Submitted by
University of Tennessee/Genera Energy

On Friday, Jan. 29, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) and University of Tennessee/Genera Energy LLC will hold a grand opening celebration for one of the nation's first cellulosic ethanol demo plants, and the only one dedicated to converting both agricultural residue and bioenergy crops to fuel ethanol. The facility, located in the Niles Ferry Industrial Plant in Vonore,  has initiated start-up and commissioning and will begin producing ethanol in mid-January.

The event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. and Gov. Phil Bredesen will be a speaker at the event, along with other state, local, and business dignitaries.
The 74,000-square-foot facility has the capacity to produce 250,000 gallons of ethanol from corncobs and switchgrass and is preparing DDCE's innovative integrated technology for commercial production by 2012.
 
About the demonstration plant:
The cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant in Vonore, applies innovative integrated technology to convert agricultural residues and dedicated bioenergy crops to ethanol for fuel. The facility is focused on process and data validation to achieve commercial scale production by 2012. DDCE was established in 2008 to integrate the state-of-the art technologies and engineering expertise of DuPont and Danisco, and today is accelerating commercialization of cellulosic ethanol.

In Tennessee, DDCE has partnered with Genera Energy, which is wholly owned by the University of Tennessee Research Foundation and focuses on developing integrated biomass supply chain solutions and strategic partnerships to support the bioenergy industry in Tennessee. Genera Energy was formed in 2008 as a vehicle to carry out the cellulosic biorefinery activities and capital projects of the UT Biofuels Initiative, a farm-to-fuel business model funded with support from the Tennessee General Assembly to create a renewable energy industry in the state. Genera Energy was specifically created to provide the commercial flexibility needed to develop collaborations and partnerships with private entities with technology or other resources to contribute to the UTBI. Genera Energy has recently expanded its outreach to support the University's interests in other renewable energy technologies.