Cob Collection Trials for Cellulosic Biomass Are Successful

Wallaces Farmer
By: Compiled by staff
Published: Aug 13, 2009

Ethanol firm Poet continues working with ag machinery manufacturers and a group of farmers in Texas and in northwest Iowa to find efficient, affordable ways to harvest cellulosic feedstock.

The first cob collection of 2009 is complete as Poet continues to work with agricultural equipment manufacturers and farmers to find the most efficient and affordable means for harvesting cellulosic feedstock. Equipment for harvesting corncobs was tested in fields near Harlingen, Texas from July 6 to July 22. The trials were a precursor to larger harvesting efforts this fall. In all, the effort will see as many as 25,000 acres harvested in Texas, South Dakota and Iowa.

Corncobs are already used by Poet at its pilot cellulosic plant in Scotland, S.D. and will be used at the company's first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant, known as Project Liberty, at Emmetsburg, Iowa in 2011. Project Liberty is the plant at that northwest Iowa location which is in the process of being built for production of cellulosic ethanol from cobs. It will produce 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year.


Next door is Poet's existing "corn grain ethanol" plant, a 50-million-gallon-per- year facility which the company will remodel and update to produce 100 million gallons per year. Thus, from both sources - cellulosic ethanol at 25 million gallons per year and corn grain ethanol at 100 million gallons per year - Poet's Emmetsburg location will produce a total of 125 million gallons of ethanol per year.


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