The Path to Commercial-Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Production

Ethanol Producer Magazine
May 2008
By Jessica Ebert

It’s not a leap of faith that’s going to make cellulosic ethanol production on a commercial level a reality. In most cases, it’s going to take a plotted course that sequentially informs the evolution of cost-competitive and efficient technologies. EPM spoke with companies about the significance of piloting their technologies before scaling up to a demonstration-size facility.

Last year, California-based AE Biofuels Inc., a worldwide developer of next-generation biofuels, acquired an enzyme technology company called Renewable Technology Corp. For the principals of the Montana-based corporation, Bob Kearns and Clifford Bradley, the deal was a long time coming. The pair has been developing enzymes capable of breaking down starch and cellulose into fermentable sugars for more than 20 years. “While the U.S. DOE funded a lot of the work in the ’80s on these enzymes until AE Biofuels got involved, nothing had happened to them,” explains Kearns, who now serves as a consultant to AE Biofuels. Next month, however, the company is set to showcase its newly acquired technology at a demonstration plant in Butte, Mont.

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