Spain's Abengoa opens $35m pilot ethanol plant

15 October 2007 12:32  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Spain's Abengoa Bioenergy has opened a $35m (€22m) pilot ethanol plant in Nebraska for researching the conversion of lignocellulosic into biofuel, the company said on Monday.

 

Abengoa planned to process 700 tonnes/day of biomass at the plant to produce 44m litres/year of ethanol as well as other forms of renewable energy such as electricity and vapour, the company said in a statement.

 

Meanwhile, at the opening ceremony chief executive and president Javier Salgado also said the company had signed a collaboration agreement with the US Department of Energy worth $38m to design and develop the world's first commercial-scale biomass-into-ethanol plant in Kansas.

 

The new technologies obtained at the Nebraska plant would be implemented at the Kansas biomass bio-refinery, the company said.

 

Lignocellulosic biomass is matter composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.

 

($1 = €0.71)

By: Lucy Craymer
+44 20 8652 3214

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