Mike:
I don't know if this article out of OXY-FUEL NEWS ever got posted, but here it is. There is no hedging on the building of a plant.
I will be at the Alterntive Fuels Conference on Wednesday. I will report my findings here ASAP.
OXY-FUEL NEWS, February 17, 1997
ARKENOL, PURE ENERGY TEAM UP TO DEVELOP NEW ALTERNATIVE FUEL
Arkenol, Inc. and Pure Energy Corp (PEC) entered into an agreement to research and develop cost-effective ways of making bio-based chemicals for a new fuel developed by PEC. The agreement entails laboratory development of the process and construction of a pilot facility.
Neither company is disclosing specifics of the fuel or its production, but it will operate in E-85 vehicles. The pilot facility will be built at the Arkenol Technology Center.
"We have developed the fuel in association with Princeton University, using feedstocks that come from bio-waste or agricultural waste," said Scott Dunlop, co-founder of PEC. "It is a liquid fuel that will be delivered through the current infrastructure." Pending patent approval, PEC will hold the exclusive worldwide license from Princeton to market the fuel, he added.
While the chemicals used in PEC's formulation can be derived from more traditional petrochemical processes, using Arkenol's acid hydrolysis technology will reduce the cost of production, said Mark Carver, vice president of business development for Arkenol.
"Using carbon from petrochemical processes is expensive," he said. "Since we start with a very inexpensive sugar, we are able to produce the chemicals more cost-effectively."
The process will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and therefore help meet new policies on global warming, said Carver. |
