Advanced Biofuels

POET Creates "POET Biomass" Division to Manage Harvest and Transportation of Corn Cob and Other Feedstocks for Cellulosic Ethanol Production

Date Posted: June 17, 2009

Sioux Falls, SD—Feedstock supply and logistics, among the chief challenges to commercializing the production of biofuels from new feedstocks, will be a key focus of a new division at POET, the company announced June 17.

POET CEO Jeff Broin announced at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo in Denver, CO, the creation of POET Biomass, a division of POET devoted to managing harvest and transportation logistics for corn cobs - POET’s cellulosic feedstock - as well as waste wood and other feedstocks to be used for cellulosic ethanol and alternative energy projects at their production facilities.

POET Biomass is led by Scott Weishaar, POET’s Vice President of Commercial Development.

"POET’s cellulosic ethanol goals depend on a steady supply of a reliable feedstock: corn cobs," Weishaar said.

"POET Biomass is here to make sure farmers have everything they need in order to play their important role in fueling our nation with both grain-based and cellulosic ethanol."

Among the areas of focus for POET Biomass are:

• Cob collection/supply chain management

• Logistics for waste wood and engineered fuels as alternative power sources

• Additional feedstocks for future cellulosic ethanol production

POET’s pilot-scale plant in Scotland, S.D. is already producing cellulosic ethanol at a rate of approximately 20,000 gallons per year, and plans are on schedule for 25 million gallons per year of commercial production in Emmetsburg, Iowa in 2011, named Project LIBERTY.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in May noted the economic benefit of using corn stover, which includes corn cobs, in making cellulosic ethanol.

"… corn stover was chosen as the most economical agricultural feedstock to be used to produce ethanol in order to meet the 16 [billion gallon] EISA (Energy Independence and Security Act) cellulosic biofuel requirement.

"We estimate that by 2022 greater than 400 million tons of corn stover could be produced.

"Approximately 82 million tons would be needed to produce 7.8 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuel that our modeling projects to come from corn stover by 2022." (Draft Regulatory Impact Analysis: Changes to Renewable Fuel Standard Program, page 17 http://www.epa.gov/oms/renewablefuels/420d09001.pdf)

For more information, call 605-965-2200.

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