UT and Mascoma partner for biofuels plant

The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees and the Mascoma Corporation have partnered to build a 5 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol biorefinery. The September 2007 press release highlights the role the plant will play in the UT Biofuels Initiative and the Bioenergy Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

UT Executive Vice President David Millhorn said:

The partnership is a critical element in the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative, which has the potential to establish Tennessee as a national leader in ethanol production from cellulosic biomass. This, in turn, should lead to new business and economic development opportunities for our farmers throughout the state.

The plans is expected to be operational in 2009.