Cellulosic Ethanol a First for Racing Fuel

The American Le Mans Series will become the first racing outfit to use cellulosic E85 in its cars. The KL Process Design Group of Rapid City, S.D., will supply the fuel, which it manufactures from waste wood.

Although other racing series have used ethanol before, this development represents a departure because rather than using corn, cellulosic ethanol is produced from biomass like waste wood or switchgrass. The idea is to literally use garbage plant byproducts to make fuel that produces far more energy than it takes to make it.

Tom Martin, the public relations advisor for KL, told KickingTires that the partnership with Le Mans will go a long way toward proving that cellulosic ethanol is a realistic alternative to corn-derived E85 or even standard gasoline. “It’s a way to show that we can do what we say we can do,” Martin said. “Cellulosic ethanol is harder to derive because things like wood don’t break down as easily as, say, corn. On the other hand, the [energy] yield is bigger.”

The fuel is produced at a plant in Upton, Wyo., that is the first commercial facility in the United States to produce cellulosic ethanol. It took KL six years in partnership with local universities to get the plant up and running.

“The plant will produce about 1.5 million gallons per year, but that’s because we’re just coming online with this,” Martin said. “For this racing season, KL only expects to fuel some of their cars. We’re planning to fuel the entire circuit, just not immediately. Part of the goal of the Upton plant is also to act as a proving grounds for other plant stocks, like switchgrass.” To put 1.5 million gallons a year in perspective, Wyoming — the least populated state in the Union — consumes somewhere in the ballpark of 700,000 gallons of fuel each month.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency recognized the American Le Mans Series for its continuing dedication to so-called “green racing.” Corvette Racing will be the first team to race using cellulosic ethanol.