CE+P, JBEI partner on advanced biofuels research

August 3, 2021

BY California Ethanol + Power

California Ethanol + Power announced Aug. 3 that it is partnering with the Joint BioEnergy Institute, a Bioenergy Research Center of the U.S. Department of Energy to develop scalable next-generation renewable energy products using biomass from CE+P’s planned sugarcane ethanol facility in Imperial County, California. 

In addition, CE+P Permitting Manager Nathan M. deBoom has been named a member of JBEI’s Advisory Committee, which is comprised of strategic advisors from across the research spectrum including representatives from national labs, academia, and industry.

Advertisement

The new partnership will jointly pursue research and grants to support new technologies and processes for breaking down byproducts of the planned sugarcane crop as a source for even lower-carbon energy products, including advanced cellulosic ethanol. In addition to JBEI, research will also be implemented by the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

 “We are excited and honored to partner with JBEI and ABPDU and look forward to working together to revolutionize the science of producing even lower carbon fuels,” said Ronald G. Blake Jr., chief financial officer for CE+P.  “We envision this work could create new opportunities for the entire Biofuel industry, and ultimately our operation as well by enhancing the output of our Sugar Valley Energy campus.”    

"The world has not yet cracked the problem of cost-effective conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into higher value products, and we intend to do just that with CE+P as applied to sugarcane non-food waste streams,” said Blake Simmons, JBEI chief science and technology officer. “This is a great opportunity for JBEI and CE+P to demonstrate an affordable and scalable technology that could benefit the local community but also be applied more broadly to help meet the challenges of climate change."

Advertisement

Simmons added JBEI has developed a patent-pending approach that begins by treating biomass with a class of inexpensive solvents called alkanolamines. Alkanolamines are distillable, meaning that they can be efficiently recovered and reused in the same process. Initial lab tests have demonstrated that the alkanolamines release very high levels of sugars, as well as a separate stream of lignin. The system is run at low temperature and requires minimal energy input.

 

 

Related Stories

New partnership aims to decarbonize marine transportation

Article image

By Michigan Advanced Biofuels Coalition

April 11, 2025

The Michigan Advanced Biofuels Coalition and Green Marine are partnering to accelerating adoption of sustainable biofuels to improve air quality and reduce GHG emissions in Michigan and across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Read More

The USDA reduced its outlook for 2024-’25 soybean oil use in biofuel production in its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released April 10. The outlook for soybean oil pricing was revised up.

Read More

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Iowa, on April 10 reintroduced legislation to extend the 45Z clean fuel production credit and limit eligibility for the credit to renewable fuels made from domestically sourced feedstocks.

Read More

Representatives of the U.S. biofuels industry on April 10 submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Treasury and IRFS providing recommendations on how to best implement upcoming 45Z clean fuel production credit regulations.

Read More

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reduced its 2025 forecasts for renewable diesel and biodiesel in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released April 10. The outlook for “other biofuel” production, which includes SAF, was raised.

Read More

Upcoming Events

Sign up for our e-newsletter!

Advertisement

Advertisement