Sustainability is the key to a vibrant cellulosic ethanol industry and an issue POET will address next week during the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing in Washington, D.C.

POET Senior Vice President of Science and Technology Mark Stowers will take part in two breakout sessions at the conference, which will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center June 28-30.

Stowers will give an update on the status of Project LIBERTY during a session titled “Progress in Commercialization of Cellulosic Ethanol” on Monday at 2:30 p.m. EST. Project LIBERTY is POET’s planned 25 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant that will turn corn cobs and other agriculture residue into ethanol in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

Stowers will discuss POET’s plans for meeting and surpassing sustainability requirements for cellulosic ethanol during a session titled “Challenges, Innovations and Best Practices in Environmental Sustainability of Cellulosic Ethanol” on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

POET has operated a pilot cellulosic ethanol plant since November 2008, producing cellulosic ethanol at a rate of 20,000 gallons per year. Construction on Project LIBERTY will begin this year.

To see a documentary about POET’s pilot cellulosic ethanol plant visit www.poet.com/cellulosedocumentary.htm.

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.

# # #