First Commercial-Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Approved for California

Science & Technology (alternative energy)

You may have read how Verenium recently opened the first demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in the United States. Well, that record may soon not mean as much: BlueFire Ethanol has announced that the first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in the U.S. has received permitting approval.

The facility will be built on 10 acres near Lancaster, California and is not expected to begin producing ethanol until late 2009, The location was chosen because of the abundant waste that already passes by the location: An estimated 170 tons of wood chips, grass cuttings, and organic waste each day. According to BlueFire it will be the nation’s first facility to convert biowaste into ethanol.

cellulosic ethanol process flowchart image

BlueFire brags that using its Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Technology, it will be able to convert cellulosic waste into 3.2 million gallons of ethanol per year.

via :: Business Wire

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