user: News: Biofuels company Mascoma has announced it cut a deal with oil refiner Valero to back construction of a commercial scale cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Michigan. As part of the deal, Valero has promised to invest up to $50 million in Mascoma and buy the fuel that the plant produces.

Mascoma is backed by a number of high-profile investors including billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla via Khosla Ventures; billionaire VC John Doerr via Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; General Motors and Marathon Oil. The company is currently operating a pilot scale cellulosic ethanol plant that produces 200,000 gallons a year.

Mascoma says it will be building one of the world’s first commercial scale wood-based cellulosic ethanol biorefineries. It’s slated to break ground in 2011 in Kinross Charter Township, Michigan and will have a planned annual production of 40 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol. Valero has entered into an off-take agreement to purchase 40 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol from Mascoma.

Mascoma is getting financial help to build the biorefinery from the US Department of Energy and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “Valero’s proposed investment in our first commercial-scale production facility proves the economic practicality of Mascoma’s technology for the conversion of woody biomass into ethanol,” Bill Brady, Chief Executive Officer of Mascoma, said in a press release announcing the deal.

Since 2008 a raft of biofuels companies and even large chemical companies like DuPont have been boasting about superior technologies that will enable turning waste matter like corn cobs, wood chips and municipal waste into biofuels. (See “Big Guns Tackle Next Gen Ethanol“) So far, no company has been able to do so on a commercial scale. If Mascoma can pull this off in the next year or two, it will have achieved a feat that for many has proved too costly or too difficult at scale.

Title: Billionaire-backed Biofuels Firm Mascoma Inks Deal With Refiner Valero


News: Thinking of revamping your home to give it that rustic chic look? Skip Anthropologie, head straight to your shed, and gather up all those tools you rarely use. There are countless ways to use old saws, ladders and pitchforks to transform your home into something new.

Toolbox Forget that it was once a toolbox. Just look at those gorgeous compartments and think about all the ways you can get organized. Here, we have crayons and other art supplies, but you could use it for jewelry, cat or dog toys, spices, sewing supplies or remote controls. The possibilities only end with your imagination.

Hoes Many people often have duplicate garden tools. But how many hoes does a person really need? Consider lining your fence with rakes, pitchforks and shovels to fortify your garden against hungry critters and to make your planting beds even snazzier.

Rakes It shouldn’t be called a rake; it should be called the most versatile tool you own. Those old metal ones rip up your lawn, so why not transform them into something else entirely? From wine holder to a place to hang your necklaces to a hook for your keys, an old rake will become your best friend. Heck, you can even mount it on the wall and hang other garden tools from its prongs.

Wheelbarrow Want a portable planter that you can move without breaking your back? Use a wheelbarrow and give your plants as much shade or sun as they need.

Nails How many nails do you have in your basement or shed? Probably too many. Use those nails to create something beautiful. Nail them into a piece of wood and wrap string around them to create the design of your choosing. Maybe a star, or a set of initials. This would make a great DIY gift, too.

Saw Tools, by themselves, are often quite beautiful if we put aside their functionality and focus on their design. Have an old saw? Hang it on your wall like you would a piece of art. You can even put an old frame around it. Or use brackets, chains and hooks to create a collage of tools on your wall.

Wrenches I’m convinced that anything can become a hook if you want it badly enough, and these wrenches are a great example. Transform them into something else entirely and use them to hang almost anything on. They’re made to be durable, so you never have to worry about them breaking.

Ladder Sometimes you end up with an old ladder that you wouldn’t want to actually stand on. Instead, consider all its other uses. Hang your towels to dry, or suspend the ladder from the ceiling to hang your pots and pans. Even just propping a ladder against a wall can give a room a lovely outdoorsy feel.

This article originally appeared on MNN.com.

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assistant: 8 Clever Ways to Decorate With Tools