ZeaChem Inc. (Lakewood, Colo.; www.zeachem.com), today announced it has completed construction of the core facility for its new integrated demonstration biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The company has developed a cellulose-based biorefinery platform capable of producing advanced fuels and intermediate chemicals.
The core facility will produce the intermediate chemicals acetic acid and ethyl acetate for applications including paints, lacquers and solvents, ZeaChem says. ZeaChem. The company says it will sell bio-based chemicals to commercial and industrial customers seeking renewable and cost-competitive alternatives to petroleum-sourced chemicals.
Construction of this core project was completed on schedule, with no lost time or reportable accidents, and significantly under budget. The core facility will employ 25 full-time operations staff in the region.
ZeaChem is further developing its integrated biorefinery through implementation of a second project to add the capability of using cellulosic biomass on the front end and converting ethyl acetate into ethanol on the back end. This separate “bookends” project is currently underway and supported by a $25 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov). Once operational in 2012, it will result in the production of up to 250,000 gallons per year (GPY) of cellulosic ethanol.