Iogen selected by Brazilian cellulosic ethanol plant
October 22, 2012
By Iogen Corporation
October 22, 20122, San Paulo, BR – Canadian cellulosic ethanol developer Iogen Corporation has announced its selection by Brazilian sugarcane ethanol giant Raízen Group as the core technology for a commercial scale cellulosic ethanol production facility, and committed in initial investment to develop a commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil.
Iogen's technologic pathway utilizes enzymatic hydrolysis to fermentation; pre-treated biomass fiber is converted to sugars using enzymes; sugars are subsequently fermented to ethanol; and ethanol is purified to fuel. The company has been producing cellulosic ethanol at its Ottawa demonstration plant since 2004 where is has manufactured over two million litres. This will be its first commercial endeavor.
Raízen Energia S/A is the production company of Raizen Group, a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and the Brazilian ethanol company Cosan S.A. from April 2011. Raízen produces 2.2 billion liters of ethanol annually, 4 million tons of sugar, and has installed capacity of 900 MW of bioenergy from combustion of sugar cane bagasse.
The investment will cover development and engineering costs associated with the front-end design of a biomass-to-ethanol facility to be co-located with Raízen's Costa Pinto facility in Piracicaba, São Paulo.
“We believe Iogen has one of the most robust, well proven, and competitive technologies in the cellulosic ethanol business,” said Vasco Dias, CEO of Raízen. “This is a first step in our strategy to make cellulosic ethanol in association with sugar cane production operations. We see tremendous potential for this technology in meeting the world's growing demand for cleaner and more sustainable fuels"
Print this page
