Boonton, New Jersey—The ChemPro Group, LLC of Boonton, New Jersey, and Mo-Fuel
(Rural Bio-waste) of Sikeston, Missouri, have formed an alliance to
commercialize a patented process that will economically and efficiently
produce ethanol from cellulose feedstocks. According to Steve Lavorerio,
President of ChemPro, the process can handle a full spectrum of cellulosic
feedstock, from wood chips and pulp-and-paper-plant byproducts to corn stover,
rice straw, grass, and even municipal waste.
“The process is unique,” said Dr. Ted Lewis, President and owner of Mo-Fuel
(Rural Bio-waste) and holder of the patent rights. “According to an
independent study done by the Department of Energy, the process has the
potential for considerable economic savings, as well as reducing the
U.S.’s dependence on foreign oil.”
“The process, which lends itself to modular construction, is also economical
as an add-on to existing corn ethanol plants,” said Lavorerio. “It can
process the low-value waste product with the potential to increase yields of
ethanol by 15% and improve the value of by-products by 50%.”
The technology, a continuous catalytic hydrolysis, produces a high conversion
of biomass feedstock into fuel-grade ethanol and has a low residence time
compared to other processes. The equipment required is compact, ideally
suited for modularization so that plants can be located right at the source
of feedstock. “ChemPro’s modular expertise makes the company an ideal partner
for designing and building the units,” said Dr. Lewis.
The first step being taken by the alliance is the construction of a mobile
feedstock testing unit that will be used to generate process data from various
types of cellulosic feedstock. The unit is expected to be operational in early
2010.
The ChemPro Group is experienced in designing and building modular ethanol
production plants. The company’s core business is modular process equipment and
systems, including skid-mounted equipment, stand-alone modular process units,
multi-unit complete modular process plants. ChemPro’s expertise integrates
pre-project planning, process conceptualization and design, equipment
engineering, detailed design, modular fabrication, and technical support.
The company’s specialty is state-of-the-art techniques and project controls
to design and deliver complete modular process packages quickly and
cost-effectively, with minimal effect on existing plant operations.
Mo-Fuel is the Energy Division of Menaje Negocios Corporation, a company
specializing in innovations developed from cutting-edge technology in the
sciences of quantum energy processes, medicine, dental materials, radiology,
aviation, maritime sciences, SCUBA technology, and diagnostics. It has been
involved in the design and operation of alcohol fuel systems since 1973.
