Beta Renewables begins shipping cellulosic biofuels

Crescentino is a project many thought would never get built. Several years of industry skepticism preceded a decision by Beta’s parent Chemtex (itself a subsidiary of M&G, one of the world’s largest producers of PET for synthetic fibers and plastic bottling) to build the project off its own balance sheet.

The controversy, over the past couple of years, has been whether it was actually possible to deliver cellulosic ethanol for $1.25 per gallon on an operating basis – by delivering 10-12 cent sugars – based on a design that would cost, on a capex basis, around $5 per installed gallon of capacity.

Well, it’s definitely time to get past the nay-saying. Crescentino is now shipping, and the company has lined up a string of conditional commitments from partners and a signature deal with GranBio in Brazil.