VCA Stocks

Range Fuels Inc., which says it can produce cellulosic ethanol out of wood scraps, has raised $100 million to build a 100-million-gallon-a-year plant in Georgia.  Range Fuels uses thermochemical processes to convert forestry wastes into ethanol. The alcohol can be mixed into gas, or be turned into E85, which is 85 percent ethanol.  The process devised by the company is similar to the Fischer-Tropsch process for converting coal to liquids. First, the solid is turned into a synthetic gas, which then gets combined with other gases and converted to a liquid.  But with oil prices climbing, synthetic liquid fuels are becoming more attractive. Many cellulosic companies say they can make fuel and sell it for $1 to $1.50 a gallon once it’s in mass production. Efficiency, however, is paramount in this market, and companies are racing to see who can get the most fuel out of a ton of scraps. ZeaChem, a rival, says it can get 160 gallons per ton. Others have claimed more than 100 gallons.  Range Fuels isn’t the only outfit getting money these days. Coskata, which wants to make cellulosic ethanol out of garbage, got $19.5 million.