Range Fuels "Getting Close" to Starting Up Cellulosic Ethanol Production in Georgia

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Privately held cellulosic ethanol producer Range Fuels Incorporated (Broomfield, Colorado) is nearing completion of Phase I construction of a cellulosic ethanol production facility in Soperton, Georgia, and is "getting close" to starting up the plant.

Phase I is mechanically complete and is expected to begin production by late June or early July of this year. Initially, Phase I was expected to produce 10 million gallons per year of ethanol and methanol. However, the capacity has been scaled back to 4 million gallons per year. Phase II construction should increase capacity to 40 million gallons per year by mid-2012.

The company's two-step thermo-chemical process has been proven at the pilot-scale optimization plant in Broomfield, which began producing fuelback in early 2008. The process converts biomass-chip material such as wood, grasses and corn stover in a solids-to-gas devolatilization unit, which feeds a steam reformer that converts material into syngas. The gas is then cleaned and enters a catalytic converter that converts the gas into liquid biofuels.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place in November 2007. The plant was engineered and built by the team of CH2M Hill Lockwood Green (Atlanta, Georgia) and AMEC plc (LSE:AMEC) (London, England). The plant is located approximately 140 miles southeast of Atlanta, in Soperton, Treutlen County.

There are currently 37 second-generation cellulosic ethanol plants under development in North America, representing more than $3.6 billion in capital spending.

Industrial Info's databases provide a comprehensive outline of all current development activities in the emerging alternative fuels market. Industrial Info's North American Ethanol Database covers 203 plants in operation and 358 plants in various development phases. Industrial Info's North American Biodiesel Database covers 153 operational plants and 72 plants under development. Our North American Wood Fuel Pellet Database includes 59 operational plants producing greater than 25,000 tons annually, and 37 projects that are under way.

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