In the mid-2000s, POET began Project Liberty, a research effort to produce cellulosic bio-ethanol from corn residue, including stalks, husks, leaves and cob. Project Liberty research initiated at the POET headquarters in Sioux Falls SD at laboratory scale and progressed to pilot scale at the Broin Enterprises Liberty Laboratory pilot plant in Scotland SD. The pilot facility is equipped with a 1 ton per day digester and steam explosion device to pretreat biomass. Iterative experimentation between the laboratory and pilot plant research teams resulted in the Project Liberty pretreatment process as it exists today.
In 2012, POET and DSM entered into a joint-venture agreement to form POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels. The joint venture is currently constructing the Project LIBERTY biorefinery in Emmetsburg IA, adjoining a POET starch ethanol plant. The plant is scheduled to begin operations in late 2013 and is expected to produce 20 million gallons of ethanol growing to approximately 25 million gallons per year.
POET-DSM has contracted with ANDRITZ Inc. to supply a two-step biomass treatment process for the commercial-scale Project Liberty plant. The ANDRITZ technology is a two-stage process that includes a vertical reactor and a continuous steam explosion technology to pretreat over 285,000 bone-dry tons lignocellulosic material per year.
The path towards POET’s pretreatment capability and scale-up to commercial will be reviewed in this presentation.