Cellulosic Launch

Todd Neeley
By  Todd Neeley , DTN Staff Reporter
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Members of the general public and the media got a look inside POET-DSM's cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, Wednesday. The company launched commercial production at the plant to a large fanfare. (DTN photo by Todd Neeley)

EMMETSBURG, Iowa (DTN) -- Chest-thumping music, laser lights, video vignettes and royalty took the big stage here Wednesday as POET-DSM launched commercial cellulosic ethanol production in the United States.

In front of farmers, dignitaries from the Netherlands including King Willem-Alexander, the U.S. secretary of agriculture, representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, members of Congress, and the governor and lieutenant governor of Iowa, POET-DSM officially opened the Emmetsburg plant, which is expected to produce 25 million gallons a year once it is at full speed.

It's the same way corn-based ethanol launched as an industry in the 1970s -- with small plants beginning a steady climb up the production-efficiency ladder.

For decades it was said commercial cellulosic ethanol technology was five years away from reality; skeptics said it would never happen. The nay-sayers remain, but gallons are being produced in Emmetsburg.

Between speakers, POET-DSM aired a number of videos talking about a facility that already has some 150 days of corn residue biomass in storage and is in the middle of start-up.

"Why not fantasize on a world that lives without fossil fuels," a video narrator said. "Let's fantasize about a new fuel that spreads [across] the world. For a long time cellulosic ethanol was always on the horizon. Our fantasy is going to change the world for real."

DSM Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Feike Sijbesma said the pioneers who founded the town of Emmetsburg more than a century ago fantasized about how they could live off the land and prosper. The same will be said about Emmetsburg once again, he said.

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"This is a transformative moment in time," Sijbesma said. "We stand on their shoulders as we bring this new technology to the world. Emmetsburg was founded 150 years ago when the first oil well was dug in Pennsylvania. Fossil resources are not infinite. Today we are making a start to return to living off the land. The fossil age will come to an end one day. One day we are going to run out of fossil resources. We don't need to wait for that day."

TIP OF THE ICEBERG

POET CEO and Chairman Jeff Broin took the time during his speech to recognize and thank POET employees for their efforts that began some 10 years ago when Project Liberty was just a concept.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "This will change the world. We have been called to do this. We have been given the opportunity to change the course of history."

Broin said it is his "hope and belief" that "hundreds of years from now people will look back and say how some crazy people in Iowa changed the world."

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said the success of Project Liberty is an example of what he believes rural America can do to feed and fuel the world.

"This is a great day for Emmetsburg," he said. "It has been known as a great community, today it becomes the capital of the advanced biofuels world. Questions still remain about whether it will be a commercial industry. See for yourself -- a facility that's so efficient it doesn't use outside energy sources. We have come to Emmetsburg. We have seen the future. If you had any doubts about this industry, all you need to do is come to Emmetsburg."

RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad used the occasion to call out the EPA proposal to cut the Renewable Fuel Standard, saying the success at Emmetsburg is an example of the law doing what it was designed to do.

"What has been a challenge is the RFS," he said. "This is not the time to backtrack. This is a time for us to stand up proudly. We need to restore a robust Renewable Fuel Standard. The consumers are demanding more biofuels."

Broin said during a news conference following the ceremony that the Emmetsburg plant is an important first step for what the company has planned. He said POET-DSM is in the process of licensing the technology. In addition, Broin said the company plans to spread the technology all across the world through licensing agreements.

Though the technology shows promise, he said it is important for federal lawmakers and others to stand behind advanced biofuels through favorable policies. With the emergence of cellulosic ethanol in Iowa, Broin said the industry likely will have to continue to fight with oil companies to expand the market for biofuels.

"As an industry we need to put pumps in the ground," he said. "This allows consumers to choose. We know fuel ethanol is cheaper."

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

Follow Todd on Twitter @toddneeleyDTN

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Todd Neeley

Todd Neeley
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