http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/12890/worlds_first_municipal_wastetoethanol_facility_starts_production/
September 18, 2017
'World’s first' municipal waste-to-ethanol facility starts production
Enerkem has announced that commercial production of cellulosic ethanol
has started at its facility in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. According to a
statement from the company, it is the first commerical scale plant in
the world to produce cellulosic ethanol from non-recyclable,
non-compostable mixed municipal waste.
“The commercial production of cellulosic ethanol at our facility in
Edmonton marks a landmark moment for our company as well as our
customers in the waste management and petrochemical sectors, and
confirms our leadership in the advanced biofuels market,” says Vincent
Chornet, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enerkem.
Enerkem has been producing and selling biomethanol since 2016, and
expanded production to include cellulosic ethanol with the installation
of its methanol-to-ethanol conversion unit early in 2017.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the advanced
biofuels market is expected to grow to reach 124 billion litres per year
by 2030.
“We will now progressively increase production in Edmonton, while
preparing to build the next Enerkem facilities locally and around the
world,” adds Chornet.
Enerkem explains in a statement that its cellulosic ethanol provides two
major environmental and sustainability benefits. Advanced biofuels are
helping to facilitate more sustainable transportation by producing fuels
that replace a large portion of gasoline. At the same time, Enerkem’s
system disrupts the traditional waste landfilling and incineration
models, offering an alternative to communities looking to recover waste
while sustainably fuelling vehicles.