Catchlight Energy recognizes that a forest has the potential to produce biomass while still maintaining supply for traditional forest products.
Biomass — perennials, short rotation trees, understory crops and residuals to supplement high-value timber — can be used for emerging biofuels markets. And by generating purpose-grown energy crops in conjunction with high-value timber Catchlight Energy can deliver a new and sustainable resource for biofuels.
Catchlight Energy can develop large-scale production of biofuels by leveraging Weyerhaeuser's strengths in managing large-scale ecosystems:
- Precision forestry and science-based sustainable forestry
- Extensive and efficient harvest, handling and transport infrastructure
- Expertise in genetic improvement to improve yield, product quality and throughput of conversion processes
Achieving scale production for energy — tens of millions of tons annually
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Scalable
Catchlight Energy aims to become a major integrated biofuels producer from non-food sources and deliver renewable transportation products from biomass in a manner that is scalable and sustainable — both environmentally and economically. In short, its goal is to go from “seed to sale.”
Cellulosic biofuel has not had a meaningful impact on the nation’s fuel supply because it can’t yet be produced commercially at large scale. But with Weyerhaeuser’s vast land holdings, Chevron’s large fuel infrastructure, and the development of a cost-effective end-to-end business model, Catchlight Energy has the potential to produce significant quantities of cellulosic biofuels and help the nation transition to more renewable fuels.
Catchlight Energy intends to use Weyerhaeuser’s land to grow renewable feedstock for biofuels to supply Chevron’s distribution and marketing system.
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Our Concept: Intercropping
Weyerhaeuser will grow alternating strips of trees and energy crops. The energy crops can be harvested annually while the trees are managed for wood products and fiber.
How Cellulosic Ethanol is Different
First-generation ethanol is produced only from starch-based plant matter such as corn kernels or sugar cane. With first-generation ethanol, the remainder of the plant — the stalk and the leaves — is wasted.
Cellulosic production is a second-generation biofuel. A wide variety of plant matter — such as corn stalks, switchgrass or wood fiber material — is converted into sugars or other intermediates, which are then converted into ethanol or hydrocarbon fuels.
The benefit of cellulosic ethanol is that it opens the field to a variety of feedstocks and can help avoid the food-versus-fuel debate. Catchlight Energy’s challenge will be to develop the technologies that produce cellulosic ethanol on a scale that’s commercially viable.