DuPont is scheduled to open a cellulosic ethanol plant in Nevada, Iowa, and Abengoa is to open a plant in Hugoton, Kansas, later this year. “The milestones – more than a million gallons in 2014 and more than 10 million in 2015 – should start to fly by more quickly,’ said Martin. Cellulosic ethanol can be made from crop residue, grasses and woody plants.
The $275 milliion Poet-DSM plant will convert corn cobs, stalks and husks into ethanol. Production initially is set for 20 million gallons a year. Federal and state officials said the pant is the first commercial-scale cellulosic plant in the nation, said the Des Moines Register.
Quad County Corn Processors, of Galva, Iowa, began cellulosic ethanol production in July, using fiber from corn kernels as feedstock, with a goal of producing 2 million gallons a year. DuPont is spending $225 million on its plant and will use corn stover as feedstock to make 30 million gallons a year. Abengoa plans to produce more than 20 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol from corn stalks and leaves at its plant 90 miles southwest of Dodge City, Kansas.