DONG Energy Pre-qualifies Novozymes as Enzyme Supplier for New Second-generation Bioethanol Plant

DONG Energy has pre-qualified Novozymes as supplier of enzymes for the factory, which will produce environment-friendly bioethanol from straw.

05/09/08 The foundation stone of Denmark’s first factory for the production of second-generation bioethanol is being laid in Kalundborg. DONG Energy has pre-qualified Novozymes as supplier of enzymes for the factory, which will produce environment-friendly bioethanol from straw.

The factory in Kalundborg is a demonstration factory, and the aim is to develop sustainable and profitable processes for the production of bioethanol. The Danish energy company DONG Energy is responsible for setting up the factory, which will be ready for production by the time of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in November 2009.

”The demonstration factory in Kalundborg is a good initiative that we as a Danish company and the world’s leading enzyme producer are delighted to support. We expect the partnership to provide us with valuable new understanding of the processes that are necessary to convert cellulose-containing agricultural material such as straw into ethanol. Furthermore, the Kalundborg factory will help to position Denmark as the leader in the development of sustainable energy,” says Poul Ruben Andersen, Novozymes’ marketing director for fuel ethanol.

The foundation stone of the new demonstration factory is being laid at a ceremony in Kalundborg attended by, among others, Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard.

Novozymes expects to have the enzyme technology necessary for large-scale production of second-generation bioethanol ready in 2010.