CEC awards AE Biofuels $1.88M for advanced biofuels project
In California, AE Biofuels reports that their wholly-owned subsidiary AE Advanced Fuels Keyes has been awarded a $1.88 million matching grant from the California Energy Commission to accelerate the commercial implementation of its patent-pending, enzyme based, cellulosic ethanol production technology. The integrated cellulose/starch pre-development facility will be located near the 55 million gallon per year commercial ethanol facility the company plans to re-start and operate in Keyes, California in late April 2011.
Reportedly, the pre-development facility will further optimize the company’s enzyme technology utilizing multiple agri-waste feedstocks in conjunction with traditional corn inputs in order to ready the integrated process for commercial implementation. When fully incorporated into an operating ethanol facility, the company anticipates that the integrated cellulose/starch technology could replace up to 25% of traditional corn inputs with non-edible agricultural waste feedstocks. The CEC grant will enable the company to build upon prior enzyme optimization work conducted at its Butte, Montana cellulose/starch demonstration facility, and help the State of California achieve the goals of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
Category: Fuels
