Date Posted: Sep. 14 2007

Washington, DC--Cellulosic ethanol technology is an integral part of the future of the U.S. ethanol industry.

Whether it is production from the corn fiber and stalks, or from other feedstocks such as wood chips, switchgrass and municipal solid waste, cellulosic ethanol production will further enhance the environmental, economic and energy security future of this nation.

With such potential, many questions persist about the timing, cost and real world application.

To help answers these questions, the Renewable Fuels Association is hosting Cellulosic Ethanol: The Future is Now featuring ethanol industry leaders developing the technologies of the future.

The event will take place Tuesday, October 2 from 12:00-3:00 p.m. at the National Guard Building on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol.

The RFA is also pleased to welcome U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to detail the role the federal government is playing and must continue to play in developing next generation ethanol echnologies and outline what the Department of Agriculture is doing to that end.

Those participating in the event include:

• Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns

• Abengoa Bioenergy (www.abengoabioenergy.com): Abengoa has announced plans to build a cellulose and grain ethanol biorefinery in Hugoton, KS. The facility will produce 30 million gallons of ethanol from cellulose and 85 million gallons a year from grain. The cellulosic ethanol plant will use 700 tons per day of corn stover, wheat straw, milo stubble, switchgrass, and other feedstocks. Abengoa was one of the six companies awarded grants from the Department of Energy to construct cellulosic ethanol biorefineries.

• POET (www.poetenergy.com): POET has announced Project LIBERTY, an upgrade of its 50 million gallon per year grain-to-ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, IA to a full-scale, commercially viable, cellulose-to-ethanol plant with a world-scale combined capacity of 125 million gallons. The facility will use POET's advanced corn fractionation and lignocellulosic conversion technologies to make ethanol from corn fiber and stalks and other plant materials. POET was one of the companies awarded grants from the Department of Energy to construct cellulosic ethanol biorefineries.

• Verenium (www.celunol.com): In February 2007, Verenium broke ground on a 1.4 million gallon per year demonstration facility located adjacent to its pilot facility in Jennings, LA. It is designated to operate on diverse regional feedstocks including sugarcane bagasse and specially-bred energy cane. The facility is slated for completion by the end of calendar year 2007, and for first operations in early 2008.

For more information, call Matt Hartwig at 202-289-3835.