HARRIS GROUP INC. GETS BIOMASS ETHANOL PROCESS WORK WITH NREL

Consulting engineering firm Harris Group Inc. has signed a two-year contract with U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to provide process development engineering for its biomass ethanol program. The project's goal is to optimize the process for turning biomass - agricultural residue, wood waste, and even municipal solid waste - into ethanol.

The two-year contract asks Harris Group to provide objective analysis and creative input on NREL's biomass ethanol process. According to Carol Babb, vice president of Harris Group's process development team, the possibilities for biomass conversion to ethanol are extensive. "Considering the constant supply of waste produced by consumers, construction and agriculture, the feedstock opportunities for biomass ethanol abound," Babb said.

"By making incremental improvements in process efficiency and reducing emissions, we'll make biomass ethanol projects more attractive to investors and owners. That's the bottom line - if it doesn't make sense economically, even if it's good for the planet and our farmers, it's not going to cut it in this economy."

The project, titled "Feed Handling, Emissions Management, Reactor Materials, and Design Optimization for the Biomass Ethanol Process", began in June 2002.

NREL's Kelly Ibsen, process engineering team leader, said Harris Group was selected based on several criteria including its experience with equipment testing and selection for biomass conversion and emission issues. “NREL is pleased to be working with Harris Group. They have a demonstrated track record in providing objective and industry-proven ideas that improve the commercial viability of our biomass conversion process designs.”

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (www.nrel.gov) is the nation’s premiere lab for renewable energy research and development and a lead lab in energy efficiency R&D. Based in Golden, Colo., NREL is celebrating 25 years of research excellence in 2002.

Harris Group Inc. provides multi-discipline engineering to five market sectors: energy, ethanol & biomass, forest industries, industrial manufacturing, and microelectronics. Its specialty services include financial consulting, process development and systems integration. Based in Seattle, Harris Group has nine offices in the U.S. and a sister company, AO Harris Group International, in St. Petersburg, Russia. For more information, call 1-800-488-7410 or visit www.harrisgroup.com.