Demonstration-Scale Biorefinery

Genera Energy has partnered with DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) and the University of Tennessee (UT) to build an innovative pilot-scale biorefinery and state-of-the-art research and development facility for cellulosic ethanol, or ethanol from non-food sources. The facility is located in Vonore, Tennesseee in the Niles Ferry Industrial Park.

The pilot-scale biorefinery is expected to be a catalyst for a new biofuel industry for the state. Utilizing DDCE's leading cellulosic ethanol technology and the UT Institute of Agriculture’s world-class expertise in cellulosic feedstock production and co-product research, the facility will produce cellulosic ethanol as a transportation fuel from two different non-food biomass feedstocks: corn stover (cobs and fiber) and switchgrass.

The demonstration scale biorefinery serves as a plant combined with a process development unit or PDU. A PDU is a research facility that enables both experimentation at larger-than-laboratory scale and more rapid adjustments to process components. With a plant capacity of 250,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually, the plant produced its first batch of cellulosic ethanol in December 2009.

The University of Tennessee has also invested state research dollars to develop switchgrass as a dedicated cellulosic energy crop. Tennessee farmers have participated in first round of sponsored switchgrass production. The farmers worked a combined 723 acres in 2008 as part of the University’s research into supply chain logistics for cellulosic biorefineries.

Within a year, the switchgrass established in 2008 will produce even more biomass per acre, and the harvested switchgrass will be used as feedstock for the biorefinery.

The pilot plant is also designed to convert corn stover from western Tennessee to ethanol. Corn stover is the plant material left in the field after the grain is harvested for use as food or feed for livestock. The biorefinery’s construction and switchgrass production are the first major components of the UT Biofuels Initiative (UTBI), a farm-to-fuel business plan developed by UT Institute of Agriculture researchers. The Initiative models a biofuels industry with multiple commercial facilities supplied by locally grown feedstock and capable of supplementing 30 percent of Tennessee's current petroleum consumption.

The University of Tennessee is the State’s Land Grant University, advancing the three pillars of the land grant mission: research, education, and extension. UTBI is an example of integrating the University’s core competencies to bring about positive economic development and create lasting platforms for excellence in research, education, and extension. Given the active and longstanding biomass energy and biofuels R&D and programming base already in existence within the UT Institute of Agriculture, UT has charged the Institute with development and administration of the UTBI. In 2007, UT AgResearch, the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station division of the Institute, formed the multidisciplinary UT Office of Bioenergy Programs (OBP) as an umbrella unit to coordinate and administer several biomass energy and biofuels programs, including UTBI. UTBI includes the switchgrass farmer incentive program, directly related R&D, UT Extension farmer and public outreach and education, coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy BioEnergy Science Center at ORNL, and developing collaborations and strategic partnerships with other stakeholders.

Additional Information:

Ethanol: A Primer

Biofuels '101'