to Mike Muston, Broin's vice president of corporate development. A "bolt-on" cellulosic feedstock system will be used to expand Voyager Ethanol LLC in Emmetsburg from 50 MMgy to 125 MMgy, using corn stover as an additional feedstock. The $200 million expansion will be called Project LIBERTY, which stands for Launch of an Integrated Bio-refinery with Eco-sustainable and Renewable Technologies in Year 2009. It is expected to start in February 2007, with completion slated for August 2009. Broin is licensing technologies in the area of cellulose pretreatment and organisms used to break down cellulose. Once proved commercially, the biorefining technology will be extended to Broin's partner plants and offered through licensing agreements to other plants. That's about five to six years down the road, Muston said. Broin Companies has applied for matching grant funds through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assist with the project.
The collaboration with Novozymes was an extension of an existing partnership between the companies, according to a Novozymes press release. Previously, Broin and Novozymes worked together to develop raw-starch hydrolyzing enzymes for Broin's trademarked Broin Project X technology, a patent-pending process to convert starch to ethanol without heat. "I am confident that combining our capabilities within biotechnology with Broin's capabilities within biofuels will significantly contribute to the development of commercially viable processes for producing second-generation biofuels," said Peder Holk Nielsen, executive vice president of business operations at Novozymes.
Just a day after Broin's second announcement, two more companies said they had signed a three-year research and development agreement, according to a press release. As part of the agreement, Abengoa Bioenergy R&D Inc. (ABRD) will invest $10 million in Dyadic International Inc., a biotechnology company. Dyadic intends to develop a cost-effective enzyme production system for commercial application in ABRD's production process for bioethanol, or cellulosic ethanol.
Feedstock Search Party
In two separate announcements, NREL partnered with Chevron Corp. and HamiltonClark, an investment company.
Through a strategic research alliance, NREL and Chevron will be pursuing next-generation production technologies for renewable fuels, Douglas said. The goal of the five-year agreement is to research and develop new production technologies for biofuels. For this project, a specific biofuel hasn't yet been selected. "They still have to sort out where the research is going to head," he said.
The project will focus mostly on cellulosic feedstocks, finding the best way to convert cellulosic material to biofuels, "whatever that fuel might be," Douglas added.
Right now, the project is focused on ethanol, renewable diesel or hydrogen. However, researchers could also look at other alcohols, such as butanol, Douglas said.
NREL and HamiltonClark plan to examine the technical and economic feasibility of a potential cellulose-to-ethanol pilot plant. A cooperative research and development agreement was finalized to produce ethanol from feedstocks such as switchgrass. NREL's goal is to find out what it would take to reduce the cost of producing ethanol from that feedstock. The DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory will research into methods of growing and transporting switchgrass, Douglas said.
Breaking It Down
Broin Companies announced partnerships with two separate companies to develop the tecnology to make ethanol from corn stover. In early October, Broin said it would be working with DuPont; 21 days later, the company revealed it was also collaborating with Novozymes.
The partnership with DuPont involves work on a biorefinery at an existing dry-grind Broin plant in Iowa, according to Mike Muston, Broin's vice president of corporate development. A "bolt-on" cellulosic feedstock system will be used to expand Voyager Ethanol LLC in Emmetsburg from 50 MMgy to 125 MMgy, using corn stover as an additional feedstock. The $200 million expansion will be called Project LIBERTY, which stands for Launch of an Integrated Bio-refinery with Eco-sustainable and Renewable Technologies in Year 2009. It is expected to start in February 2007, with completion slated for August 2009. Broin is licensing technologies in the area of cellulose pretreatment and organisms used to break down cellulose. Once proved commercially, the biorefining technology will be extended to Broin's partner plants and offered through licensing agreements to other plants. That's about five to six years down the road, Muston said. Broin Companies has applied for matching grant funds through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assist with the project.
The collaboration with Novozymes was an extension of an existing partnership between the companies, according to a Novozymes press release. Previously, Broin and Novozymes worked together to develop raw-starch hydrolyzing enzymes for Broin's trademarked Broin Project X technology, a patent-pending process to convert starch to ethanol without heat. "I am confident that combining our capabilities within biotechnology with Broin's capabilities within biofuels will significantly contribute to the development of commercially viable processes for producing second-generation biofuels," said Peder Holk Nielsen, executive vice president of business operations at Novozymes.
Just a day after Broin's second announcement, two more companies said they had signed a three-year research and development agreement, according to a press release. As part of the agreement, Abengoa Bioenergy R&D Inc. (ABRD) will invest $10 million in Dyadic International Inc., a biotechnology company. Dyadic intends to develop a cost-effective enzyme production system for commercial application in ABRD's production process for bioethanol, or cellulosic ethanol.
Feedstock Search Party
In two separate announcements, NREL partnered with Chevron Corp. and HamiltonClark, an investment company.
Through a strategic research alliance, NREL and Chevron will be pursuing next-generation production technologies for renewable fuels, Douglas said. The goal of the five-year agreement is to research and develop new production technologies for biofuels. For this project, a specific biofuel hasn't yet been selected. "They still have to sort out where the research is going to head," he said.
The project will focus mostly on cellulosic feedstocks, finding the best way to convert cellulosic material to biofuels, "whatever that fuel might be," Douglas added.
Right now, the project is focused on ethanol, renewable diesel or hydrogen. However, researchers could also look at other alcohols, such as butanol, Douglas said.
NREL and HamiltonClark plan to examine the technical and economic feasibility of a potential cellulose-to-ethanol pilot plant. A cooperative research and development agreement was finalized to produce ethanol from feedstocks such as switchgrass. NREL's goal is to find out what it would take to reduce the cost of producing ethanol from that feedstock. The DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory will research into methods of growing and transporting switchgrass, Douglas said.
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