FIU and Florida
Crystals to develop ethanol technology
MIAMI
(February 22, 2007)— Florida International University
and Florida Crystals Corporation will receive $1M for ethanol
research.
Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp announced today the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection will award
FIU’s Applied Research Center (ARC) and Florida Crystals
Corporation (FCC) a $1M grant to develop cellulosic ethanol technology under
the Florida Renewable Energy Technologies Grant Program. The grant, the
product of a unique partnership between FIU-ARC and FCC, will identify a pretreatment
process that can cost-effectively convert sugarcane bagasse to ethanol. The
study will determine the feasibility of using Florida bagasse as a feedstock
for a future large-scale bioenergy plant in Florida. The grant will be
matched by FCC, the largest sugar producer in the United States.
“This
public-private partnership is an important first step in
developing alternative fuel sources in Florida,” said
Harlan Sands, Executive Director of FIU-ARC. “Improving
the biomass to ethanol process is critical.”
Corn
is currently the feedstock for ethanol in the U.S., but
experts have forecasted corn can only supply 10% of future
U.S. gasoline demand. While
biomass is more abundant and cheaper than corn, the technology to break it
down into fermentable sugars is lacking.
“We are enthusiastic about engaging in this collaborative
project with FIU,” said Alfonso Fanjul, Chairman
and CEO of FCC. “Our
investment in ethanol research and technology will further
our commitment
to improving and expanding our eco-friendly, renewable
energy program.”
Bagasse is a plentiful Florida by-product
of sugar extraction from sugarcane. More
than one million tons are annually produced by the Florida
sugar industry. FCC
already mixes their bagasse with urban wood waste to fuel
their Biomass Renewable Energy Facility, the largest in
the U.S.
“We hope this effort with FIU will enable us to develop cellulosic
ethanol from our sugar cane that will reduce
our dependence on foreign oil,” said J. Pepe
Fanjul, COO and President of FCC.
Although bagasse is a
valuable fuel, there is strong commercial interest in upgrading
its value by converting it to ethanol. Demand for ethanol
is driven by the President’s
call to boost annual ethanol and other alternative fuel
production to 35 billion gallons by 2017 and reduce U.S.
dependence on foreign oil.
FIU
and FCC will investigate promising pretreatment processes
for bagasse conversion to sugars that can be readily fermented
to ethanol and will scale up those findings to a pilot
facility to assess the feasibility of commercialization
of the bagasse-to-ethanol technology.
“We are determined to make Florida a front
runner in cellulosic ethanol production using local biomass,
attracting investment, and creating well-paying jobs in
our State,” said Dr. George Philippidis, FIU-ARC’s
Associate Director and Principal Investigator and an expert
in the cellulosic ethanol business.
The project’s
aim of catalyzing the commercialization of ethanol production
from biomass will constitute the first case where a major
commercial company (FCC) and a leading technology development
institute (FIU) are jointly performing pilot development
to take cellulosic ethanol to full commercial scale.
—FIU—
For additional information please contact:
Adrienne Denaro
Communications Manager
FIU Applied Research Center
Ph: 305-348-1698 / Fax: 305-348-1852
Gaston Cantens
Vice President Corporate Relations
Florida Crystals Corporation
Ph: 561-366-5100 / Fax: 561-838-9316
Gaston_Cantens@floridacrystals.com |
