ADVERTISEMENT

Posted May 27, 2010, at 8:53 a.m. CSTNovozymes, a bioinnovation company, COFCO, a producer and supplier of process agricultural products and Sinopec, the world's third-largest oil refinery, signed a memorandum of understanding on May 27 covering the next steps towards commercialization of cellulosic biofuel in China. As part of the agreement, COFCO and Sinopec will build a cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant and Novozymes will supply with enzymes. The new plant comes on line in the third quarter of 2011 and will produce 3 MMgy of bioethanol made from corn stover. In February, Novozymes launched new Cellic CTec2, an enzyme product enabling the biofuel industry to produce cellulosic ethanol at a price competitive with gasoline and conventional ethanol."In 2009, we forged this partnership in China to develop biofuel from agricultural waste; today, we are one step closer to producing commercial quantities," said Michael Christiansen, president, Novozymes China. "With gasoline prices hovering around $4 per gallon in China, companies across the country are reaffirming their commitment to investing in development of clean, alternative fuel sources."The new plant will be the largest demonstration facility converting agricultural waste into biofuel in China. China has an adequate supply of biomass, and agricultural residues alone exceed 700 million metric tons (772 million tons) annually. A 2009 study by Novozymes and McKinsey showed that by converting agricultural residues into fuel ethanol, China can reduce its gasoline consumption by 31 million tons in 2020, thereby reducing its dependence on imported petroleum by 10 percent and abating 90 million tons of CO2 emissions. By doing so, this industry will create 6 million direct jobs, resulting in an RMB 32 billion (Chinese currency)-around $4.7 billion-income increase annually.By 2020, the number of cars in China is expected to exceed 200 million, up from 130 million today, which will lead to substantial growth in the demand for vehicle fuels. To meet these rising demands the Chinese government has launched an ambitious bioenergy development target that will boost the production of cellulosic biofuels.SOURCE: NOVOZYMES