DOE to Award Up to $23 Million for Cellulosic Ethanol Conversion Projects

March 29, 2007

On March 27th, the Department of Energy announced that five cellulosic ethanol projects would receive up to $23 million to develop ethanol from biomass such as agricultural wastes, saw dust, paper pulp, and switchgrass. The five projects are represented by Cargill Incorporated, Celunol Corporation, DuPont, Mascoma Corporation, and Purdue University. The projects seek to develop highly efficient fermentative organisms for commercial-scale integrated biorefineries and cellulosic ethanol refining. The research projects are intended to further President Bush's goals of making cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive by 2012 and reducing U.S. gasoline consumption by 20% in 10 years.