Lignol Energy Corporation V.LEC

HP-L Lignin Production Key to Success...

[2guys]

Just doing some reading and IMO, the race is on to produce ethanol from non-feedstock material and seeing that other companies are setting up shop and partnering with Novozymes, LEC which is also partnered with Novozymes may fit perfectly in the match to help reduce ethanol costs to next to nothing if LEC's business model is adapted in the mix.

Seems that most of the biomass ethanol producers have lignin as a bi-product but is only used as fuel to feed electic producing plants.

Whereas, LEC has developed a patented process to extract High Performance Lignin that can be used as a substitute to oil-based derivatives for the plastics industry. It's this HP-L production that as TheRock noted earlier, which will make ethanol a very cheap bi-product.

Don't know how any future JV deals will be structured, but it does seem that LEC has a very valuable product in their hands. Some good reads below from the Novozymes site. Lots happening in the cellulosic ethanol world.


https://www.bioenergy.novozymes.com/index.php?kid=39

Cellulosic ethanol - the renewable fuel for the future

Lignol is a Canadian company based in British Columbia which is undertaking to construct biorefineries for the production of fuel-grade ethanol and biochemicals primarily from hardwood and softwood forest residues.

Lignol has acquired and since modified, a solvent based pre-treatment technology that was originally developed by a subsidiary of General Electric. The pre-treatment technology was previously commercialized in a major pulp mill by Repap and represents an investment of over $C 100 million to date.

Lignol's process

Lignol’s frontend technology is based on a well-proven patented solvent-extraction process which separates the three main biomass components (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin). The solvent used during the extraction process is then recycled and utilized in subsequent pretreatment runs.


Lignol’s pretreatment yields relatively “clean” streams of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The high purity lignin stream (HP-L™Lignin) can be used for replacement of petrochemicals in a wide range of chemical applications as well as animal feed additives. The extracted biomass polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicellulose) are enzymatically depolymerized and fermented to produce an ethanol beer which is then distilled and dehydrated to yield fuel-grade ethanol. The hemicellulose carbohydrates can be also used for other applications such as animal and human health.

Novozymes' partner case studies

GreenField Ethanol

Inbicon

Lignol

POET

https://novozymes.com/en/news/news-archive/Pages/novozymes-partner-to-open-largest-cellulosic-ethanol-plant-in-2012.aspx

Novozymes partner to open world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant in 2012

Novozymes partner M&G begins construction of the world’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant. The plant will produce 13 million gallons of ethanol per year from biomass. The price of the ethanol will be competitive with gasoline.

April 12, 2011

Page Content

?Today, another significant step was taken towards the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol when Novozymes partner Mossi & Ghisolfi Group (M&G) conducted the groundbreaking ceremony for a 13 million gallons/year (50 million liters) production facility in Crescentino in northwestern Italy. The plant will be 10 times larger than the largest demonstration facilities in operation today and is designed to operate on a multitude of cellulosic feedstocks. It is scheduled to start production in 2012.

“Laying the foundation for the world’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant here in Crescentino is an important milestone for us and at the same time a new beginning,” says Vittorio Ghisolfi, President of the M&G Group. “This plant proves cellulosic bioethanol can be produced in a sustainable manner for the environment and for the industry. But research is not stopping here. We are assessing bio-based substitutes for a range of other petrochemical products and chemical intermediates."

Novozymes a key partner
Cellulosic ethanol is produced from biomass such as wheat straw, corn stover, municipal waste, or energy crops, which is first broken down into a pulp. Enzymes are then added, turning cellulose in the biomass into sugar which can be fermented into ethanol. Novozymes, the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes, has collaborated closely with M&G for the last couple of years and will supply the enzymes for the plant.

“Today’s groundbreaking is fantastic news and signals the dawn of a new green era,” says Poul Ruben Andersen, Marketing Director Bioenergy at Novozymes. “With this state-of-the-art facility, M&G proves there is a cure for the world’s addiction to fossil fuels. Biofuel made from lignocellulosic biomass is no longer a distant pipe-dream. The technology is ready and plants will be built and run on commercial scale, offering a compelling alternative to conventional gasoline.”

M&G’s plant in Crescentino will be self-sufficient in power. Lignin, a co-product extracted from biomass during the ethanol production process, is burned in an attached power plant that also feeds excess electricity back to the grid.

The plant will employ approximately 100 employees and generate many more ancillary jobs in the local community.