Wilmington, Delaware
October 7, 2008
Speaking today at an investor
conference, DuPont Vice
President & General Manager John Ranieri said the company’s
plans to bring its two advanced biofuels programs to market are
on track and making significant technical progress toward the
commercialization of biobutanol and the conversion of cellulosic
feedstocks economically into biofuels.
“Biobutanol and cellulosic ethanol have the ability to transform
the biofuels industry,” Ranieri said. “Our flexible business
models allow us to penetrate different geographies with the
ability to convert various feedstocks to meet the significant
global demand for biofuels.”
The DuPont BioFuels business strategy is developing and
commercializing an upstream biofuel technology to produce
cellulosic ethanol that will use non-food energy feedstocks such
as corn cob and switchgrass, and a downstream biofuel technology
to produce biobutanol, a high-performance biofuel that can be
delivered through existing gasoline distribution channels.
In May, DuPont announced a joint venture with Danisco to deliver
low cost, sustainable cellulosic ethanol technology. In July,
the DuPont Danisco
Cellulosic Ethanol LLC joint venture announced a partnership
with the University of Tennessee to build a pilot and
demonstration facility for the cellulosic ethanol technology,
groundbreaking scheduled later this month. Pilot production
utilizing corn cob and switchgrass is expected to begin in 2009
with commercially viable economics by 2010.
Biobutanol blends can be transported using existing fuel
infrastructure, have a higher blend value, provide fuel economy
(miles per gallon) similar to unleaded gasoline and can be
blended at a minimum of 16 percent concentrations without the
need to modify vehicles. DuPont is jointly developing biobutanol
with BP in a partnership first announced in 2006.
“We are on track to have a biobutanol pilot facility operational
next year with the commercial biotechnology package complete by
2010 at economics comparable to grain ethanol,” Ranieri said.
“Once we are commercial with biobutanol we intend to combine our
technologies to make biobutanol from non-food feedstocks.”
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded
in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable
solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for
people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont
offers a wide range of innovative products and services for
markets including agriculture and food; building and
construction; communications; and transportation.
Link:
Biofuels fact sheet |
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