DuPont, Danisco JV Breaks Ground for Biofuels Facility

The DuPont cellulosic ethanol joint venture, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE), has broken ground for its first pilot-scale biorefinery and state-of-the-art biofuels research and development facility in Vonore, Tenn.

The joint venture has partnered with the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, through Genera Energy LLC , to develop the pilot facility and the agronomic supply chain for switchgrass in Tennessee. The facility will convert non-food feedstocks, including corn cob and switchgrass, into ethanol and will allow for commercial introduction without the need for demonstration scale testing. It is expected to be operational in 2009.

“We must have speed to market to make our efforts in advanced biofuels a reality, and this pilot facility in Tennessee is allowing us to move forward,” said Nick Fanandakis , group vice president, DuPont Applied BioSciences. “We are committed to commercializing this technology for global markets on an accelerated schedule to deliver world-class, low-cost and fully integrated technology packages to convert non-food renewable materials into biofuels.”

The pilot-scale biorefinery will develop the commercial package for DDCE’s leading cellulosic ethanol technology. The project will utilize the world-class expertise of the University of Tennessee in cellulosic feedstock production and co-product research, as well as its work with Tennessee farmers to develop the first dedicated cellulosic energy crop supply chain for cellulosic bio-refineries utilizing switchgrass. The facility design will incorporate the flexibility to operate on two different non-food biomass feedstocks – corn stover, cobs and fiber, and switchgrass.