Apr 23 2009
Last year, DuPont formed a joint venture with Danisco's Genencor to create a market-facing company that would bring a low-cost, integrated cellulosic ethanol technology package out of the labs and into the marketplace.
The DDCE Tennessee demonstration facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2009.
Within two months, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE) joined forces with the University of Tennessee to announce plans for its first cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant. Switchgrass and corncob -- two non-food raw materials -- give DDCE a base for widespread deployment in North America.
With offices in a suburb of Chicago, DDCE now is working daily with oil companies, farmers, technology companies and first generation ethanol companies as it drives to deliver its technology to the market by 2012.
"We're not talking about something that's going to happen in five years, in 10 years - it's going to happen next year," said Joe Skurla, the joint venture's chief executive officer.
Discussing the backing of large companies, Skurla said, "The DuPont Danisco name brings a real comfort factor with it to potential investors and partners."