Taurus Energy notes global surge in cellulosic biofuels testing and partnering activity

In Sweden, Taurus Energy has revealed that it is currently holding discussions and negotiations on XYLOFERM with over 10 companies, noting that “The level of interest in producing second-generation ethanol has increased over the past year, since a number of production facilities have come on-stream. Leaders in the industry no longer regard ethanol produced from cellulose as a ”fuel of the future”, since it can be produced for commercial use now.”

Taurus Energy’s latest yeast strains can convert virtually all available sugars to ethanol, while producing insignificant amounts of by-products such as xylitol and glycerol, and can ferment both cellulose and hemicellulose.

The company is tight-lipped about the identity of its testing partners, but it notes that among the rank a US global oil major; a US company specializing in producing sugar from cellulose – a process which they sell to major ethanol producers; and the “world’s largest suppliers of turnkey ethanol production facilities” which are evaluating two different strains.

Taurus said that it is also in contact with an international Asian company involved in building a demonstration production facility for second-generation ethanol, as well as initiating talks with “a US ethanol producer, which already has a large number of first-generation ethanol production facilities, now in process of starting up its first second-generation ethanol plant, and is interested in one of Taurus Energy’s yeast strains, which it is currently testing.”

One group which has been on the record in terms of direct collaboration with Taurus is France’s CIMV, which has has invited Taurus Energy to participate in a large EU project to construct a demonstration facility for ethanol production. The project will run for three years. The decision on which companies will receive EU funding will be made in January 2015.