Under the Memorandum of Intent (MoI) with the Three Rivers Solid Waste Management Authority of Mississippi (TRSWMA), Enerkem will receive 189,000 tons of unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW) per year for use as feedstock at the Pontotoc biofuels facility.

The second-generation biofuels plant will be built, owned and operated by Enerkem Mississippi Biofuels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enerkem.

It is expected to produce 20 million gallons per year of next-generation ethanol using a mix of feedstock comprised of wood residues from regional forest and agricultural operations, as well as urban biomass such as municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, and treated wood.

In addition to the biofuels production facility, the investment includes an upstream municipal solid waste recycling and pre-treatment centre. The total project represents an investment of US$250 million.

Enerkem has designed a technology platform that is feedstock-flexible and can produce an array of valuable advanced transportation fuels, green chemicals and renewable electricity.