Companies Take Step Towards Commercialization of Low-Carbon Biofuels from Switchgrass and Other Energy Crops
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. & FRANKLINTON, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. and Novozymes, the world’s largest enzyme provider, have entered a research collaboration to co-develop customized plant varieties and enzyme cocktails for the production of cellulosic biofuel. The companies expect to improve the process of converting biomass to fuel through more effective enzymes and higher quality energy crops in a joint optimization project that will lead to greater fuel yields, as well as lower capital and operating costs.
“This is an example of how technology providers from different parts of the value chain are coming together to make cellulosic biofuel a commercial reality. Energy crops have an important role to play in the world’s future, sustainable energy mix. According to the Billion Ton Study by the US Department of Energy, one third of the total sustainably collected biomass potential from agricultural resources can come from perennial crops”, said Cynthia Bryant, Global Biomass Business Development Manager of Novozymes.
Energy crops such as switchgrass, miscanthus and sorghum are high-yielding crops planted specifically for their energy content. They thrive with less water and fertilizer than other crops, and will often also grow on marginal lands where other crops cannot. They therefore represent a very promising addition to traditional biofuel crops. Energy crops also have huge environmental benefits. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that biofuel from switchgrass reduces CO2 emissions by 110 percent compared to gasoline1.
Ceres and Novozymes will initially work to determine the best enzyme cocktails for the biorefining of Ceres’ commercial switchgrass seed products. The partners will also begin similar evaluations of sweet sorghum, and Ceres’ researchers plan to develop customized plant varieties that can be degraded more easily by Novozymes’ enzymes. Enzymes can convert the biomass from energy crops into sugar which can then be used to produce biofuel and other bio-products.
Spencer Swayze, senior manager of business development at Ceres, says that through advanced plant breeding and other genomics-based tools, Ceres scientists are developing energy crops that minimize the components in biomass shown to decrease conversion rates and yields. In fact, one of the advantages of dedicated energy crops is the ability to better control composition.
“I envision a day when we can approach conversion facilities and their feedstock suppliers with a complete package of tailored seed varieties and enzymes as well as crop management and processing recommendations,” said Swayze. “Relatively small percentage changes in efficiency can result in substantial process savings and lower capital and operating costs.”
A 2009 Sandia National Labs study, using conservative yield and conversion assumptions, concluded that 75 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol could be produced per year in the U.S.2
ABOUT CERES
Ceres, Inc. (www.ceres.net) is a leading developer of high-yielding energy crops that can be planted as raw materials for advanced biofuels, biopower and other bio-based products. Its development efforts include switchgrass, high-biomass sorghum, sweet sorghum, miscanthus and energycane. The plant breeding and biotechnology company markets its switchgrass seed and sorghum seeds under its Blade Energy Crops brand. Ceres holds one of the world’s largest proprietary collections of fully sequenced plant genes.
ABOUT NOVOZYMES
Novozymes is the world leader in bioinnovation. Together with customers across a broad array of industries Novozymes creates tomorrow’s industrial biosolutions, improving its customers' business, and the use of the planet's resources.
With over 700 products used in 130 countries, Novozymes’ bioinnovations increase industrial performance and safeguard the world’s resources by offering superior and sustainable solutions for tomorrow’s ever-changing marketplace. Read more at www.novozymes.com
1 Environmental Protection Agency: “Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Changes to Renewable Fuel Standard Program; Final Rule”, p. 124, March 26, 2010. http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480ac93f2
2 Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors’ R&D Center: “90-Billion Gallon Biofuel Deployment Study”, http://hitectransportation.org/news/2009/Exec_Summary02-2009.pdf
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Contacts
Novozymes
Paige Donnelly, 919-218-4501, pagd@novozymes.com
or
Ceres
Gary Koppenjan, Corporate Communications Manager, Office: 805-376-6546, Mobile: 805-341-2442
gkoppenjan@ceres.net
Ceres staff walk among sweet sorghum research plots in Texas. Sorghum is a highly efficient crop that produces large amounts of biomass. Sweet varieties can also be crushed and juiced for ethanol like sugarcane. Source: Ceres, Inc.