The $225 million cellulosic ethanol plant will be among the first commercial-scale cellulosic bio refineries in the world.
The $225 million cellulosic ethanol plant will be among the first commercial-scale cellulosic bio refineries in the world. The plant will produce 30 million gallons (about 113.5 million liter) per year of fuel-grade ethanol from 375,000 dry tons of corn stover (corn cobs, leaves and stalks) per year. In oil-industry language that volume translates to about 2000 bpd; in terms of heating value it is of course less. The stover comes from farmland within 30 miles of the plant.
The bulk of the methanol will be transported to California to help conform to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard of that state. The plant also serves to demonstrate that 2nd generation ethanol on a commercial scale has truly arrived.
The moniker “cellulosic bio refinery” seems a bit over the top, as a dry ton of stover yields about 0.24 ton of ethanol. What about the other 76%?
