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While we’ve been listening to people talking about when someone will build a commercially viable cellulosic ethanol production plant one company has actually gone ahead and done it. That’s what KL Process Design Group claims. I met with their leadership team at the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit. Pictured are (L-R) Dave Litzen, Tom Slunecka, Randy Kramer and Steve Healey.

I sat down with Dave and Randy for an interview to learn more about how they’ve been able to accomplish this. For one thing they’ve been working with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the Wyoming Business Council and the Wyoming Department of Forestry. Through experimentation and research they’ve been able to produce ethanol from their Western Biomass Energy plant in Upton, WY. They get their feedstock from ponderosa pine wood chips/waste in the foothills of the Black Hills of Eastern Wyoming. Basically, they’re not only making ethanol from the wood waste but they’re helping with the forest management which includes thinning to prevent forest fires. That sounds like a two-fer to me.

They’re going to be going at this cellulosic business in a kind of non-traditional way as you’ll hear in the interview. For example, they’re looking at smaller plants and customers who have a need to take care of waste products that pile up and become a problem like wood mills and anyone involved in silviculture. This means that the ethanol they produce will come from many sources. I think you’ll find the interview very interesting.

You can listen to my interview with Randy and Dave here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/ethanol/cellulosic-summit-07-kl-process.mp3]

There will soon be a number of ethanol plants in operation in Ohio. To help them and the biodiesel industry as well, a new group has been formed called Buckeye Renewable Fuels Association. BRFA is headed up by long time corn grower leader Mike Wagner. In fact, he says the Ohio Corn Growers are playing a key role in the development of this organization.

Mike is here at the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit and I spoke to him about BRFA. He says they’re just getting started and that there was a real need for an organization like this. BRFA will work on regulatory, legislative, promotional and educational issues of behalf of the industry. He says they’ve got 5 ethanol plants coming on line in the next 90 days with 2 or 3 more soon after that. Right now he encourages anyone wanting more information to contact the Ohio Corn Growers office. The new organization will hold it’s first board meeting later this year.

You can listen to my interview with Mike here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/ethanol/cellulosic-summit-07-wagner.mp3]

One of the people I met with here at the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit is Tim Lust, CEO of the National Sorghum Producers. Tim provided me with a historical perspective on how sorghum has been involved in ethanol production. For example, he says that the first ethanol plant to use sorghum in the production of ethanol was in New Mexico 20 years ago.

Tim says that about 60 percent of the crop grown next year will be within about 50 miles of an ethanol plant and they’re very excited about the future of ethanol production for the industry. He says they expect that 25 to 30 percent of next year’s crop will be used for ethanol production.

I asked him about the legislative work they’re doing here in DC and where things stand with an energy bill. He says that we’ve got a very non-traditional situation in terms of creating legislation but that’s it’s not necessarily a bad thing and that he’s optimistic there will be an energy bill. He also hopes that people attending the conference here will be excited about the opportunities being presented by cellulosic ethanol production but that they don’t forget who brought them to the dance. That would be grains.

You can listen to my interview with Tim here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/ethanol/cellulosic-summit-07-lust.mp3]