Three projects have won awards from the DOE, worth up to $86 million over four years (FY ’08 - ‘11), to support the development of small-scale cellulosic biorefineries. Announcing the awards last week, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said; "These projects will help pioneer the next generation of non-food based biofuels that will power our cars and trucks. Sustained investments in cellulosic fuels made from corn cobs, woodchips, switchgrass and other agricultural waste will strengthen our nation's energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil."

The three small-scale biorefinery projects will use a wide variety of feedstocks and test novel conversion technologies to provide data necessary to commercialize full-scale biorefinery technologies. On average, commercial-scale biorefineries input 700 tons of non-food based feedstock per day, with an output of approximately 20-30 million gallons a year. These small-scale facilities will input approximately 70 tons of feedstock per day, with an estimated 2.5 MMGY.

Expected to be operational within four years, the selected small-scale biorefineries projects will produce liquid transportation fuels such as cellulosic ethanol, as well as bio-based chemicals and bio-based products used in industrial applications. Combined with varying industry cost share among the three selected projects, more than $300 million will be invested in these three projects.