Genera and Alcoa form partnership
In Blount County, Tennessee, US, Genera Energy, a for-profit limited liability company wholly owned by the University of Tennessee Research Foundation and Alcoa, Tennessee Operations, the world’s largest producer of rolled aluminium can sheet, have formed a partnership to cultivate switchgrass, a popular perennial grass known for producing cellulosic ethanol.
Switchgrass has already been planted on roughly 238 acres of land, which belongs to Alcoa and is leased to a local farmer who participates in an incentive programme with Genera Energy.
The planting took place in June this year but Alcoa’s total switchgrass acreage has the potential to produce over 160,000 gallons of ethanol a year.
‘With more than 1,1600 acres of property here in Blount County, Alcoa is constantly looking for environmentally friendly, effective uses of the land,’ said Dave Hensley, property manager and interim smelting plant manager.
Switchgrass has already been planted on roughly 238 acres of land, which belongs to Alcoa and is leased to a local farmer who participates in an incentive programme with Genera Energy.
The planting took place in June this year but Alcoa’s total switchgrass acreage has the potential to produce over 160,000 gallons of ethanol a year.
‘With more than 1,1600 acres of property here in Blount County, Alcoa is constantly looking for environmentally friendly, effective uses of the land,’ said Dave Hensley, property manager and interim smelting plant manager.
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