World's largest cellulosic ethanol plant officially opened in Iowa

DuPont has celebrated the opening of its cellulosic biofuel facility in Nevada, Iowa, US with a ceremony attended by the state's governor Terry Brandstad and other dignitaries.

With the capacity to produce 30 mgy of clean fuel that offers a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to petrol, this biorefinery is the world's largest cellulosic ethanol plant.

The raw material used to produce the ethanol is corn stover – the stalks, leaves and cobs left in a field after harvest. The facility will demonstrate at commercial scale that non-food feedstocks from agriculture can be the renewable raw material to power the future energy demands of society.

Vital to the supply chain and the entire operation of the Nevada biorefinery are close to 500 local farmers, who will provide the annual 375,000 dry tonnes of stover from within a 30-mile radius of the facility. In addition to providing a brand-new revenue stream for these growers, the plant will create 85 full-time jobs at the plant and more than 150 seasonal local jobs in Iowa.

'Iowa has a rich history of innovation in agriculture,' Branstad said at the opening. 'Today we celebrate the next chapter in that story, using agricultural residue as a feedstock for fuel, which brings both tremendous environmental benefits to society and economic benefits to the state. The opening of DuPont's biorefinery represents a great example of the innovation that is possible when rural communities, their government and private industry work together toward a common goal.'

The majority of the fuel produced at the Nevada plant will be bound for California to fulfil the state's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The plant also will serve as a commercial-scale demonstration of the cellulosic technology where investors from all over the world can see first-hand how to replicate this model in their home regions.