ZeaChem Begins Construction of Cellulosic Ethanol Facility in Colorado

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Privately held ZeaChem Incorporated (Lakewood, Colorado) has begun construction on Phase I of a cellulosic ethanol production facility in Boardman, Oregon. The first phase of the project calls for the installation of skid-mounted fermentation modules that are expected to produce cellulosic ethanol on a demonstration scale of 250,000 gallons per year.

The modules are being fabricated at Hazen Research Incorporated's research and development facility Golden, Colorado. The modules will initially be housed at the Hazen facility. CH2M Hill Companies (Denver, Colorado) provided initial engineering work for the facility. Phase I is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2010.

Once the first phase is complete and fully tested, construction of the commercial-scale 50 million-gallon-per-year facility is set to start in early 2012. The skid-mounted modules will be transported to the commercial-scale facility in Boardman, Oregon, and integrated into the commercial production process.

The plant will use biomass feedstocks to ferment hardwood, softwood, switch grass and corn stover into fuel ethanol and bio-based chemicals. ZeaChem's patented process utilizes bacteria called acetogen in the fermentation process, which produces no carbon dioxide and increases yield.

Construction of the commercial-scale plant is estimated to be in the range of $100 million.

Industrial Info's Ethanol Database provides a comprehensive outline of all current development activities in the emerging alternative fuels market. This database covers 177 ethanol plants in operation and 530 plants under development. It also covers 145 operational biodiesel plants and 245 biodiesel plants under development.

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