DECATUR, IL – The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) a $24.8 million grant to develop and construct a facility that will convert biomass into renewable fuel. The ADM Advanced Biorefinery project will produce fuel ethanol and ethyl acrylate, a compound used to make plastics, adhesives, coatings and a range of other materials.

The technology used to begin breaking down the biomass, a step called pretreatment, will also be applicable in ADM’s ongoing efforts to commercialize biocrude, a renewable product that can be refined into drop-in transportation fuels at existing petroleum refineries.

Sustainable collection and transportation of biomass is an essential step on the path to large-scale commercialization of advanced biofuels. Toward that end, ADM is collaborating with Deere & Co. and Monsanto Co. to develop a sustainable supply of corn stover, the stalks, leaves and cobs of corn plants that are usually left on the field. The companies are working together to identify environmentally, agronomically and economically sustainable methods for the harvest, storage and transport of corn stover.