Together the three partners cover the entire value chain of bioethanol production and distribution and they aim to develop a commercial-scale process for producing second-generation bioethanol from corn stover.

Steen Riisgaard, CEO at Novozymes, says: “Second-generation bioethanol production in China holds vast potential for Novozymes…, and we expect to be the first company with enzymes ready for large-scale production by 2010."

Novozymes, which produces industrial enzymes, has developed conversion processes and the enzymes necessary for turning agricultural waste into second-generation bioethanol.