Netherlands king attends Iowa ethanol plant opening
Source: Associated Press • Posted: Thursday, September 4, 2014
DES MOINES (AP) — Officials at the opening of one of the world’s first commercial size cellulosic ethanol plants say it signifies a shift from the fossil fuel age to a biofuels revolution.
The opening of Project Liberty on Wednesday was marked with cutting ribbons stretched over baled corn cobs, stalks and leaves that will be used to make ethanol.
The project, a joint venture of Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based ethanol-maker POET and Netherlands biotechnology company Royal DSM, is one of the first capable of making 25 million gallons of ethanol a year from plant residue.
POET founder Jeff Broin says he hopes people a hundred years from now will remember how a small Iowa town changed the world.
The ceremony in Emmetsburg attracted King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands among other dignitaries.