The cellulosic ethanol industry is poised for strong growth in the United States, built on a foundation of grain-based ethanol production that has shown consistent improvement for years.

POET Senior Director of Research Greg Hartgraves will outline the progress in both segments of the industry and show how they will work together in the future to make ethanol even more sustainable during his keynote address at the Wisconsin Bioenergy Summit on Thursday, Oct. 14. Hartgraves will speak at 3:45 p.m. at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisc.

POET has operated a pilot cellulosic ethanol plant since November 2008, producing cellulosic ethanol at a rate of 20,000 gallons per year from corn cobs and light stover. Project LIBERTY, a 25 million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant, is scheduled to begin operation in 2012 in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

To see a new video about POET’s Project LIBERTY visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OxwZ-6ID7M.


About POET
POET, the largest ethanol producer in the world, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 22-year-old company produces more than 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol and 9 billion pounds of high-protein animal feed annually from 26 production facilities nationwide. POET also operates a pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, which uses corn cobs as feedstock, and will commercialize the process in Emmetsburg, Iowa. For more information, visit http://www.poet.com.

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