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July 23, 2008
Atlanta -On July 23rd at Georgia Tech, Atlanta-based alternative fuel technology company, C2 Biofuels will demonstrate new pre-pilot plant equipment and technology which is enabling them to scale-up their efforts to produce cellulosic ethanol from Georgia's pine trees.
"The introduction of this equipment and technology represents a significant milestone and recognizes over two years of applied research sponsored by our company at Georgia Tech and The University of Georgia (UGA),"said Roger Reisert, president and CEO of C2 Biofuels. "We have now moved forward from a laboratory setting into our first scale-up process which brings us one step closer to commercialization."
The demonstration will feature a new reactor system, designed in collaboration with engineers at Georgia Tech's Strategic Energy Institute, which will allow C2 to optimize the process of breaking down pine woodchips. The idea is to expose the cellulose, which is the largest component of all plant material. The reactor process, or the actual breaking down of the pine tree, is the first step in C2's biochemical method for producing cellulosic ethanol. "The new reactor is ten times larger than a laboratory reactor,"explained Reisert, "and allows superior process control to simulate a commercial reactor."
The next steps following the reactor process involve breaking down the cellulose into simple sugars by using special enzymes and finally converting the simple sugars into ethanol. Dr. Joy Doran Peterson from UGA is currently working on perfecting these processes with new enzyme and fermentation methods which will also be showcased during the demonstrations.
C2 will work on this first major scale-up for approximately six to eight months and expects to "scale-up"again by beginning construction on their pilot plant during the first quarter of 2009. C2 has plans to build a demonstration facility located in rural Georgia in 2010 and the first commercial facility beginning in 2011 at the same site. "We plan on building at least five plants in the state,"said Reisert. He expects the commercial facility to produce 55 million gallons of ethanol a year and also generate over 25 megawatts of excess "green"power that will be available for export to the electrical grid.
C2's progress in the production of cellulosic ethanol represents tremendous growth for a booming industry in Georgia. In just the last two years, over $750 million worth of energy-related projects started in the state. The state is poised for even more growth and well positioned to offer assistance to companies like C2 through the new Energy Innovation Center (EIC) in Atlanta and the Agriculture Innovation Center (AgIC) in Tifton. In fact, the Agriculture Innovation Center (AgIC) in Tifton connected C2 with matching research grant funds for the initial enzyme evaluation and a second grant to continue the scale up work.
"Roger, C2 Biofuels and our ongoing research at UGA and Georgia Tech have all together focused global attention on Georgia's emerging biofuels industry,"said Bill Boone, director of AgIC. "With each successful milestone, C2 is paving the way for Georgia to capitalize on our unique agricultural ability to produce biomass, from trees to switchgrass to Ag byproducts."
"Roger has been working day and night for many years to make today's announcement a reality,"said Jill Stuckey, director of the EIC. "He has left no rock or in this case tree unturned finding answers to the complicated science of converting our southern pine trees into energy. The EIC employees look forward to assisting Roger and C2 Biofuels as they press forward with this important work."
"The urgency to develop alternatives to high priced gasoline is crystal clear to everyone,"said Reisert. "I'm very happy to be working on a solution where we can grow, refine and consume an environmentally friendly fuel all within our state. This is a solution that provides an excellent use of an abundant and sustainable resource, provides great jobs and capital investment in rural areas, and keeps dollars we spend filling our gas tanks within our state. I call that a win-win-win!"
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2/9/2007
Round two, full steam ahead. C2 BioFuels, a company focused on the commercial production of ethanol from pine trees, now has the fuel it needs to take it to the next level -a second $100,000 research grant. The grant, accessed through the Agriculture Innovation Center (AgIC) and funded through the One Georgia Authority, provides money for a crucial item: continued lab optimization work to develop scalable processes for large scale commercial production. "We have completed proof of concept testing and know the product is market-viable,"said Roger Reisert, president of C2 BioFuels. "Our next step is to develop scalable processes and test the resulting product; in addition to developing a commercially viable product, we are measuring other items such as the energy savings and environmental impact from using a renewable resource that is produced in a clean, environmentally friendly method."The first grant provided funding for proof of concept testing and research to isolate suitable enzymes for breaking down the plant sugars during production. Now, the second grant allows for the process of commercialization to be one giant step closer to reality. An indirect benefit from the second grant being awarded is validity in the business world. "Private funding is how we will build the small pilot plant, which we plan to build in 2007,"said Reisert. "Being awarded the grant helps us raise private funds; investors view the continued support from the state as significant in terms of their own additional support."Currently, C2 BioFuels plans to locate their future plants in rural Georgia, close to large tracts of pine trees. The first intermediate scale demonstration plant is slated for construction beginning in 2008, with 2010 being projected for construction of the first full size plant. "We plan to eventually have plants in various rural locations across the state, each with production of 50 million gallons per year,"said Reisert. Reisert continued by saying it is important for alternative fuel investors to determine what is hype and what is not. "There are a lot of ideas out there right now and that is good. With solid research and testing, our country will end up with several really good options,"he said. "An interesting point about biomass ethanol is the aspect of local production,"said Reisert. "In Georgia, pine trees make perfect sense because the resource is plentiful and renewable. In other areas of country, using wheat straw, rice hulls, corn or other plant material is logical."By developing processes for a high quality product using locally available materials, prices to the consumer are better due to lower transportation costs -both to the plant and to the end user.
According the Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia has experienced a 15 percent increase in tree growth since 1997 -to the tune of five million dry tons being available for harvest each year. Since the 1990's, the paper industry has declined due to global competition; therefore the utilization of pine trees in ethanol production is a positive use of a sustainable, abundant natural resource. Since each dry ton of pine will yield about 80 gallons of ethanol, just the new growth in the state's pine resources can support multiple commercial facilities while protecting the sustainability of our forests. With the advent of this technology, land owners now have a renewed incentive to replant trees after harvesting. Success in ethanol production ultimately translates into less U.S. dependence on foreign oil; certainly an attractive goal. However, Reisert points out that ethanol is one of many solutions. "Conservation, changing our driving habits and other adjustments are important too,"according to Reisert. "From an overall perspective, we firmly believe ethanol from pine trees is one of the fuel sources that can make a significant impact."
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