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September 1, 2009
AE Biofuels Inc. and Pearson Fuels said Tuesday they have been awarded a $6.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through its Clean Cities program.
Cupertino-based AE Biofuels said the award proposes that the parties build and supply 55 public E85 ethanol-fueling stations across California over the next 42 months.
The stations will be located in areas with the highest concentration of flexible-fuel vehicles and the Department of Energy estimates that the initiative will help displace approximately 3.5 million gallons of petroleum annually.
Under the terms of the agreement, AE Biofuels will supply San Diego-based Pearson Fuels with cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels for distribution through the E85 filling stations in California. Pearson Fuels will manage the construction and permitting of the new facilities.April 25, 2009
A Cupertino company has signed an agreement to supply cellulosic ethanol to renewable fuels filling station pumps statewide, including Sacramento-area stations.
AE Biofuels Inc. said it will supply ethanol to stations developed by San Diego-based Pearson Fuels. Pearson says stations with the AE Biofuels product will be the first in the nation to dispense ethanol derived from grasses and agricultural waste instead of food products such as corn.
Pearson last fall broke ground to build E85 pumps at already existing Shell stations in Sacramento and Carmichael.
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CUPERTINO, Calif., Aug 11, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --AE Biofuels Inc., (AEBF:ae biofuels inc com), a global vertically integrated biofuels company, today celebrated the grand opening of its integrated cellulosic ethanol commercial demonstration facility in Butte, Montana. One of the first such cellulosic demonstration plants in the United States, and the first to integrate the use of both cellulose and starch based feedstocks, the 9,000 square foot demonstration facility is now operational.
The plant uses proven, patent-pending Ambient Temperature Enzymes for converting cellulose and starch to fermentable sugars to optimize process conditions for multiple feedstocks. Non-food ethanol feedstocks used at the facility include switch grass, grass seed straw, small grain straw, sugarcane bagasse, and corn stalks either alone or in combination with a variety of traditional starch and sugar sources such as corn, wheat, barley, and sugarcane. By utilizing multiple feedstocks, AE Biofuels (TM) can produce ethanol through a cellulose only or cellulose / starch combination, thus reducing the risk of commodity availability and pricing uncertainty.
U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana attended the opening ceremony and noted, "One of my top priorities is to help boost domestic energy production here in Montana so we can lessen our dependence on foreign oil and energy sources. This cellulosic biofuels plant is a step in the right direction toward energy independence and will also help create good-paying jobs. I'm especially proud that Montana can help pave the way and be a leader in boosting domestic energy production."
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, who also attended the opening ceremony said, "Montana is a true leader for new energy solutions. We're proud that AE Biofuels'groundbreaking technology was developed here in Montana. It is exciting to see this company working on a way to reduce our dependence on foreign energy supplies -American energy produced by Montana workers."
"The Department of Energy is committed to developing clean, renewable, and sustainable biofuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase America's energy security. We must have a broad range of technologies, including cellulosic biofuels that use non-food based feedstocks, to address our energy challenges," said Paul Dickerson, Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy who attended the opening.
AE Biofuels'commercial ethanol demonstration plant intends to address challenges currently facing domestic ethanol production. The company's Ambient Temperature Enzyme technology significantly reduces the consumption of energy and water in the production of ethanol. In addition, AE Biofuels'technology allows existing corn ethanol plants to reduce the use of corn or expand by using non-food, cellulosic feedstocks.
AE Biofuels Chairman and CEO Eric McAfee said, "We believe the powerful combination of our Ambient Temperature Enzyme technology, access to multiple feedstocks, and reduced energy and water consumption place us at the very leading edge of next-generation ethanol. Combined with our biodiesel production, AE Biofuels is well positioned to lead the vertical integration of the biofuels industry."
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February 19, 2008 -AE Biofuels, Inc. (OTCBB: AEBF) an advanced energy company that is developing next-generation ethanol and biodiesel production worldwide, today announced that it has begun construction of an integrated cellulose and starch ethanol commercial demonstration facility in Butte, Montana. The plant will use proven patent-pending Ambient Temperature Cellulose Starch Hydrolysis (ATCSH) enzyme technology to optimize process conditions for multiple feedstocks. Non-food ethanol feedstocks used by the facility are expected to include switch grass, grass seed straw, small grain straw, and corn stalks alone and in combination with a variety of traditional starch and sugar sources. The 9,000 square foot pilot plant facility is expected to be fully operational in the second calendar quarter of 2008.
"This is an important step as we optimize our integrated cellulose process technology for large-scale commercial implementation," said Eric McAfee, chairman and CEO of AE Biofuels, Inc. "Our technology has been shown to significantly reduce the consumption of energy and water in the production of ethanol, and allows us to utilize a combination of non-food and traditional feedstock inputs. Applications of the patent-pending ATCSH technology may also include licensing or joint ventures with sugar cane ethanol plants."
In 2007, AE Biofuels acquired enzyme technology from Renewable Technology Corporation and formed its ethanol technology subsidiary, Energy Enzymes. The company's enzyme technology is designed to reduce operating and capital costs for both cellulosic ethanol and starch ethanol plants and provides a platform to integrate the two processes. AE Biofuels utilizes patent-pending ambient temperature enzymes to eliminate the up-front "cooking" process that occurs in traditional starch ethanol production. The company has three patents pending for the use and implementation of its technology.
Eliminating the initial cooking and cooling process significantly reduces energy and water consumption. In addition, the cellulose enzyme technology has proven successful in converting multiple lignocellulosic feedstocks, such switch grass, wheat grass, corn, and corn stover, the remaining corn "stalks" that are not currently being utilized as biomass, to ethanol. The multi-activity enzymes are expected to reduce capital and operating expenditures for cellulose ethanol production.
AE Biofuels is currently evaluating sites for large-scale commercial facility construction. The company owns ethanol plant sites in Danville, Illinois and Sutton, Nebraska, and holds options for four additional permitted ethanol plant sites in Illinois.
AE Biofuels recently announced the completion of construction of a 50 million gallon per year nameplate biodiesel refinery in Kakinada, India, a port city located in the state of Andhra Pradesh on the Eastern Coast of India, south of the city of Hyderabad. The AE Biofuels plant is connected to the Port of Kakinada by pipeline. In addition, AE Biofuels is currently constructing a refinery and a glycerin upgrading facility to produce and market pharmaceutical grade glycerin in India.
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