AE Biofuels Builds Integrated Cellulose Ethanol Commercial Demonstration Plant

Another company is entering the Cellulosic ethanol market place with the announcement that AE Biofuels, Cupertino, CA, has begun construction of an integrated cellulose and starch ethanol commercial demonstration facility in Butte, Montana. The plant will use proven patent-pending Ambient Temperature Cellulose Starch Hydrolysis (ATCSH) enzyme technology to optimize process conditions for multiple feedstocks. Non-food ethanol feedstocks used by the facility are expected to include switch grass, grass seed straw, small grain straw, and corn stalks alone and in combination with a variety of traditional starch and sugar sources. The 9,000 square foot pilot plant facility is expected to be fully operational in the second calendar quarter of 2008.

In 2007, AE Biofuels™ acquired enzyme technology from Renewable Technology Corporation and formed its ethanol technology subsidiary, Energy Enzymes. The company’s low-cost, multi-activity enzyme technology is designed to reduce operating and capital costs for both cellulosic ethanol and starch ethanol plants and provides a platform to integrate the two processes. AE Biofuels utilizes patent-pending ambient temperature enzymes to eliminate the up-front “cooking” process that occurs in traditional starch ethanol production. The company has three patents pending for the use and implementation of its technology.

The key to the integrated process is AE Biofuels’ patent pending ATSH process. The ATSH converts starch to sugar without the cooking step of conventional corn plants. ATSH enzymes convert the raw starch to sugar at ambient temperatures. Eliminating the cooking step allows the beer from the cellulosic fermentation process to be used as the starch process water, increasing the overall alcohol concentration of the final beer and reducing water use, energy use and feedstock costs.

This technology is a endorsement of enzyme technology as a viable means of producing cellulosic ethanol, if it meets the companies claims.  The elimination of process steps, low cost enzymes and reduced cooling water consumption are all keys to lower cost cellulosic ethanol.

Comments

[Sam]

Yes! This is exactly what we need...a good start now we just need 200 billion gallons more of annual production to be completely energy independent.

Energy dependence is one of the main reason we have skyrocketing inflation and is also one of the main reasons the islamists and the kremlin are gaining so much power.

Once we are energy independent the islamists and the kremlin will fall!

This is what should be the most important issue to the writer of this blog not global warming. Make no mistake, if there is a nuclear war it will be a hundred times more damaging to this planet than global warming would ever be if left unchecked for a thousand years!

[Garko Novis]

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buying gas has become a major investment decision, as in "do i invest in some food so i can get thru the day or some gas so i can get where i have to go?"

[femmes]

Very nicely written. Really makes think. Thanks.

[Filipino Car Lease Broker Los Angeles]

Neat that they can convert the starch to sugar like that.

[parking sensors]

I love Cupertino, glad they are doing great things there!

[Auto Lease Los Angeles]

Hope this is all working out, did it end up working??

[Rug Cleaning Los Angeles]

I wonder if any of those patents went through, you said there were 3 pending. How is this going now?

[Furniture Stores in Los Angeles]

Glad there's a new company joining in this research. The more the merrier, right? :)

[seo services]

I hope this worked!

[dentist west hollywood]

Are they building this facility in Montana so they can have more space to work?