January 19, 2007

 

SunOpta's cellulosic ethanol projects going steady

 

 

SunOpta Inc recently provided an update on the four of its cellulosic ethanol projects aimed at making ethanol from cellulosic biomass including woodchips, corn stover, sugar cane bagasse and wheat straw.

 

SunOpta's bioprocess division works to prepare biomass for the production of renewable fuels.

 

In one of its projects, China Resources Alcohol Corp (CRAC) would construct cellulosic ethanol facilities to generate 330 million gallons of ethanol by 2012 using SunOpta's patented systems and technology. The production is based on local corn stover.

 

Incidentally, this is the first cellulosic ethanol production facility operational in China.

 

China recently announced a halt on expansion of ethanol production from starch (corn) over worries of grain supply shortage. This debate on "food versus fuel" continues to be a key driver for cellulosic ethanol worldwide, together with concerns regarding the impact of the world's "addiction to oil" on the environment and energy security.

 

SunOpta also shipped its patented equipment and technology to Spain for the start-up of the Abengoa wheat straw-to-ethanol plant near Salamanca, Spain.

 

The Abengoa Bioenergy R&D Inc project, expected to start in the summer of 2007 would be the first commercial production facility in the world producing cellulosic ethanol from wheat straw. Abengoa is the largest producer of ethanol in Europe.

 

Celunol Inc, which would be using SunOpta's patented equipment and technology to produce ethanol from sugarcane bagasse and wood in its new Celunol facility would be the first commercial production of cellulosic ethanol plant in the US. The production is scheduled to being in the summer of 2007.

 

SunOpta recently announced a joint venture with Canada's GreenField Ethanol Inc. The aim is to design, build and jointly own and operate plants producing ethanol from wood chips.

 

The first plant is planned to produce 10 million gallons of ethanol per year, which achieves the widely accepted threshold for commercial scale cellulosic ethanol production and would demonstrate the immediate commercial viability of cellulosic ethanol.