Topic: Nations First commercial Cellulosic Plant ground breaking (20 million gallons)

[Dan M]

In similar news, federal, state and local officials recently broke ground on the nation?s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant right here in Georgia.  Colorado-based Range Fuels will create almost 70 new jobs and invest millions in its new Treutlen County facility, which is expected to create an additional 350 indirect jobs.  During the groundbreaking ceremony in Soperton, which was attended by U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, state officials marked our commitment to cellulosic ethanol and other forms of renewable energy by proclaiming Georgia as the ?Bioenergy Corridor? for the nation.

The Range Fuels plant will use wood and wood waste from Georgia?s pine forests and mills as its feedstock.  The facility will initially provide 20 million gallons per year of ethanol and will have the capacity to produce more than 100 million gallons per year.  Construction of the first 20 million-gallon-per-year phase will be completed in 2008.  Range Fuels is one of six companies selected by the Department of Energy for financial support in building a commercial cellulosic ethanol plant, and is the first to break ground.


http://www.dawsontimes.com/news30534/notes-from-the-georgia-senate-georgia-takes-the-le.shtml



And the race begins !    This is really good news because once the first couple of commercial capaicity cellulosic plants like this one start up then others will be close behind .

[1outlaw]

You'll have to go to one of those petroleum based artificial trees Jeremy- see how ethanol drives up gas cost! Oh-and Christmas wrapping paper will rise in cost so much that kids will not get wrapped presents.

[BURNALCOHOL]

If we make ethanol from trash, what will all those bugs and rats eat at the dumps? Poor starving rats

Ethanol from pine trees?

Now my Christmass tree will cost twice as much, Damn Ethanol

[hotrod]

Cost of unfinishied pine furniture shoots up, experts blame cellulose ethanol plant in Georgia!!!
College students riot for affordable furniture for their dorm rooms!
Details at 11:00

Larry

[1outlaw]

Oh no- they are going to use pine trees Rusty - you are right- it's food according to expert Dr. Yule Gibbons in his research. There they go again- making ethanol from food. Ethanol is very very bad!   Can you just see the future headlines? Just like Jatropha- 3 months ago it was the web darling and today they trash it-- it does look look promising for biofuel but here come the nay-sayers.

Seriously- it is fun to do stuff that the "herd" does not think can be done. There is so much promise in tomorrow if we keep moving forward.

[hotrod]

The fun thing about it is there is also a process already in place that can convert common biological waste into a light crude. Current high crude prices might make it viable as well.

Thermal de-polymerization breaks down hydrocarbon plastic, and bio-wastes into a synthetic light crude oil in a matter of hours by cooking it at high temperatures and pressures with steam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_depolymerization
Changing World Technologies --- http://www.changingworldtech.com/

If process heat was provided by bio-gas methane from a cow manure digester like some of the ethanol plants are doing you could also produce local syntheic oil out of your trash to supply the petrolem needed for the 15% gasoline component in E85 and the petroleum diesel component often blended with bio-diesel.

Larry

[Dan M]

--- fuel from trash is a good thing.

Larry

Thats going to be huge ..imagine no more garbage dumps , no more incinerating .. just put it in a mixer add some micro critters to break it down and start fueling our transportation needs off our trash.. very cool

[hotrod]

It will be great to see an industrial scale cellulose ethanol plant finally go on line. It will go a long way toward damping down all the "corn is not the answer" crap we hear every day.

It is astonishing how folks who have the imagination to see the potential of hydrogen fueled engines 30 -50 years down the road cannot get their heads wrapped around all the different feed stocks that are either on line now, or coming on line for bio-fuels in the next 5-10 years.

Also no reason you could not use recycled paper and cardboard for feed stock --- fuel from trash is a good thing.

Larry

[rusty70f100]

Cool!  The more ethanol we produce, the better.  My Explorer needs fuel.

So can people bring their yard waste down there to get rid of it?  I dont see why they wouldn't be able to use grass clippings, leaves, tree waste, etc.

Of course there's the required Yule Gibbons reference:

"Did you ever eat a pine tree? Some parts are edible..."