Project Alpha

Project name : Alpha

Feedstock : Energy Grasses

Plant Capacity (Cellulosic Ethanol) : 20 Mil Gallon /year

Ground breaking: 2014

Planned Plant start-up: 2016

Biochemtex is planning to build an integrated bio-refinery in Clinton, North Carolina, USA, using the PROESA™ technology. The plant will produce 75 million litres / year of second generation bioethanol from cost-advantaged non-food feedstock including high yielding energy grasses grown on under-utilized acreage that is abundantly available in the local area.

In August 2012 the Alpha Project received a conditional loan guarantee for 99 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under its 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program. The project has also received support in the form of BCAP monies to support local landowners and farmers with the establishment costs for selected perennial grasses.

The project is expected to create approximately 70 new direct jobs and 250 indirect jobs in North Carolina. It will also support the State’s objective in replacing 10% of all of its transportation fuels with a renewable and non-food based component. ?

This is the first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol project in the U.S. premised on purpose-grown non-food feedstocks. This model will support the development of the biofuels industry through cost competitive supply chains, new jobs and revenue in rural areas needing re-vitalization.

Project Fuyang

Project name: Fuyang Bioproject

Feedstock: Wheat straw and corn stover

Plant Capacity:
- Cellulosic Ethanol: 200 ktons/year
- Lignin: 610 kton dry/year
- PG: 90 ktpa/year
- EG: 80 ktpa/year

Boiler Capacity: 2×130t/h, 30MW

Contract Award: May, 2014

Ground breaking: June, 2014

Beginning of Works: Jan. 2015 (civil work)

Plant start-up: 2016

M&G Chemicals has publicly announced the plan to build a 2nd generation biorefinery in the Fuyang region, China, which will convert approximately 1 million tons of biomass into bioethanol and bioglycols.

The project will be accomplished through a JV with the Chinese firm Guozhen (private firm from the Anhui province, whose total turnover is 800M USD), that will supply 1M tons of straw-based biomass to the plant. The lignin co-product from the biorefinery will in turn become the feedstock for a 45MW cogeneration plant, that will be constructed in parallel, in proximity to the biorefinery.

M&GChemicals will be majority shareholder of the biorefinery and minority shareholder of the cogeneration plant.

The biorefinery will use PROESA™ technology, licensed by Beta Renewables, and will rely on Biochemtex expertise for the supply of critical equipment and for the construction of the plant. The size of such facility, measured in terms of feedstock processed, will be roughly four times that of Crescentino in Italy.

For further information on Guozhen: www.ahgze.com.cn
For further information on M&G Chemicals: www.mg-chemicals.com