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The world's first commercial 2nd-generation bioethanol factory, which could produce over 1 billion gallons of transport fuel a year from waste wood matter such as saw dust, paper pulp, wood chips and agricultural waste has been announced in the US.
Georgia-based Range Fuels Inc. says it is at the forefront of cellulosic ethanol technology, allowing it to make fuel from produce which would otherwise go to waste.
Range Fuels also plans to use municipal waste, grasses, cornstalks and pig manure as waste raw material for its ethanol, converting those materials first into a synthetic gas and then into ethanol.
Although 2nd-generation bioethanol technology is being invested in heavily around the world, this is the first commercial plant to be announced.
Whilst 1st-generation ethanol comes from crops that are grown specifically for fuel, 2nd-generation technology allows the use of a vast array of materials and products that would otherwise go to waste, largely overcoming the conflict between using fuels for energy, or using them for fuel.
The use of 2nd-generation ethanol on a mass market scale has so far been impeded by high production costs.
Range Fuels says that its system completely eliminates the use of enzymes which are an expensive component of traditional cellulosic ethanol production.
According to Range Fuels, its modular production system can be used on varying scales - from small entry-level systems to much larger operations.
Furthermore the system developed is transportable, allowing it to be placed near to the source of the raw materials, which would result both in lower transportation costs and fewer CO2 emissions on a 'well to wheel' basis.
"The production of cellulosic ethanol represents not only a step toward true energy diversity for the country, but a very cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels. It is advanced weaponry in the war on oil," commented one executive from the company.
- REUTERS
