Study Estimates Biorefinery’s Economic Impact
by Larisa Brass (KnoxvilleBiz.com) Dupont Danisco Cellulosic Energy may not have announced definitive plans for siting a commercial biofuels plant in the state, but University of Tennessee researcher Edward Yu has some suggestions.
As part of a study on the local economics of building a switchgrass-fed ethanol plant, Yu found a location in Monroe County near Sweetwater and 20 miles west of the current pilot plant, to be among a handful of sites across the state that could be ideal for such a facility — and the feedstock to support it.
The assessment, which covered the entire state, broke Tennessee into regions — East, Middle and West — and identified the best spots within each for locating such a facility, Yu said. Other prime spots in East Tennessee are in Greene and McMinn counties. Middle Tennessee actually ranked highest among the regions in terms of optimal cost for locating a biorefinery, Yu said. READ MORE
