DuPont Danisco and University of Tennessee Partner to Build Innovative Cellulosic...

DuPont Danisco and University of Tennessee Partner to Build Innovative
Cellulosic Ethanol Pilot Facility
Fast-Track Pilot Plant Will Develop Commercialization Technology for Corn
Stover and Switchgrass;

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DuPont Danisco
Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) and the University of Tennessee (UT) Research
Foundation, through its Genera Energy LLC, today announced a partnership to
construct an innovative pilot-scale biorefinery and state-of-the-art research
and development facility for cellulosic ethanol in Vonore, Tenn.
The pilot-scale biorefinery will develop the commercial package for DDCE's
leading cellulosic ethanol technology. The project will utilize UT's
world-class expertise in cellulosic feedstock production and co-product
research, as well as its work with Tennessee farmers to develop the first
dedicated cellulosic energy crop supply chain for cellulosic biorefineries
utilizing switchgrass. The facility design will incorporate the flexibility
to operate on two different non-food biomass feedstocks -- corn stover, cobs
and fiber; and switchgrass.
"We are extremely pleased to collaborate with DDCE," UT President John
Petersen said. "The technical breadth and execution capabilities of DuPont
Danisco, along with the backing of their parent companies, raise the national
and international profile of the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative and confirm the
State of Tennessee as a leader in the development of cellulosic ethanol."
The pilot plant and process development unit (PDU) will be located at the
Niles Ferry Industrial Park. A PDU is a research facility that enables both
experimentation at larger than laboratory scale and more rapid adjustments to
process components. The plant capacity will be 250,000 gallons of cellulosic
ethanol annually. Site preparations are scheduled to begin this fall, and
ethanol should be available from the pilot plant by December 2009.
"Our technology is ready to pilot and we are eager to get the steel in the
ground," said DuPont Danisco Technology Leader John Pierce. "The high
cellulosic content of switchgrass makes it an optimal feedstock for ethanol
production. Its yields today make it more than competitive with other biomass
sources, and it has the potential to produce over 1,000 gallons of ethanol per
acre in the future. The joint venture is now targeting the two optimal
biomass feedstocks in the United States and we are ready to take our
technology to the next level of commercial viability."
In 2007 Gov. Phil Bredesen proposed and the legislature set aside $40.7
million toward the construction of a pilot biorefinery. Those funds will be
combined with a substantial investment from DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol
to construct the high-tech research facility.
"I'm extremely pleased to see UT partner with a company like DuPont
Danisco," Bredesen said. "This announcement marks an important step forward
in our goal to leverage the best of Tennessee's agricultural and academic
resources in a way that will maximize our potential as a farm-based fuels
leader. Biomass ethanol research and production is fundamental to positioning
Tennessee to take advantage of the economic opportunities of the future."
The university has invested state research dollars toward the development
of switchgrass as a potential energy crop for the state and the United States.
The first switchgrass plots that will supply the pilot biorefinery were
planted by area farmers in spring 2008. These crops will fully mature in
three years, and demonstration of switchgrass-to-ethanol conversion could
begin as early as 2010. The pilot plant will initially process western
Tennessee corn cobs to ethanol and then will optimize its technology for
switchgrass to ethanol conversion.
The Tennessee Biofuels Initiative is a farm-to-fuel business plan
developed by UT Institute of Agriculture researchers that models a biofuels
industry capable of supplementing 30 percent of Tennessee's current petroleum
consumption.
DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC is dedicated to the development and
commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. Bringing together two leaders in the
field -- DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Genencor, a division of Danisco -- DDCE
leverages more than $140 million of investment and over 10 years of research
and development to bring to market global, integrated cellulosic ethanol
technology packages that utilize various non-food feedstocks. The company's
mission includes accelerating the development of commercial scale
biorefineries, creating value for the renewable fuels and agricultural
industries and leading the way toward a low-carbon economy.
For more information:
http://www.dupontdanisco.com/
http://www.Generaenergy.net/
http://www.utbioenergy.org/TNBiofuelsInitiative/

SOURCE DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC

Michelle Reardon of DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC, +1-302-530-9197,
michelle.s.reardon@usa.dupont.com; or Patricia McDaniels of the University of
Tennessee, +1-865-974-7375, pclark@utk.edu; or Lydia Lenker of the Office of
Governor Phil Bredesen, +1-615-741-3763