MONTREAL,
June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Enerkem
Inc. (www.enerkem.com), a waste-to-biofuels and chemicals company,
announced today the initial production of cellulosic ethanol from
waste materials at its demonstration facility in Westbury, Québec.
"The start of ethanol production at our
Westbury facility is a significant
milestone", said Vincent Chornet, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Enerkem. "Enerkem has already produced cellulosic
ethanol at its smaller scale pilot laboratory facility in
Sherbrooke. This new achievement
in Westbury allows us to confirm
the process design of our proprietary methanol-to-ethanol
technology for its deployment at Enerkem's full-scale commercial
plants in Edmonton and other
locations. "
The newly installed equipment for the conversion of
Enerkem's methanol into cellulosic ethanol is now used in
combination with the larger methanol equipment already in operation
at Westbury.
This pioneering facility was built in phases, in
line with the three main steps of Enerkem's process, and was part
of a comprehensive program to scale-up the company's proprietary
technology. This technology has been developed and tested during
the past 11 years, at both the pilot laboratory facility in
Sherbrooke, Québec, and the
Westbury demonstration plant.
The primary purpose of the Westbury facility is to validate the
technology process design before full-scale commercial production,
to test various waste feedstocks coming from customers and
partners, as well as to continuously improve the technology.
The construction of the Westbury
facility was supported by the Québec Ministry of Natural Resources
and Wildlife as well as by Sustainable Development Technology
Canada.
About Enerkem
Enerkem develops biofuels and chemicals from waste. With its
proprietary thermochemical technology, Enerkem converts abundantly
available municipal solid waste (mixed textiles, plastics, fibers,
wood and other non-recyclable waste materials) into chemical-grade
syngas, and then methanol, ethanol and other chemical intermediates
that form everyday products. By using waste instead of fossil
fuels, Enerkem addresses the growing demand for renewable energy
sources and chemicals, while reducing landfill volumes and
greenhouse gas emissions. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, the company currently
operates both a pilot and a commercial demonstration facility in
Québec, has its first waste-to-biofuels full-scale commercial plant
under construction in Edmonton,
Alberta, and is developing several similar facilities in the
U.S. and Canada that will convert
municipal solid waste into biofuels and chemicals.
www.enerkem.com
SOURCE ENERKEM INC.
