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First Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Announced

Started by WDH, February 08, 2007, 08:58:50 AM

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WDH

Here are headlines yesterday of the announcement of the first commercial ethanol plant that will use pine waste as a source of raw material:

Treutlen County to Get Nation's First Pine to Ethanol Plant

Governor Sonny Perdue announced this morning that a Colorado-based company, Range Fuels, Inc., will construct a $200 million facility to produce cellulosic ethanol from southern yellow pine in Soperton, GA. In the discussion stages for more than a year, the plant will represent the first commercial production of ethanol from wood and the first cellulosic ethanol produced from any product.


The plant is slated to use 2500 tons per week.  That is about 100 loads per week.  At least it is a start.

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Ed_K

 Its about time  8) . Now when I hear their working on a plant here in Ma. I'll be jumping  8) .
Ed K

SwampDonkey

As for us in the north, we are the wait and see types in seems over the last 50 years.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Don P

Dumb question, how are they cleaving, or fracturing, or whatever the term is... the cellulose into glucose?

stonebroke

nys announced a cellulosic ethanol Plant for lyonsdale

Corley5

After hearing the talk about cellulosic ethanol I'm glad to finally hear of some action  8) 8) 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

WDH

Don P,

I hear the cleaving is done with enzymes.  I heard a presentation from a professor from NC State who said that it would be five years before anything of substance got going because there were still kinks to work out in the process. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WDH

Here is a thought......If we established a goal to become energy independent in 10 years, kind of like the Man-on-the-moon- goal that John Kenndey initiated, I could really get behind that.  If we spent less money in the war department and put our focus on freeing ourselves from being hostage to middle East oil, that would change world politics.  It will take a truly visionary lleader to stand up to all the special-interest groups and the lobbyists to take a stand on using our own food and fiber that had made us great to control our own destiny.  At this point in time, that leadership is sorely lacking  :(.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Furby

Think about this.........
If we relax national defense $, and are trying to get away from middle east oil.......
Are we setting ourselves up for a fall when they retaliate?

WDH

The politics of the current war in Iraq and the money we are spending there are touchy.  I definitely do not want to spawn a politic debate on the merits of the war or argue with anyone whether or not we should be there as long as our brave men and women are fighting for us.  However, that is a direction that is very different than one if we chose to be become energy self sufficient in our future.  It is risky, but I believe that it will be better for us in the long run.  It seems hard to imagine how we could extricate ourselves from the current mess and move in a different direction, but somewhere along the line, we are going to have to do that. 

I say all that to say that we should really get behind and support the utilization of our wonderful natural renewable resources to take care of our needs with less foreign dependence.  May be a pipe-dream, but it can become a reality with the right leadership and commitment.  We can accomplish great things when we set our minds to it.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Larry O


leweee

just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

Beweller

Ethanol from any biological source is not going to make us independent of foreign oil.

The only known ways to become, or nearly become, independent of foreign oil are to drastically lower our standard of living or to go nuclear.  These also appear the only feasible methods of making major reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

Twenty years ago it was clear that we needed to start building new nuclear plants, and while waiting for them, to go on coal.  Instead we went on natural gas and did nothing about nuclear.  To add to our misery, we dumped the railroads, increasing our need for infrastructure and oil.

And every day I see hundreds out there trying to make the arabs rich.
Beweller

WDH

So, we need a strategy......................where is it?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Larry O

Thanks leweee,
    Watching for a bit . Bought a 2000 Mobile Dimension 128 a while ago and I have learned so much from this forum! Very cool site . Any step to ease our dependance is great, That said my truck has a 460 cid petrol motor and I love it . Larry O

DanG

As I see it, the only viable strategy involves hard work, a tight belt, and an open-minded populace.  We have the resources and intelligence to get out of the sticky mess we've helped to make in the Middle East, and to drastically decrease our dependence on petroleum.  We do not have to completely drop our purchases of foreign oil, just decrease it a bit.  If we have to buy less, the price will drop.  We just have to keep our resolve and keep pushing the alternatives after the price goes down.  The Gov't doesn't have to subsidize the development, just mandate it.  That cost's exactly ZERO tax dollars.  The Cellulose plant in Soperton is a good step forward, but it isn't the only thing going.  I've also heard tell of a corn ethanol plant going up in SW Georgia.  I figure to see lots more fields of corn and less fields of weeds in the next couple of years.

Welcome, Larry O!  I have a MD 128 and a 460 Ford truck as well.  Wishing I could put the 460 on the MD and get a real truck. :D :D
I hear a lot on the news about the lack of E-85 capable vehicles on the road, but they never mention that most any gasoline engine can handle up to 40-50% ethanol.  I'd be glad to burn 40% in my vehicles, if it was available.

It's time for us to all stop thinking about the $ coming from our own pockets, and start worrying more about the big picture.  That doesn't mean we shouldn't hold the oil company's feet to the fire, but we need to think about the good of all, rather than trying to get a free ride for our individual selves.

Politically, it is my opinion that we need to accept our role as the leading nation in the world, and start LEADING the way toward a peaceful and productive planet.  We certainly have the clout, but we've not been using it in the right way.  China is the current up and coming Bugaboo, but their economy is decades behind ours.  I have no problem with importing Chinese goods, but it should come with some restrictions, and an understanding that they are going to do their part to clean up the air.  We could cut them off like the flick of a light switch, if we need to.  I buy Chinese products, but I can do without them if I have to.  The same goes for the rest of the world.  They are looking to us, as the most powerful and wealthiest nation, and we are letting them down.  It is time for the USA to step up to the plate!
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Don P

DanG for President, you got my vote  ;D

Welcome to the campfire Larry O  :)

sgtmaconga

lets put Dang in for pres and WDH for Vice
Measure twice cut once

WH_Conley

Bill

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Don P

 "That DanG President"  :D

A few thoughts on corn before we hope on whole hog.
Its food, people are starving in places
Corn is in a large portion of the food you see at the store, way more than at first glance. Look at the sugars, the starch... all its forms. With 500 uses the peanut ain't even close.

The only reason there is so much corn is nitrogen, where do we get nitrogen? Since WWII we get it from fossil fuel. By some estimates the human race would have hit the carrying capacity of this planet some years ago if not for the way we have been able to grow corn.

Corn is not a byproduct and takes no little input to grow.Some of those inputs, the nitrogen, the diesel, have environmental impacts. Then we use a fraction of the plant, throw in more heat and inputs to make a fuel. I dunno thats getting into higher math but something isn't adding up in my head.

Modat22

I wonder why they are limiting themselves to pine. Why not use faster growing grasses, straw, switch grass, leaves etc.?
remember man that thy are dust.

DanG

Probably because pine is what they have.  There are millions of acres of pine plantations in the South that were planted to support the paper industry.  The types of paper they make from pine pulp have largely been replaced by plastics and recycled paper goods, so there is a glut of material available.

Down this way, they're making OSB out of the surplus pine.  I'm glad to see that they are using theirs to make energy in Ga.  I wonder it that plant will be convertable to use other resources in the future, or if they'll continue to plant pine to feed it.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

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