Nearly two months after the announcement by General Motors of its equity investment in Mascoma, the Massachusetts company has announced the location of its first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant. Mascoma CEO Bruce Jamerson and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm announced a plant would be built near Sault Ste. Marie in northern Michigan. Mascoma will be collaborating with Michigan State University and Michigan Technical University to further enhance its processing technology for turning biomass into liquid fuel.

MSU will offer help with the pre-treatment technology for the cellulosic biomass and identifying renewable crops for feedstocks while MTU will help with sustainable forest management practices. The Sault Ste. Marie plant will primarily use wood waste from the forestry industry in northern Michigan as a feedstock. Michigan has passed legislation creating grants for Centers of Energy Excellence. The new law will make Mascoma eligible for a grant of $15 million dollars for the new plant. The plant should be operational by 2012 producing 40 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol.

[Source: Mascoma]

When is cellulosic ethanol not cellulosic ethanol? When it's grown on public land. Let us explain.

Apparently, when cellulosic ethanol is made from biomass grown on public lands (or on private lands but is not intentionally grown and managed as ethanol feedstock), U.S. law does not count that ethanol towards the Renewable Fuels Standard. A U.S. Rep, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), is trying to get Congress to change this little quirk, according to a story in Domestic Fuel. She testified on the issues and explained how a South Dakota plant that's making ethanol from wood waste, run by KL Process Design Group, is affected by the law. The Argus Leader notes that this is a bi-partisan effort, as Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is also supporting the change.

[Source: Domestic Fuel, Argus Leader]

Following this morning's announcement that GM was taking an equity stake in cellulosic ethanol developer Mascoma, the two companies held a conference call. Like the earlier Coskata investment, GM researchers will be working with scientists at Mascoma to refine the process that they have developed for converting many kinds of biomass that might otherwise be considered waste.

Mascoma's Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) system is different than more traditional cellulosic production methods in that when fully developed, no additional enzymes will need to be added. Enzymes are currently the most costly part of the production process. Mascoma has developed microbes that can consume the pre-processed material and produce their own enzymes for breaking down the cellulose into sugars and then fermenting it.

The pre-processing consists of chopping the raw materials and mixing it with water in the presence of some heat. This results in a spongy peat moss-like material that is fed to the microbes. The output of the microbes is ethanol that only needs distillation. Mascoma is still refining the microbes which currently don't produce as much enzyme as needed to complete the process. For the pilot plant that is currently under construction, Mascoma will have to add some enzymes to the process although the amount is much smaller than normally required. By the time a commercial scale plant is ready in about 2010, Jamerson expects that no additional enzymes will be required. The CBP system also doesn't require any of the acids or other chemicals normally required for pre-treating biomass.

Mascoma CEO Bruce Jamerson explained that the process requires about 2-3 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol produced which is more than the Coskata's process but it requires less energy input. The cost of fuel from the process is similar to Coskata's at about $1-1.50 a gallon. Mascoma's agreement with GM is not exclusive and in the future they expect to license the process to other fuel producers. When questioned about why they were investing in multiple processes, GM's Candace Wheeler explained that they were potentially complementary. The lignin left over from the Mascoma process could be fed into the syngas process developed by Coskata, increasing the ultimate yield.

[Sources: General Motors, Mascoma]

General Motors today announced their second equity investment in a developer of cellulosic ethanol technology in recent months. The automaker is buying into Mascoma Corp. Mascoma has developed a single-step cellulose to ethanol process that apparently requires fewer enzymes and other additives. Mascoma has proprietary microbes that are used in its Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) technology. The CBP process can convert most forms of biomass such as straw, wood, paper pulp, and agricultural waste into liquid fuel. So far, Mascoma has received more than $60 million in federal and state grants for their work. To date Mascoma has been testing their technology in the lab with a demonstration plant due to come on line later this year in Rome, NY. GM President Fritz Henderson is not disclosing how much the automaker is investing. Earlier this year GM invested in Illinois-based Coskata. GM is holding a conference call later this afternoon where we will hopefully get more details. We do know that Mascoma has been trying for a while to have the first cellulosic ethanol plant up and running, with projects announced in Tennessee, New York state and Michigan.

[Source: General Motors]

You probably remember that back in January of this year, General Motors announced that it was partnering up with Coskata to make cheap cellulosic ethanol using a process developed by Coskata which includes the use of microorganisms developed by Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma University. Coskata has apparently broken ground on a new plant that is being built in Pennsylvania. While Coskata appears to be moving along at a fine pace, Auto Observer is reporting that Coskata is not the only cellulosic ethanol provider that the General is interested in being attached to. GM said back in January that Coskata would not be the company's only biofuel partner. So far, everything sounds very "hush-hush" about this new partnership, but GM president Fritz Henderson is expected to make an announcement tomorrow in Washington D.C. We don't have any information on who America's largest automakers is partnering with, but we know that there are plenty of other companies currently working on cheap cellulosic ethanol. You'll know more when we do, so stay tuned.

[Source: Auto Observer]

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Energy picked three cellulosic ethanol projects as recipients of up to $86m in federal funding for fiscal years 2008-2011. These "small-scale biorefinery projects" are located in Maine, Tennessee and Kentucky and are intended to bring "cost-competitive" second-generation ethanol to market by 2012 (the plants will also make other bio-based chemicals and products). DOE Secretary Samuel Bodman said the projects would help President Bush reach his goal of stopping greenhouse gas emissions growth by 2025. The three winners are:

• RSE Pulp & Chemical of Old Town, Maine. (DOE share: up to $30 million.) This plant will use a wood extract made at an existing pulp mill.
  
• Mascoma Corporation of Boston, Massachusetts Proposed Plant in Vonore, Tennessee. (DOE share: up to $26 million.) The source here will be switchgrass and will be the largest cellulosic ethanol plant in Tennessee.
  
• Ecofin, LLC, of Nicholasville, Kentucky. (DOE share: up to $30 million.) Ecofin will use a variety of feedstocks, including corncobs, in this plant.
  

You can read more about the awards at the DOE website.

[Source: DOE]

Biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel are already available, so why would they show up on our list of future technologies? A one-word answer: cellulose.

Currently, mass-produced ethanol is created by the fermentation of sugar and in the U.S. granulated corn is distilled to make alcohol and combined with gasoline to make E85. Unfortunately, corn is a poor choice when it comes to the creation of ethanol. Alternatives are on the horizon, though, which could potentially make biofuels a much better choice. Cellulosic ethanol could be considered ethanol version 2.0, with large-scale plants currently being set-up which might be able to offer the fuel at very low prices. When the fact that American roadways are already littered with E85-capable vehicles is added into the mix, cellulosic ethanol stands to make a large dent in our petroleum usage.

Discover Number 2.

Should Coskata be worried? GM's first cellulosic ethanol partner made some waves in January with it's announcement that it can make the biofuel from all sorts of waste products for less than $1 a gallon. While we're still waiting for the fruits of that process, other cellulosic ethanol companies want to get some of the good vibes that promising cheap, truly green biofuel can bring.

The Alternative Energy Technology Center has announced that it, too, can make ethanol for under $1 a gallon and this story in Greentech Media says that more such announcements will be coming soon. The company is apparently in the "completion phase" of its biorefinery that should be able to make "20 to 100 tons of ethanol, gasoline, diesel and other products per day," Greentech Media says. For us, the proof will certainly be in the pudding and whoever brings cheap cellulosic ethanol to market first will win our praise - and, more importantly, lots and lots of money, I'm sure. Coskata's Wes Bolsen told Greentech Media that the cellulosic ethanol market can handle many players, and they're not worried, to answer the question in the lede.

[Source: Greentech Media]

Click the Saleen S5S Raptor

A quarter century after Steve Saleen started building heavily modified high performance Ford Mustangs, the company that still bears his name, if not his direct involvement, unveiled a new concept car at the New York Auto Show. The S5S Raptor is the second ground-up design from Saleen following the S7R that debuted several years ago. The Raptor is the first car from Saleen specifically designed to run on ethanol. During the presentation CEO Paul Wilbur emphasized the use of cellulosic E85, which several cars in the American Le Mans Series are running this season. The Raptor is powered by a new supercharged 5.0L V-8 that produces 650hp when running on biofuel. Saleen is following many other high performance tuners and builders in switching to E85. It allows them to tune the engines for higher performance without having to use expensive high octane racing gasoline blends. The Raptor is currently a concept, but Saleen is evaluating potential customer interest before deciding whether to proceed with production. If Saleen does proceed it could be available within two years at approximately $185,000.


[Source: Saleen]

Although some have argued, even recently, that the drive to convert large amounts of farming acreage to ethanol production has had no effect on the prices people pay for food, that is not the memo our prez has received. I guess someone in Washington noticed the price of corn has shot up 250 percent in the past two years. Not content to let the market work it out for itself, Bush spake to the masses gathered before him at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIRC), "And so we got to do something about it." My, but he is a man of words, isn't he.

And what is this "something" the Decider has decided we should do? Make more ethanol, of course. But now, we should make it out of wood chips and agricultural waste. Apparently, we still have lots of trees we don't need and our agricultural waste isn't currently being used for anything besides soil enrichment. According to this article in the New York Times, Bush informed the crowd that the effort is well under way and that the Energy Department had already spent over $1 billion kick starting a "cellulosic ethanol" industry.

Speaking of nuts, the president also let it be known that he had been impressed with the recent flight Virgin Atlantic made from London to Amsterdam on fuel derived from the babassu nut. Though Bush said he had never seen the nut in person, he was amazed it could help power a plane the size of a 747. I guess if the plane had been smaller he would have been less impressed.

[Source: New York Times]

Some people use airport layovers to sleep, read, or get a meal. Sam and Sebastian took the opportunity to record AutoblogGreen Podcast #19. While waiting for a plane to whisk them back home from the Chicago Auto Show, we recapped a few things we saw at the show. It wasn't the greenest show we've seen, but they have the biggest building, by their own admission. A few things left impressions on us, first of which was the GMC Denali XT. The Zeta variant is the first use of GM's Two-mode hybrid system on a passenger car platform. Other exciting GM news is the announcement that ICM and Coskata will be working together to build a cellulosic ethanol plant. Ford came out with a couple of ideas aimed at truck customers that could boost CAFE numbers. The Transit Connect is a right-sized utility van, and their new Work Solutions system could be a stealthy way to improve economy. Honda has hybrids and diesels coming, and Toyota will be trying to add lightness to its fleet. Our interview this time around is with Bridgestone's Dan McDonald about their "One Team, One Planet" initiatives.

Thanks for listening!


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There is a huge beetle problem in the Rocky Mountains. The official declaration of what the mountain pine beetles are doing is a "catastrophic" killing off of trees. While foresters and others try to get a handle on the situation, energy companies are thinking that all those fallen trees might make good biofeedstock for ethanol production. According to the Rawlins Daily Time (Wyoming), at least five companies have expressed an interest in "energy conversion" using the wood, with ethanol being one possibility. A pilot cellulosic ethanol plant using the wood might be built in Carbon County, Wyoming, but local officials are still at the "putting out feelers" stage.

[Source: Rawlins Daily Time via Domestic Fuel]

The video above is an interview done in May with Walter Copan, chief technology officer of Clean Diesel Technologies (ticker: CDTI), by thestreet.com. Autobloggreen is not a stock tip or investing website but we wanted to show you what the stock market thinks about green, automotive companies. In the above video, Walter is asked if clean diesel will catch on in America and can the technology take on hybrids. Walter thinks clean diesels have potential because the technology has developed and new cars are being released.

Below the fold is a video done in a May episode of Forbes on Fox with Jeff Siegel and includes two interesting ethanol stocks. The first company is SunOpta (ticker: STKL), which is actually a food company but Jeff says they have plans to go into cellulosic ethanol and even want to built a plant. The second company is Pacific Ethanol (ticker: PEIX) which Jeff says is embracing regional production and are building ethanol plants in California. Bill Gates is about to sell his 21 percent stake in Pacific Ethanol.

Nobel peace prize Al Gore is getting in on sustainable investing, so don't be surprised to see a few more articles from AutoblogGreen with stock tickers.

Related:

• Stock analysts say we could be in an "ethanol bubble"
• Motley Fool sez AltairNano stock "missed the mark"

[Source: YouTube, Google Video]

In recent years America's beleaguered farmers have seen some welcome relief in the form of growing demand for corn to produce ethanol. As new ethanol production plants have popped up they have created new jobs, but it hasn't all been rosy. Everyone wants more ethanol plants, just Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY). People have begun to push back against plans to build new plants in their communities (actually, ethanol NIMBYism is nothing new).

Setting up facilities like the one pictured above in small rural towns can cause a significant increase in traffic and noise. The plants also bring new emissions that some residents fear could taint other local products and produce a rather nasty smell. There is also the not insignificant issue of water demand (see exampes #1, #2, and #3). Producing ethanol from corn consumes a lot of water. That's water that the local residents need for their own use not to mention irrigation for their crops. It looks like the honeymoon may be over for corn ethanol. The cellulosic ethanol developers better get cracking.

Related:

• ABG visits 50 million gallon per year ethanol plant - Video

[Source: International Herald Tribune]

Range Fuels' cellulosic ethanol plant, the first in America, broke ground Tuesday in Treutlen County, Georgia. Construction of the first 20 million-gallon-per-year phase is expected to be completed in 2008. Pictured, from the left, are U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, Khosla Ventures Founder Vinod Khosla, Range Fuels CEO Mitch Mandich and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

Below the fold is the full press release and a video about the company from Fox News. GM is a supporter of the plant, with Beth Lowery, General Motors Vice President of Environment, Energy, and Safety Policy, saying that "Range Fuel's investment in this ethanol production facility is an important step toward the next generation of renewable fuels. Cellulosic ethanol has enormous potential for displacing gasoline and reducing emissions."

Related:

• Range Fuels (ex-Kergy) will open wood-waste-using cellulosic ethanol plant in Georgia
• Range Fuels building the Nation's First Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

[Source: Range Fuels]