COMMERCIALIZATION EFFORTS
Several EFC plants were built and operated in various countries in World War II, when wartime conditions changed economic conditions and priorities. These countries included Germany, Russia, China, Korea, Switzerland, the United States, and other countries. Today, due to competition from synthetically produced ethanol, only a few of these plants are still operating with virtually all of them in Russia.
A paper manufacturing plant in Temi-schammaig, Quebec, operates off of byproduct sugars contained in “sulfite liquor,” which contains about 2% fermentable sugars. This is the only facility of its kind in North America. This facility is operated by Tembec, Inc., and produces 4 million gallons per year of industrial grade ethanol.
Several efforts are underway in North America to commercially produce ethanol from wood and other cellulosic materials as a primary product. Table 3 partially summarizes these companies and their activities, which are in various states of progress.
Table 3. A partial listing of companies developing ethanol-from-cellulose technologies.
| Company & headquarters location | Technology | Primary feedstock | Ethanol capacity | Comments |
| BCI, Dedham, MA | Dilute acid | Bagasse | 7560 million L/yr (20 million gpyz) | Plant to break ground in 2002 |
| Bioengineering Resources, Fayetteville, AR | Thermochemical gasification with fermentation | Pilot plant operating | ||
| Ethxx International, Aurora, ON | Thermochemical gasification with catalytic conversion | Wood | Pilot plant operating | |
| Fuel Cell Energy, Lakewood, CO | Thermochemical gasification with catalytic conversion | Wood | Pilot plant operating | |
| Iogen, Ottawa, ON | Enzymatic | Oat hulls, switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover | 378 million L/yr (1 million gpy) | Experimental plant operating |
| Masada, Birmingham, AL | Concentrated acid | MSW | 3780 million L/yr (10 million gpy) | Plant to break ground early 2002 |
| Paszner Technologies, Inc, Surrey, BC | Acidified aqueous acetone process | Wood | Commercial plants under construction | |
| PureVision Technology, Ft. Lupton, CO | Enzymatic | Wood | Constructing pilot plant |
SUMMARY
Ethanol-from-cellulose (EFC) holds great potential due to the widespread availability, abundance, and relatively low cost of cellulosic materials. However, although several EFC processes are technically feasible, cost-effective processes have been difficult to achieve. Only recently have cost-effective EFC technologies begun to emerge.
