An Iowa ethanol plant will soon be producing cellulosic ethanol at a demonstration scale, Biomass Magazine reported. Fiberight LLC has purchased the former Xethanol LLC ethanol plant in Blairstown, Iowa for $.65 million and is currently converting it to utilize municipal solid waste. Fiberight has operated a pilot-scale cellulosic facility in Virginia for three years and has developed a conversion process to produce cellulosic ethanol and biochemicals from MSW. The company plans to prove it can produce ethanol from MSW on a commercial scale at the Blairstown facility and predicts production will begin in February or March. The facility is expected to produce 2 million gallons of ethanol in its first year of operation, with a capability of 8.6 million gallons per year.

(Biomass Magazine, December 1, 2009)

(http://www.biomassmagazine.com/…)

DTN: Fiberight's proprietary technology is the first that is able to fractionate the waste stream into many forms and create a homogenous feedstock. The technology also allows the company to recycle enzymes and reduce costs of enzymes to a level that is viable on a commercial level. Fiberright's process is also environmental friendly, as it does not involve acid hydrolysis or gasification of any kind. (Cheryl Anderson)