DuPont and New Tianlong Industry sign deal to bring cellulosic ethanol technology to China

DuPont and Jilin Province New Tianlong Industry (NTL) have announced a licensing agreement to begin the development of China's largest cellulosic ethanol manufacturing plant, located in Siping City, Jilin Province, China.

The agreement allows NTL to license DuPont's cellulosic ethanol technology and use DuPont Accellerase enzymes, to produce renewable biofuel from the leftover biomass on the province's corn farms. NTL is working to secure the necessary government approvals and support to implement this agreement.

Combining NTL's ethanol production expertise with processing technology, technical support and enzymes supplied by DuPont, NTL will be able to produce cellulosic renewable fuel for the rapidly growing Chinese liquid biofuel market, which is projected to exceed 1.7 billion gallons per year by 2020.

'As we bring online the largest and most sophisticated cellulosic facility in the world in the state of Iowa in the US, we are simultaneously working with leaders who share the same vision of producing the next generation of clean renewable fuels in their region,' says Jan Koninckx, global biofuels leader for DuPont Industrial Biosciences.

This announcement is particularly important in light of China's aggressive goals for renewable energy, cutting its reliance on foreign oil and increasing employment opportunities for its large number of rural citizens.