UF/IFAS announces groundbreaking for biorefinery pilot plant in Perry, Fla.

February 24, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, along with Buckeye Technologies Inc., has announced a March 1 groundbreaking for the Stan Mayfield Biorefinery Pilot Plant in Taylor County.

This research and development plant will be operated as a UF/IFAS satellite laboratory facility concentrated on the use of cellulosic biomass to produce ethanol.

Funded by a $20 million appropriation from the Florida Legislature, the plant will be built at the Perry, Fla. facility of Buckeye Technologies Inc., a manufacturer and worldwide distributor of cellulose-based specialty products made from wood and cotton.

The University of Florida Board of Trustees has named the plant for Stan Mayfield, a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 until his death in 2008. An alumnus of UF’s College of Engineering, he was a leader in education and environmental issues. As chairman of the Florida House’s Environmental and Natural Resources Council, he championed energy research.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Speakers will include, among others, UF President Bernie Machen and Buckeye Chief Executive Officer John B. Crowe. The event is open to the media, but general attendance is by invitation.