Biotechnology startup, White Dog Labs, New Castle, confirmed it has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for development of biofuels and alcohol products made from plant materials.
The grant, announced last month, was one of some awards that combined could total $10 million.
The company’s fermentation technology platform shows promise in increasing output of practically any biochemical by 50 to 100 percent when compared to conventional fermentation, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions, a release stated.
WDL’s CEO will unveil the technology, known as MixoFerm, at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop to be held in Milwaukee, June 21-22.
WDL CEO Bryan Tracy called the DOE grant an important validation of the innovation behind WDL’s technology. “Our approach increases ethanol plant output by 50 percent for a given carbohydrate feedstock (corn or cellulosic) – a potential game-changer for the global bioenergy industry,” he said. “It is accomplished by synergizing carbohydrate with gaseous feedstock (bio or fossil) to improve output, reduce CO2 emissions, and improve carbon foot print. Furthermore, the technology allows a degree of hedging against volatility in one type of feedstock or the other.”
Tracy added, “While we are seeking a partner to apply the technology to ethanol production, the initial implementation of the technology will be for the production of bio acetone and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). We have already designed a state-of-the-art $150 million plant to support our production plans, and applied for a DOE loan to help fund the project.
The company first pursued Acetone Butanol Ethanol (ABE) technology when it was founded in 2012. ABE was invented in the United Kingdom during WWI to provide acetone for gunpowder manufacturing.
According to WDL Chairman, Dr. Sass Somekh, “The plummeting oil prices forced us back to the lab to invent a new technology. MixoFerm technology is so efficient that it can withstand economic scenarios such as the 2009 global recession, the 2012 drought and 2015 oil price crash.”
DuPont Co. researched the use of cellulosic biofuels in Delaware and now operates an Iowa plant that converts corn stover ( plant waste that remains after ears are harvested) to fuel.
A controversial program that requires a percentage of motor fuel to use ethanol remains in place. Most of that fuel is derived from corn kernels.
