Cellulosic ethanol plant based on agricultural waste.

A biorefinery built to produce 1.4 million gallons of ethanol a year from cellulosic biomass has opened in Jennings, La. Built by Verenium, Cambridge, Mass., the plant will make ethanol from agricultural waste left over from processing sugar cane. The facility will enable the company to evaluate its process for making ethanol at a commercial scale, and validate cost and performance assumptions to prepare for the development of its first series of commercial plants. This phase puts Verenium on track for its goal of beginning construction in the middle of next year on a 30 million-gallon-per-year commercial plant, which will be the first of its kind, located in the southeastern United States.

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Verenium's technology enables almost complete conversion of all the sugars found in cellulosic biomass. It is based on a combination of acid pretreatments, enzymes, and two types of bacteria to make ethanol from the plant matter. This efficiency advantage, combined with the low input cost of cellulosic biomass, results in superior economics in the production of ethanol.

The process begins when the cane is ground up and cooked under high pressure with a mild acid to hydrolyze the hemicellulose and separate it from the cellulose. The five-carbon sugars in hemicellulose are then fermented via genetically modified E. coli. The cellulose is broken down with enzymes and fermented with another type of bacteria. This bacteria also produces enzymes that break down cellulose, cutting in half the amount of enzymes needed from outside sources. The product is dilute ethanol, which is then distilled to make fuel. www.verenium.com