IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc. (OTC:
BFRE.OB - News) this week completed a crucial step in the
construction of its first cellulosic ethanol plant in the U.S. by
completing vendor testing of the key pieces of equipment to convert
a variety of biomass materials -- from wood chips to municipal
waste -- into the simple sugars used in BlueFire Ethanol's
production process.
The vendor testing of the decrystalyzer, hydrolyzer and filtration
operations was completed at the headquarters and R&D center of
B&P Process Equipment in Saginaw, Michigan and provided
superior results than were achieved at the Izumi plant. This effort
is part of an integrated investigation being done for the final
engineering of BlueFire Ethanol's full scale waste-to-ethanol
plants.
"These key components break down the cellulosic material and reduce
it to simple sugars for ethanol production as well as provide
lignin to supply the plant's energy needs on a continuous basis,"
stated John E. Cuzens, BlueFire's Chief Technology Officer and
co-author of the various technology patents used by BlueFire. Mr.
Cuzens further stated, "The testing campaign provides key equipment
vendors with first-hand experience on BlueFire's process, process
conditions and process fluids. It allowed for input from industry
experts, yielding results that are better than expected based on
the previous Izumi, Japan experience."
B&P Process is a world class company focused on engineering
high-precision, high-reliability machines with cradle-to-grave
customer support while adding a new dimension in responsiveness.
Abbey Martin, Process Engineer for B&P Process Equipment
stated, "We were pleased with the ability of our equipment to
perform the decrystalyzation more effectively than the data from
different equipment operated in the Japanese pilot plant would have
predicted. We believe that we can now design a commercial unit that
will perform better and cost less than a design based solely on the
pilot data. Testing actual process conditions in our scalable test
equipment almost always improves the design and cost of commercial
units. Furthermore, this type of testing is applicable not just to
their first plant but also to future plants using similar feedstock
and the same process." B&P was also able to produce enough
filtered hydrolysate to allow successive testing of additional
process equipment such as the chromatographic separator.
"We are thrilled at the results of this testing and look forward to
incorporating the decrystalyzer and hydrolyzer from B&P Process
Equipment in our ethanol production facilities in California and
elsewhere,” said Arnold Klann, President and Chief Executive
Officer of BlueFire Ethanol. “With this final piece of the puzzle
in place, BlueFire Ethanol's planned California facilities are
poised to serve as a catalyst for cellulosic fuel production
throughout our nation."
BlueFire Ethanol is one of six ethanol companies awarded funding
from the U.S. Department of Energy for its planned ethanol
production facility using cellulosic wastes diverted from landfills
in Southern California. The facility will produce approximately 17
million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year from green waste,
wood waste and other cellulosic urban wastes.
In addition, BlueFire is currently in the process of obtaining all
necessary permits to commence construction of a smaller facility
near Lancaster, California. The Lancaster plant will produce 3.1
million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year from the cellulosic
fraction of post-sorted municipal solid waste. By locating
biorefineries directly in the markets with the highest demand for
ethanol, BlueFire Ethanol can utilize its technology to help cities
manage landfill waste while increasing biofuels supplies.
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