Biofuels Journal - January/February 2009 - (Page 88)

Local Feedstocks KL Energy Promotes Zero-Radius Feedstock Plants After one year of producing cellulosic ethanol from wood waste at its Upton, WY plant, KL Energy now is focusing its business plan to co-locate plants near the cellulosic feedstock. The company opened its first commercial-demonstration plant in Upton and has produced 1.5 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol since January 2008. “What we’ve learned in the past year is that size doesn’t matter to us,” said KL Energy Dave Litzen, VP of engineering and CTO, Rapid City, SD (605-718-0372). “The availability of the feedstock is what will drive the plant size,” Litzen added. As part of its new strategy, KL Energy, formerly called KL Process Design, plans both to build its own cellulosic ethanol plants and also to license the technology to third parties. The business plan calls for the plants to be constructed in modular units and shipped to the plant site. “Plant size has to be small, at least in the early days,” Litzen said. “It’s the same way the corn ethanol industry started. The difference is we’re dealing with feedstocks that are not commodities.” “We’ve got quite a few interested clients,” Litzen said. “By the end of 2009, we will have at least one commercial plant if not two up and running.” Process Improvements The demonstration plant, in operation for one year, has proved that glucose recovery can be increased by 56% and enzymes decreased by 22%, making the production of cellulosic ethanol less costly. “We’re very excited about the process improvements,” Litzen said. The biggest cost for the Wyoming plant is transportation of feedstocks to the plant. “We’ve learned a lot of lessons with Upton,” Litzen said. “The next step is to co-locate with a paper plant or wood pellet mill.” Other feedstocks that can be utilized with the process include waste products such as sugarcane bagasse grade stems and seeds from a winery. Co-Product Energy Source In addition to producing cellulosic ethanol from various waste sources, the process’ co-product, lignin, will be pelletized and either sold as fuel for boilers or used to fuel the cellulosic ethanol plant. “The lignin pellet can be for both home heating and commercial process heating,” Litzen noted. Myke Feinman, editor “ The availability o f the feedstock is what will drive the plant size.” - Dave Litzen, CTO, KL Energy Response No. 881 88 BFJ | JAN/FEB 09 http://www.transystems.com http://www.transystems.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Biofuels Journal - January/February 2009

Biofuels Journal - January/February 2009 Contents Safety Training Expanding Safety Pays Top 2008 OSHA Citations Ethanol Terminal Safety Preventing Falls Fighting Ethanol Fires Biodiesel Safety Bridgeport Ethanol John Kruse, Global Insight Barley Ethanol New DDGS Market—Fish Mary Beth Stanek, General Motors RINs As Commodity POET BioRefining Ethanol Pipeline—Florida DDGS Causing E. coli Community College Biofuels Ethanol Plants in the Pipeline State Report: Ohio Ethanol World Profile: Adam Dunlap, BlueFire Ethanol When to Harvest Switchgrass, Miscanthus Indirect Land Use Change Profile: Greg Olson, POET-Corning Growth Energy Monthly Ethanol Production Case Study: Fuelzyme Ethanol Industry News Greg Poe, Ethanol Pilot Sponsored by Fagen Inc. Blackhawk Biodiesel Biodiesel Roundup Biodiesel World Peanut Biodiesel Pennycress Biodiesel Radish Biodiesel Profile: Joe Korpi, Renewable Energy Group Biodiesel Convention NBB Eye on Biodiesel Awards Calendar of Events Cellulosic Ethanol Plants Under Construction Cellulosic Ethanol Plants Construction Map Breaking Cellulosic Ground Show Me’s Collecting Biomass Inland Empire Oilseeds POET’s Project Liberty Update Vermeer’s Cob Harvester Iowa State Cob Harvest Research Europe’s Energy Parks Imported Deere Cob Harvest Kit/Case IH Coskata Sugar/Mascoma Update Range Fuels Update Tom Warne, Schutte-Buffalo Hammermill University of Illinois Biofuels Master’s Roger Ladig, Laidig Systems, Inc. Miscanthus vs. Switchgrass Biofuels Automation Scott Martin, LeMar Industries Biodiesel Financing EISENMANN Corp. GATX / Beta Tec ProSonics / S.K. Patil DOE Grant Action Unloaders Ad Index

Biofuels Journal - January/February 2009

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