CE+P to Partner with the U.S. Joint BioEnergy Institute on Advanced Biofuels Research

California Ethanol + Power (CE+P) announced today that it is partnering with the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a Bioenergy Research Center of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop scalable next-generation renewable energy products using biomass from CE+P’s planned sugarcane ethanol facility in Imperial County, Calif.

In addition, CE+P Permitting Manager Nathan M. deBoom has been named a member of JBEI’s Advisory Committee, which is comprised of strategic advisors from across the research spectrum including representatives from national labs, academia, and industry.

The new partnership will jointly pursue research and grants to support new technologies and processes for breaking down byproducts of the planned sugarcane crop as a source for even lower-carbon energy products, including advanced cellulosic ethanol. In addition to JBEI, research will also be implemented by the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab).

“We are excited and honored to partner with JBEI and ABPDU and look forward to working together to revolutionize the science of producing even lower carbon fuels,” said Ronald G. Blake Jr., Chief Financial Officer for CE+P. “We envision this work could create new opportunities for the entire Biofuel industry, and ultimately our operation as well by enhancing the output of our Sugar Valley Energy campus.”

"The world has not yet cracked the problem of cost-effective conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into higher value products, and we intend to do just that with CE+P as applied to sugarcane non-food waste streams,” said Blake Simmons, JBEI Chief Science & Technology Officer. “This is a great opportunity for JBEI and CE+P to demonstrate an affordable and scalable technology that could benefit the local community but also be applied more broadly to help meet the challenges of climate change."

Simmons added JBEI has developed a patent-pending approach that begins by treating biomass with a class of inexpensive solvents called alkanolamines. Alkanolamines are distillable, meaning that they can be efficiently recovered and reused in the same process. Initial lab tests have demonstrated that the alkanolamines release very high levels of sugars, as well as a separate stream of lignin. The system is run at low temperature and requires minimal energy input.

About California Ethanol + Power (CE+P)
CE+P is a development company that intends to develop, construct, operate and own numerous facilities that will convert locally grown sugarcane into Essential EthanolTM, a sustainable, renewable and extremely low carbon transportation fuel that will assist California in meeting its groundbreaking AB32 requirements. CE+P is committed to employing processes and equipment that are both commercially proven and financeable, while also meeting California’s stringent environmental regulations.

About JBEI
The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Research Center program combining the scientific talent, expertise, resources, and support of six national laboratories and six academic institutions. Inside JBEI’s Emeryville, CA laboratories, researchers are using the latest tools in molecular biology, chemical engineering, computational and robotic technologies to transform biomass into biofuels and bioproducts.

About ABPDU
The Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit’s (ABPDU) mission is to expedite the commercialization of advanced, next-generation biofuels and bioproducts by providing industry-scale test beds. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office established ABPDU as part of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) in 2011. Strategically located in the San Francisco Bay Area’s bio-innovation hub, and part of Berkeley Lab, ABPDU is uniquely situated to enable the local and national bioeconomy. ABPDU has access to cutting-edge national research organizations, academic centers of excellence, and major industries.