FAQs

Why did DuPont and Danisco create DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE)?

DuPont and Danisco created a 50/50 joint venture to combine their technology expertise in order to commercialize integrated cellulosic ethanol biorefinery systems for a variety of biomass feedstocks around the world.

What is an “integrated cellulosic ethanol biorefinery system”?

The greatest challenge to the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol is the integration of three distinct processes: pretreatment, enzyme hydrolysis, and fermentation to ethanol. Each has its own distinct challenges. Many companies focus on one or more of the processes, but very few bring a “system” approach to integrating the three processes. The performance of each process is dependent on the others, so optimizing each one for system-wide efficient ethanol production requires trade-offs between and co-evolution of each process.

What is each parent company providing to the joint venture?

DuPont is bringing its integrated biorefinery design and its expertise in engineering, pretreatment, and dual-sugar fermentation. Genencor, a division of Danisco, is bringing its expertise in biomass enzymes and low-cost enzyme production.

How much are they investing?

The parent companies have agreed to an initial three-year funding of US$140 million. This is paying for ongoing development of the technology and the construction of demonstration plants.

What biomass feedstock will DDCE’s biorefinery use?

DDCE will work on all of the major biomass sources beginning with corncob and switchgrass.

What is DDCE’s long-term vision?

DDCE is a powerhouse of discovery, development, and engineering. We will continue to develop and improve our integrated solutions and support our licensees around the world by sharing new technology and best practices, and providing ongoing support.

When will the first demonstration plant be built? And where?

We expect the U.S. demonstration plant in Vonore, Tenn., to go into operation in December, 2009. Additional demonstration plants will be determined in the future.

What is the rationale for choosing a demonstration plant in the United States?

We are in all feedstocks, everywhere. DDCE chose North America for the demonstration plant because it has the most developed feedstock market — corn fractions (cob, fiber, and stover) — and the United States has a level of government support that we expect to encourage quick commercialization of the technology.

When will you build other demonstration plants?

Other plants will be scaled and sited in such a way as to be used for marketing and sales support as well as for ongoing development in their regions.

What is the purpose of building the demonstration plants?

The plants will allow us to test the production processes of cellulosic ethanol and resolve technical challenges as we scale-up the process from bench scale to commercial scale.

What makes DuPont and Danisco good collaborators?

Each company has devoted considerable effort to the commercialization of this technology, and together will be able to tackle the challenge of integrating multiple, inter-related, single unit operations into a robust solution required by a system-level approach. The innovation expertise of the two companies in this area is very complementary. And, most importantly, the companies have a long and successful history of joint development in industrial biotechnology. They shared the U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2003 for their joint development effort of the fermentation biocatalyst that produces Bio-PDO™ (propanediol), which has since been commercialized.

Will DDCE actually be building and even operating cellulosic ethanol plants in the future?

The joint venture’s primary business will be to license its technology package directly to ethanol producers for deployment in the United States and around the world. In addition, DDCE may own and operate its own biorefineries. The same is true of the parent companies who have a structure in place for possible future deployment. We remain flexible toward our deployment model in order to be in a position to rapidly deploy our integrated solution as conditions permit.