Some Cellulosic Plants around the World
As of 2013, cellulosic ethanol industry has approached a rapidly developing phase. A number of entrepreneurs and companies who believed in currently available technologies have invested
Table 17.5 A techno-economic comparison of production of ethanol via biochemical processing with the most competitive thermochemical process (2010 year-dollars) [22,10].
DAP — Dilute acid pretreatment; EH — enzymatic hydrolysis; CF — co-fermentation; EF — entrained flow gasification a Biomass feedstock for biochemical and thermochemical processing is corn stover (25% moisture) and poplar chips (30% moisture), respectively b 8406 and 8000 operating hours per year for biochemical and thermochemical processing c Sold to grid, 5.7 cent/kWh credits for electricity d Including working capital e Revenues from co-products or electricity f Fixed and variable operating costs less revenues from co-products or electricity |
in building commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants, mostly in Europe and North America. Due to many reasons, it is not easy to give accurate statistics or a current status report of a series of privately owned industries. However, anybody who is paying attention to renewable energy issues and the biofuel industry is interested in learning about the progress in the cellulosic ethanol arena. Thus, currently operating and under-construction plants around the world are listed in Table 17.6.
Company name and Plant location |
Plant type and Status |
Feedstock(s) |
Product(s) |
Cellulosic ethanol Capacity |
Project Profile |
Abengoa BioEnergy, York, NE, USA |
Pilot Facility, Began operations 2007 |
Wheat straw, Corn |
Cellulosic ethanol |
20,000 G/Y |
Completed and first cellulosic ethanol produced in 2007 |
Abengoa BioEnergy, Salamanca, Spain |
Demonstration Facility, Began operations 2007 |
Wheat and Barley straw |
Cellulosic ethanol |
1.3 MG/Y |
Completed and first cellulosic ethanol produced in 2009 |
Abengoa BioEnergy, Hugoton, KS, USA |
Commercial Facility, Under construction |
Agricultural residue, dedicated energy crops, prairie grasses |
Cellulosic ethanol, 20 MW electricity |
25 MG/Y |
Construction started September 2011; will utilize proprietary enzyme hydrolysis technology; 1,100 dry tons per day feedstock; construction to be completed in December 2013 |
American Process, Green Power+, Alpena, MI, USA |
Demonstration Facility, Began operations 2012 |
Mixed hardwood |
Cellulosic ethanol, Potassium acetate |
700,000 G/Y |
The plant is co-located with Decorative Panels International (DPI) hardboard manufacturing facility. Plant construction began in June 2012, currently in startup mode. |
Table 17.6 Some currently operating and under-construction cellulosic ethanol plants around the world as of March 2013/ |
* |
542 Handbook of Cellulosic Ethanol |
Company name and Plant location |
Plant type and Status |
Feedstock(s) |
Product(s) |
Cellulosic ethanol Capacity |
Project Profile |
Clariant Straubing, Germany |
Demonstration Facility, Began operations 2012 |
Phase 1-Agricultural residue. Phase 2 — Dedicated energy crops |
Cellulosic ethanol, cellulosic sugars, biobased chemicals |
330,000 G/Y |
The plant produced first volumes of cellulosic ethanol in July, 2012. The plant will demonstrate the technical and economical advantages of feedstock specific enzymes, on-site process integrated enzyme production, simultaneous C5 and C6 fermentation in a single reactor and energy saving ethanol separation and purification process |
EnerKem, Westbury, QC, Canada |
Demonstration Facility, Began operations 2009 |
Municipal Solid waste, wood residue |
Cellulosic ethanol, syngas, biometha nol |
1.3 MG/Y |
Based on proprietary thermochemical conversion technology. Utilize used electricity poles to produce ethanol and methanol |
EnerKem, Edmonton, AB, Canada |
Commercial Facility, Phase 1 completion in 2013 |
Municipal Solid waste |
Cellulosic ethanol, syngas, biometha nol |
10 MG/Y |
Based on proprietary thermochemical conversion technology. Enerkem has a 25 year agreement with City of Edmonton to build and operate a plant that will produce next generation biofuel from non-recyclable, non-compostable municipal solid waste. It is the world’s first major collaboration between metropolitan centre and a waste to biofuel company |
544 Handbook of Cellulosic Ethanol |
Company name and Plant location |
Plant type and Status |
Feedstock(s) |
Product(s) |
Cellulosic ethanol Capacity |
Project Profile |
POET-DSM, Project Liberty Emmetsburg, IA, USA |
Commercial Facility, Estimated completion 2013 |
Corn crop residue |
Cellulosic ethanol, biogas |
20 MG/Y growing to 25 MG/Y |
Located adjacent to current POET grain ethanol plant. A 50/50 joint venture between Royal DSM and POET, LLC based in Sioux Falls, SD. Utilizes proprietary enzyme technology to convert corn crop residue to ethanol |
ZeaChem, Boardman, OR, USA |
Demonstration Facility, Began operations 2012 |
Poplar trees, Wheat straw |
Cellulosic ethanol, bio-chem- icals |
250,000 G/Y |
ZeaChem utilizes a hybrid process of biochemical and thermochemical processing that preserves the best of both approaches from yield and economic perspectives |
ZeaChem, Commercial facility, Boardman, OR, USA |
Commercial Facility, Estimated completion 2015 |
Poplar trees, Wheat straw |
Cellulosic ethanol, bio-chem- icals |
25+ MG/Y |
Located adjacent to ZeaChem’s demonstration plant. ZeaChem utilizes a hybrid process of biochemical and thermochemical processing that preserves the best of both approaches from yield and economic perspectives |
G = Gallons, Y = Year |
*Disclaimer: The information in this list was collected in March 2013, in the open literature, in World Wide Web, and from company websites. The status and accuracy of this information may change depending on the success and failure of individual enterprises, and the list is not a comprehensive list of all existing, under-construction, and planned celhdosic plants in the world.