Marubeni and Tsukishima Kikai Co., Ltd. have already incorporated Verenium’s technology into BioEthanol Japan’s 1.4 million-liter-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant in Osaka, which utilizes construction wood waste as a feedstock. (Earlier post.)

The cellulosic plant in Thailand is co-located with a facility that will produce ethanol from sugarcane-derived sucrose, which is widely abundant in the region. Sugar cane bagasse, the biomass residue from the sugar cane plant, will be the primary source of feedstock for the cellulosic facility.

We are very excited to see a second cellulosic ethanol facility move forward, as alternative, cost-competitive, and environmentally sound fuel sources are critically needed in Asia. We expect that our learnings from the Osaka facility, coupled with Verenium’s experience in the US, will help to make this plant a rapid commercial success as we look to broaden the footprint and opportunity for cellulosic ethanol in key markets across Asia.

—Toshiya Nagata, Ethanol Manager of Industrial Machinery Department

Verenium was formed in June 2007 through the merger of Diversa Corporation, a leader in enzyme technology, and Celunol Corporation, a developer of cellulosic ethanol process technologies and projects. This combination yielded an integrated, end-to-end cellulosic ethanol capability.

Verenium was recently selected by the Department of Energy to receive funding in support of its opening of a cellulosic plant in Jennings, Louisiana. (Earlier post.)