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Start-up underway for Lignol biorefinery in B.C.

Lignol Energy Corporation has completed construction of its fully integrated industrial-scale biorefinery pilot plant in Burnaby, B.C., and start-up is underway, the company reports.

Construction of the pilot plant commenced in June, 2008 and was largely complete by the end of October with extensive unit mechanical commissioning completed by mid January 2009. Start-up is now underway for each of the various unit operations and integrated production campaigns are scheduled to begin at the end of April 2009.

These production campaigns will provide important data to establish process conditions, product characteristics, and equipment configurations as a basis for optimizing the Lignol biorefinery process. Ultimately, the information generated will be utilized to complete the engineering design package for commercial scale plants. In addition, the production campaigns will also facilitate the evaluation of certain enzymes and novel organisms used in the biorefinery process, so as to optimize the yields of products, including fuel grade ethanol, from various non-food feedstocks such as hardwood, softwood, and agricultural residues.

“Our new facility is already generating significant interest from companies around the world and we look forward to showcasing our technology with new partners once it becomes fully operational in the coming months,”says Ross MacLachlan, president and CEO of Lignol.

The plant has a rated production capacity of 100,000 litres per year of cellulosic ethanol together with industrial testing quantities of High Purity Lignin (HP-L™ lignin) and other biochemical co-products.

Lignol’s facility also includes state-of-the-art bioconversion and lignin application and characterization laboratories, which will support the development of biochemical applications and markets.