Biomass production plant approved
renewaFUEL to operate in Marquette, Mich.
Tom Stundza -- Purchasing, 11/13/2009 1:11:43 PM
Directors of Cliffs Natural Resources have approved a $19 million capital project to build a next-generation biomass fuel production facility near Marquette, Mich. The company's renewaFUEL subsidiary will use two large aircraft hangars, which formerly housed B-52 aircraft when the facility was part of the Sawyer Air Force Base.
William A. Brake, a Cliffs executive vice president and CEO of renewaFUEL, says in a statement that they will produce 150,000 tons/year of high-energy, low-emission biofuel cubes. The cubes are a composite of wood and agricultural feedstocks, which will be supplied from local farmers and loggers for the facility.
"Our objective...is to...demonstrate to utilities and other industries currently using non-renewable energy sources that renewaFUEL energy cubes are a cost-effective way to supplement or replace fossil fuels in their operations," Brake says. He anticipates being in production at the Sawyer facility by the middle of 2010.
The biofuel cubes-about the size of a coal briquette-generate about the same amount of energy as coal from the Western U.S., the company says However, they emit 90% less sulfur dioxide, 35% less particulate matter and 30% less acid gases than coal. In addition, say company spokespeople, the feedstocks used to create them are considered biogenic carbon-meaning they are already part of the natural carbon balance and will not add to atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide.
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