Biofine to develop ethyl levulinate from forest waste in Maine

In Maine, Biofine Developments Northeast (BDNE), a biofuel producer and member of the National Energy & Fuels Institute (NEFI), announced an agreement with the town of Lincoln to establish a biorefinery at the former mill site located at 20 Depot Street. The plant will convert forest waste into a biofuel called ethyl levulinate (EL), which can replace heating oil or be blended into it alongside other renewable fuels.

BDNE estimates its Lincoln biorefinery will create 200 full-time jobs, with the potential for approximately 2,000 over time. The EL produced in Lincoln will reduce Maine’s GHG emissions 40,000 metric tons (mt) per year, the carbon captured by 49,000 acres of forest. BDNE sees the potential for 4 million mt of annual reductions, 40 percent of the state’s benchmark for 2030.