U.K. marketPursuit Dynamics to install ethanol reactor tower in Oregon

Huntingdon-headquartered Pursuit Dynamics has signed an agreement with Sacramento, California-based Pacific Ethanol to install a full-scale production version of its PDX Ethanol Reactor Tower (ERT). Pacific Ethanol, a producer of low carbon ethanol, will install the ERT at its facility in Boardman, north east Oregon.

The PDX bioethanol system achieved a 14 percent increase in bioethanol yield when compared to existing methods of production at another U.S.-based pilot plant in December 2007, while reducing overall fermentation time by more than 20 percent. Pursuit Dynamics developed the system to be able to be retrofitted to existing bioethanol production facilities.

Under the agreement, both parties will work together during a 90 day trial period, followed by a 180 day optimization period, to confirm the results previously demonstrated by the PDX technology. Pursuit will receive a percentage of the money saved achieved during the trial. Based on results to date, the PDX ERT system has the potential to save several millions of dollars a year when installed in a plant of this size. Pursuit Dynamics expects to ship the PDX bioethanol system in March 2008 and fit it at Pacific Ethanol’s plant with the trial period commencing by June 2008.