St. Louis lands over $100M in biofuels funding

Biofuels is big business.

Last year, investments in biofuels companies or in the global biofuels sector totaled $8.7 billion, according to Biofuels Digest, an industry publication.

In St. Louis, local institutions have received more than $100 million in investments and grants over the past three years to develop renewable fuels.

As money continues to pour into biofuels research and development, St. Louis stands to benefit.

“Studies show that biofuels will be the No. 1 generator of jobs in alternative fuels, and the national number of jobs tied to biofuels is about 300,000 in the short to medium terms,” said Sam Fiorello, chief operating officer at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur. “If St. Louis is a significant player in that, we could have a significant subset of those jobs.”

Although the biofuels industry is years away from supporting tens of thousands of jobs here, a number of organizations and several hundred employees already are working in the field.

With its network of scientists and proximity to biofuels ingredients, such as corn and livestock byproducts, St. Louis is an ideal hub for renewable fuels.

Tim Kostecki, operations manager for Center Ethanol Co. in Sauget, Ill., said the alternative fuel producer chose to locate in the area because of its access to transportation and corn.

Center Ethanol, led by President Barry Frazier, operates a plant with a 54 million-gallon capacity and employs about 50 people, according to Kostecki.

Read more in the St. Louis Business Journal.