DOE awards POET $6.85 million as added funding for corn cob cellulosic ethanol technology

In South Dakota, the US Department of Energy awarded ethanol giant POET an additional $6.85 million as an immediate funding increase for the company’s 25 Mgy Project Liberty in Emmetsburg, Iowa to produce ethanol from corn cobs. The additional funding will assist with the company’s efforts to secure up to 700 tons of biomass per day in support of its new demonstration plant’s technology.

This is the first of two funding increases from DOE to help establish a market for corn cobs, according to POET. The second, expected next year, is estimated to provide an additional $13.15 million. POET will work with equipment manufacturers to help speed the process of getting cob-harvesting technology into fields around Emmetsburg and will incentivize early adopters of cob harvesting.

Operations at the Project Liberty plant will commence in 2011, and have received $100 million in total support from the DOE.

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