Chemtex and USDA go ahead with new biofuels plant

Global engineering and technology company Chemtex has won a partnership with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to build a new advanced biofuels plant.

Backed by a federal-private partnership and earmarked to open in 2014, the biorefinery will create 315 jobs and produce cellulosic ethanol from energy crops. The location of the site is believed to be Sampson County, North Carolina.

The partnership with the USDA will see $99 million (€78.7 million) support the plant’s construction.

‘Realising a commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant in the US and proving that it can produce cost competitive sustainable ethanol is an important milestone in the commercialisation process of advanced biofuels,’ says Chemtex Group president Guido Ghisolfi.

‘We believe that the plant can become a model for future cellulosic ethanol production in America, providing jobs and benefitting local economies and US energy security.’

Chemtex will work with biosolutions company Novozymes to produce the cellulosic ethanol.

‘Advanced biofuels are commercialising because the Renewable Fuel Standard is working. With public and private investment, we are helping to add to America’s mix of domestic energy, reduce prices for consumers and free us from our dependence on oil,’ says president of Novozymes North America, Adam Monroe.