First of a kind biorefinery features cogeneration component
Abengoa recently celebrated the grand opening of a new biomass-to-ethanol facility -- a "first of a kind" commercial scale biorefinery that will allow Abengoa to produce renewable liquid fuel from one of the most abundant organic feedstock sources, plant fiber or cellulosic biomass. The Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas (ABBK) facility, located about 90 miles southwest of Dodge City in Hugoton, Kansas, will be sold into the ethanol commodity market and used to fuel light duty vehicles.
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Artist rendering of the Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass facility in Hugoton, Kansas. Credit: Abengoa |
"Every gallon of cellulosic ethanol produced and used to fuel our vehicles reduces the impact of harmful greenhouse gas emissions by greater than 60 percent as compared to conventional gasoline," said Secretary Moniz at the grand opening. "The Department is committed to supporting innovative technologies, from an early idea in the lab to a full, commercial-scale source of clean energy. As part of the Administration's all-of-the-above approach to homegrown American energy, the production of cellulosic ethanol creates economic opportunities for rural communities, helps diversify our energy portfolio, and moves us closer to a low-carbon energy future."
The facility uses a proprietary enzymatic hydrolysis process, which turns cellulosic biomass, including non-edible corn stalks, stems and leaves, into fermentable sugars that are then converted into transportation fuels. The plant will utilize approximately 1,100 dry tons of biomass per day in the ethanol production process, the residue from which will be combusted along with 300 tons a day of feedstock to produce electricity. The plant's electricity cogeneration component will generate up to 21 MW of electricity -- enough to power itself and provide excess clean, renewable power to the local community.
Once operating at full commercial-scale, the biorefinery will produce up to 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year -- enough to avoid 132,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and the equivalent of removing 28,000 vehicles from the road.
Developed with the help of a $132 million DOE loan guarantee in 2011, Abengoa's Hugoton facility will be the third commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefinery to come on line in the United States. Prior to the loan guarantee, the project received a $97 million cost-shared grant investment from the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
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