Thousand Oaks, California
September 9, 2008
Energy crop company
Ceres, Inc. announced today
that it will trial improved switchgrass cultivars and
high-biomass sorghum hybrids with
Range Fuels, Inc. as
part of a cooperative field trialing program at the site of
Range Fuels' commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, now
under construction near Soperton, Georgia, about 150 miles
southeast of Atlanta.
While wood residues will be the primary feedstock for this
first-of-a-kind biorefinery, Ceres said that Range Fuels is also
interested in better understanding the economic, environmental
and logistical attributes of non-food, low-carbon grass species
in the production of cellulosic biofuels. These grass species
have a number of advantages: they have relatively rapid breeding
cycles, they are highly efficient at storing sunlight in the
form of carbohydrates, and they are widely adapted. Last spring,
Ceres provided seed of new, high-yielding varieties that was
planted in demonstration plots on Range Fuels' Soperton Plant
site. The crops will be assessed for several years.
"The goal is to determine the best crop management, storage and
handling practices for Georgia, and just as important, the
performance of herbaceous biomass in Range Fuels' conversion
process," said Anna Rath, Ceres vice president of commercial
development. She noted that grass species, including both
annuals and perennials, can provide a flexible and reliable
supply of raw materials for fuel and power. "This is an
important step in demonstrating that energy crops can be
successfully and sustainably grown in the area surrounding the
Range Fuels Soperton Plant site," she said.
Mitch Mandich, CEO of Range Fuels, said this project will inform
future expansion decisions by the green energy company. "As we
think about expanding production beyond our Soperton Plant,
which will use woody biomass, we need to start understanding how
a variety of high-yield, minimal impact biomass feedstocks, such
as those being explored by Ceres, can assist in our expansion
efforts. Our relationship with Ceres will be invaluable in this
process."
Ceres recently announced that it will commercialize its first
seed varieties under the trade name Blade Energy Crops. Rath
said that the company will begin booking seed orders this fall
for the 2009 growing season. "We are getting calls from
agricultural producers interested in putting 10 or 20 acres in
the ground to gain a better understanding of these crops. Some
are located near existing or planned biorefineries, while others
are looking to attract biorefineries to their area," she said.
Rath noted that grass crops appear to be well suited to both
thermochemical conversion systems as well as biochemical
processes that utilize enzymes in the production of biofuels.
Ceres, Inc. is a leading developer of high-yielding energy
crops that can be planted as feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol
production and biopower. Its development efforts cover
switchgrass, sorghum, miscanthus, energycane and short-rotation
woody crops. The plant breeding and biotechnology company
markets its seed products under its Blade Energy Crops brand.
Ceres holds one of the world's largest proprietary collections
of fully sequenced plant genes. The privately held firm also
licenses its technology and traits to other organizations.
Range Fuels, Inc. is focused on green energy and the production
of cellulosic ethanol using plant matter (or biomass) that
cannot be used for food, is sustainable, renewable and abundant.
The company's innovative technology converts renewable and
sustainable biomass, such as wood chips, paper pulp, olive pits,
and more, to ethanol. The company's proprietary K2 system uses a
two-step thermo-chemical conversion process. The first step
converts the biomass to synthesis gas and the second step
converts the gas to ethanol. The company's business model is to
design, build, own and operate its plants. The leadership team
melds experience from Silicon Valley's fast-paced, high-tech
world, and the technologically intensive coal, coal
gasification, power, and gas-to-liquids industries, the
renewable fuel industry, and the pulp and paper industry. Range
Fuels' vision is to introduce the world to a fuel that's
renewable, sustainable, and eco-friendly. |
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