This is where POET hopes to begin production of their first full-scale cellulosic ethanol plant later this year.  (Please see www.projectliberty.com)

If successful, POET envisions this being a model to roll Project LIBERTY technologies into 180 biorefineries in America’s corn belt, which could produce 4.5 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually, over 7,000 biorefinery jobs, 11,700 biomass logistics jobs and more than 70,000 farmers harvesting biomass, according to POET.  They also note that ”a recent study found that 80 billion gallons of [corn]ethanol could be produced annually from existing feedstocks, which is close to the amoung of gasoline that America gets from imported oil.”

Tom with POET Project LIBERTY Crew in Emmetsburg, Iowa

This last statement is for corn or grain ethanol.  Cellulosic ethanol reaches beyond traditional “feedstocks” and could include stover (cobs, husks and other non-food parts of corn plants), woodchips, fallen trees, uban waste wood-products, paper and all other plant-based materials.  Meaning, the supply of materials that can be converted into cellulosic ethanol is limitless. 

If successful, POET’s Project LIBERTY Plant, located in a remote corner of Iowa, could usher in America’s independence from foreign oil, create hundreds of thousands of jobs,  bolster America’s economy, help increase national security and create a more eco-considerate fuel source. 

EcoTrek will be monitoring POET’s progress and reporting on the advancements of cellulosic ethanol with high-hopes and guarding optomism.