From biomass harvest to the final product, sustainability has to be top of mind when designing a commercial cellulosic ethanol plant. Project LIBERTY Director Jim Sturdevant will outline POET's efforts in sustainability including consideration of greenhouse gas emissions, soil health and farmer conservation plans through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program in a presentation and panel discussion next week at the Soil and Water Conservation Society's 2011 Annual Conference.On Tuesday, July 19 Sturdevant will give a presentation titled "How POET is Making Sustainable Cellulosic Ethanol" at 1:30 p.m. He will then be a panelist on a discussion titled "Bioenergy Sustainability; Where Are We, and Where We Are Headed?" at 4:50 p.m. Both sessions take place at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C.Project LIBERTY is a planned cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa that will produce 25 million-gallon-per-year from corn cobs, leaves, husks and some stalks. Last week, POET received an offer for a conditional commitment for a $105 million U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee to construct the plant. It is scheduled to open in 2013.
