Cellulosic Ethanol Test Plant Opens; Future of Ethanol Lies With This Technology
The largest ethanol producer in the world, Poet, has announced the opening of an $8 million cellulosic ethanol plant in Scotland, South Dakota. This biorefinery is a pilot plant that is a precursor to a $200 million commercial-scale plant scheduled to open in 2011 in Iowa.
The Scotland Plant will generate ethanol from plant waste, like corn cobs, that would normally be discarded. Although it currently costs about a $1 more per gallon to make fuel from corn cobs than kernels, Poet aims to eventually make cellulosic ethanol competitive with food-based ethanol.
With heightened criticism being levied upon ethanol lately, it will be important for the industry to produce evidence in the near future that biofuels can actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease oil consumption, and not materially damage global food supplies. While it remains to be seen if this is possible, cellulosic technologies are likely that industry’s best bet.
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