UF ethanol plant unaffected by U.S. Sugar deal

A University of Florida plant that would convert sugar cane into ethanol will be unaffected by state negotiations to buy U.S. Sugar for Everglades restoration, according to those involved in the project.

But some environmental advocates question whether building the plant is a good idea in the midst of a push to return the area to natural conditions.

Last month, Gov. Charlie Crist announced an agreement to pay an expected $1.75 billion for the operations of the nation's largest sugar producer and about 300 square miles of its farm land.

The land would be used to restore the flow of water between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.

As part of the deal, U.S. Sugar would need to swap some property with fellow sugar producer Florida Crystals.

But that company's land includes a western Palm Beach County mill, power plant and sugar refinery site where UF plans to build an ethanol plant.

Florida Crystals spokesman Gaston Cantens said the company facilities and plant site should be unaffected by the deal.

"That's our understanding - but you never know with the government," he said.

Construction on the ethanol plant is expected to begin by the end of this year and be completed in 2009.

The project is being funded by $20 million in state money.

UF microbiology professor Lonnie Ingram developed the technology, which uses genetically engineered E. coli bacteria to convert plant material into ethanol.

The plant is intended to show the viability of the technique, which UF could then charge other companies to use.

Ingram, director of the Florida Center for Renewable Chemicals and Fuels, said ethanol will initially be produced from the crushed sugar cane stalks left over after juice is extracted.

The process could eventually use municipal plant waste, forest residues and other plants, he said. "I don't think I'm going to run out of material for my work," he said.

But Archer farmer December McSherry said soil issues in the area will make it unsuitable for farming in the next five years or so.

McSherry, a member of the national Sierra Club's agriculture committee, said the use of water and fertilizer for crops used in the process conflict with Everglades restoration.

"It's the last place to put it," she said.

Ingram said the plant is a small demonstration project - producing 1 million gallons per year, as compared to corn ethanol plants typically producing 100 million gallons.

Much of the broth left after the distillation of ethanol will be treated and reused within the process, he said.

Any excess water will be disposed of using the treatment facilities at the power plant and could be used on crops.

The technology poses advantages from corn ethanol, he said, which has been blamed for rising food prices.

"We don't want to compete with food," he said.

Taylor County resident Joy Towles Ezell said cellulosic ethanol is an improvement over corn ethanol but poses other environmental problems.

Ezell, president of the Florida League of Conservation Voters, said she's especially concerned about the release of genetically modified E. coli into the environment.

Ingram said E. coli is already used to produce products such as health food supplements, medicine and Nutrasweet.

The ethanol plant would kill the bacterium during the distillation process and include an extra step at a high temperature to ensure complete destruction, he said.

But Ezell said she believes any type of ethanol presents a diversion from other renewable energy. She supports the installation of solar panels on homes for use in powering plug-in cars.

"I think solar is the answer in Florida," she said.

Nathan Crabbe can be reached 338-3176 or nathan.crabbe@gvillesun.com.