Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Verenium powers up ethanol demo plant

Verenium Corp., a maker of specialty enzymes for the conversion of organic materials to ethanol and other compounds, has completed the development phase at its demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Jennings, La., and will transition to the "startup" phase, executives said.

The startup phase includes the turnover of the site's power systems and the commencement of the testing of functional capabilities. Over the next three months, startup teams will evaluate more than forty separate systems at the facility, according to company officials.

Verenium originally broke ground on the 1.4 million gallon per year demonstration facility in February 2007, located adjacent to its pilot facility in Jennings, which is about 20 miles west of Lafayette. The purpose of the facility is to reduce scale-up risk and provide validation of cost models for Verenium's first generation of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facilities, which are slated for completion by 2010.

Verenium was formed in June 2006 through the merger of Cambridge-based Celunol and California enzyme maker Diversa Corp., a publicly traded company. For 2007, the company reported a $108 million net loss on $46.2 million in revenue.

The biofuels company operates facilities in Florida, Louisiana and California, in addition to its local headquarters, and boasts another demonstration facility in Japan through its licensing partners in Asia, Marubeni Corp. and Tsukishima Kikai Corp. Ltd.