DuPont (DD) and Genencor, a unit of Denmark's Danisco, said Wednesday that they will break ground this fall on a 250,000 gallon cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in Tennessee.
Ethanol should be available from the pilot plant by December 2009, with commercial-scale production by 2012, the companies said.
Also Wednesday, Los Angeles County officials approved a commercial ethanol production plant that would make ethanol from wood chips, paper and other biowaste. BlueFire Ethanol plans to begin construction on the $30 million facility in Lancaster this fall.
In Tennesee, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol is aligning with the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, through its Genera Energy, and making use of state funds to construct the pilot-scale biorefinery and a research and development facility for cellulosic ethanol in Vonore, Tennessee.
The moves come amid growing criticism of corn-based ethanol at a time of record prices for corn, and food shortages seen around the globe.
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Wednesday he thought "the nicest thing you can possibly say" about corn-based ethanol is that it is "transitional" technology.
