Good update on cellulosic ethanol

Within "Not one barrel of cellulosic ethanol produced? Think again," Ollie Ox at Bluestem Prairie includes a survey on the recent progress toward cellulosic ethanol. Go here and scroll down to:

Cellulosic ethanol doubters need only look west to Upton, Wyoming, to find a plant producing cellulosic ethanol. The Black Hills Pioneer reports in "What has happened to ethanol?":

. . . The bright spot in all of this has been cellulosic ethanol, fuel produced from wood or other biomass. KL Process Design Group of Rapid City operates the Western Biomass facility in Upton, Wyo., and has been successful since cellulosic ethanol is guarded from the problems corn-based ethanol are facing and prices for the fuel are keeping up with oil prices.

“Ethanol is trading up $1 higher than it was a year ago. I remember selling ethanol for $1.70, and now it's selling for $2.70, so we've seen great strides for the industry there, and all along keeping the price of gas down for the consumers,” said Slunecka. . . .

. . .Things are going well enough for KL Design Group that the company is looking for a second site to construct another cellulosic ethanol plant. “Our hope is to find a location in and around the Black Hills area,” he said.

The commercial-scale pilot plant, operating since August 2007, is expected to produce 1.5 millions of ethanol a year from wood waste. Not much, but a start, and one successful enough for the company to duplicate. The company uses enzymes to break down the waste wood.

There's more with numerous links to sources.