Said to be the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant, the Nevada biorefinery is capable of producing 30 million gallons of clean fuel annually, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90%.
The plant uses corn stover such as stalks, leaves and cobs left in a field after harvest to make ethanol at commercial scale.
Nearly 500 local farmers will supply 375,000 dry tons of stover to the clean fuel plant every year.
Majority of the fuel produced at the plant will be supplied to California to help the state to fulfill its Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which calls for a reduction of at least 10% in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by 2020.
The plant will also will serve as a commercial-scale demonstration of the cellulosic technology where investors from across the globe can see firsthand how to replicate this model in their home regions, DuPont said.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said: "Today we celebrate the next chapter in that story, using agricultural residue as a feedstock for fuel, which brings both tremendous environmental benefits to society and economic benefits to the state.
"The opening of DuPont’s biorefinery represents a great example of the innovation that is possible when rural communities, their government and private industry work together toward a common goal."
Around 85 full-time jobs will be created at the plant, in addition to over 150 seasonal local jobs in Iowa.
DuPont recently inked a licensing agreement with New Tianlong Industry to build cellulosic ethanol plant in China.
The company will also develop a biorefinery project, under a partnership with Ethanol Europe and the government of Macedonia.
Image: The DuPont biorefinery will produce biofuel from corn stover harvested within 30 miles of the plant. Photo: courtesy of DuPont.
