When we think of the past 12 months and the remainder of 2014, we’re going to look back on it as the Year of Steel for the advanced bioeconomy.

October 9, 2013: Beta Renewables’ 20 million gallon cellulosic ethanol plant opens in Crescentino, Italy. At the time, the world’s largest.

May 29, 2014: Solazyme’s 100,000 metric ton tailored renewable oils plant opens in Moema, Brazil.

June 4, 2014: Enerkem’s 10 million gallon waste-to-methanol/ethanol biorefinery opens in Edmonton, Alberta— the world’s largest biorefinery converting municipal solid waste into liquid fuels and chemicals.

September 3, 2014: POET-DSM’s 20 million gallon cellulosic ethanol biorefinery opens in Emmetsburg, Iowa — at the time, tied for world’s largest.

September 24, 2014: GranBio’s 21 million gallon cellulosic ethanol biorefinery opens in Alagoas state, Brazil — at the time, the world’s largest.

October 17, 2014: Abengoa Bioenergy’s 25 million gallon cellulosic ethanol biorefinery opens in Hugoton, Kansas — currently the world’s largest.

Later this year and early next

Q4 2014: Raizen’s 22 million gallon cellulosic ethanol biorefinery opens in Piricicaba, Brazil.

Q4 2014 or Q1 2015: DuPont’s 30 million gallon cellulosic ethanol biorefinery opens in Nevada, IOwa — which will become the world’s largest.

Tags: Abengoa, Beta Renewables, Dupont, Enerkem, granbio, POET-DSM, Raizen, Solazyme

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