(Emmetsburg)– Area farmers and others will get a firsthand look next month at how corn cobs can be harvested for cellulosic ethanol production.
The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 3rd with morning and afternoon demonstrations separated by a lunch and a short program at Poet Biorefining’s plant in Emmetsburg.
The plant is undergoing a transformation to produce cellulosic ethanol in an effort known as “Project LIBERTY”. The plant will produce 25 million gallons a year and is slated to be in operation in late 2011.
14 farmers in the Emmetsbrug area are harvesting corn cobs this year with pre-commercial equipment.
Meanwhile, POET continues to develop infrastructure for harvesting, storing and transporting cobs. That effort got a big boost recently when the U.S. Department of Energy announced a 6.85 million dollar funding increase to an existing grant for feedstock development. Negotiations are underway for an additional 13.5 million dollar funding increase, also for feedstock.
