New Ethanol Plant Expected to Be Third Largest in U.S.

[Bdog]

http://www.oswegocountybusiness.com/issue72/72Ethanol.html
With gasoline prices averaging over $2 per gallon, talk of alternative fuels may fall upon particularly receptive ears these days. One such fuel will be produced just outside of the City of Fulton in the Town of Volney's Riverview Business Park as early as fourth quarter 2005.

Ethanol, an organic fuel that can be created by fermenting any number of materials, will be produced in the retrofitted 420-acre former Miller Brewery site under the banner of a new company, Northeast Biofuels, LLC (NEB). The $140 million conversion of the plant is expected to begin in early July. More than 200 construction workers will be employed during the conversion process. The ethanol plant would be the first for both New York and the Northeast region of the country.

"There's a 500 million gallon a year demand for the product and nearest plant is out in the Mid-West," says NEB president Eric Will. He says that while the majority of ethanol produced in the United States is consumed by the more densely populated Northeast and Pacific Coast regions of the country, it is produced in an area rich in corn ­ a popular base for ethanol.

"This particular plant will have several advantages ­ it's a huge market not being well served, it's a large plant ­ I believe it would be the third largest individual plant in the country," says Will. "New York is very able to grow corn and it's a dairy community that would be a great outlet for the distiller's grains. We feel all the components are here."

When the plant begins producing ethanol in 2005, it is expected to do so with 100 full-time employees. The plant's initial capacity will be 100 million gallons per year.

Ethanol, the type of alcohol used in beverages, is commonly mixed with gasoline to create a more cleanly burning fuel. Hardly a new fuel by any means ­ Henry Ford created a vehicle that ran on it in the late 19th century ­ ethanol can be fermented from any substance containing sugars including corn, potatoes, wood, paper, and most organic waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, ethanol emissions from a completely ethanol engine contain 40 percent less carbon monoxide and 20 percent fewer particulate emissions than gasoline. The environmental implications of ethanol tanker spills are significantly less severe than their petroleum counterparts. The one significant drawback the EPA lists to ethanol is a reduction in efficiency in terms of miles per gallon when compared to gasoline, although the loss does not cancel out the benefit from reduced emissions. In January 2000, the U.S. Postal service purchased 23,750 "flexible fuel vehicles" that can run on a fuel blend that is 85 percent ethanol

[PragMantisT]

1. Hooray!!!!!!!!!!

It's about time.

[Parche]

2. fuel

They should use ethanol for electricity plants
and heating