The first commercial cellulosic ethanol (ethanol made from non-edible parts of plants, grass, crop waste etc) will start production in 2013, and it will “open the floodgates” for this type of fuel, said Bloomberg.
POET, a biofuel producer building a plant in Iowa that will produce 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year, recently secured a $105 million loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy and hopes the plant will come online in 2013. The project is called Project Liberty and is located in Emmetsburg.
According to Bloomberg, although there is a 2007 mandate to blend cellulosic ethanol with gasoline, the Environmental Protection Agency had had to reduce the target figure by more than 90 per cent due to a shortage in supply.
POET’s director of research Greg Hartgraves told Bloomberg ethanol investors need consistent policies and reassurance from the government that mandates won’t be scrapped.
Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.
