Advanced BioFuels USA

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The Advancing Synergistic Waste Utilization as Biofuels Feedstocks: Preprocessing, Coproducts, and Sustainability Workshop covered the topic of municipal solid waste streams as a feedstock for biofuels.

The workshop invited stakeholders representing academia, industry, municipalities, and federal agencies involved in waste management, resource and energy recovery, waste utilization, and sustainability.

Download the workshop summary below.

Advancing Synergistic Waste Utilization as Biofuels Feedstocks: Preprocessing, Coproducts, and Sustainability Workshop Summary Report  READ MORE

Table of Contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
The Challenge and the Opportunity……………………………………………………………………………… 1
Workshop Objectives…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
BETO Mission ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Parallels Between Municipal Solid Waste and Biomass …………………………………………………. 5
Workshop Structure ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Keynote Presentation: JD Lindeberg, Principal and President, Resource Recycling Systems……. 7
State of Recycling – Q1 2021 ……………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Session #1: Feedstock Preprocessing…………………………………………………………………………………. 9
Topic Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
Panelist 1: Edward J. Wolfrum, National Renewable Energy Laboratory …………………………. 9
Panelist 2: Jeff Lacey, Idaho National Laboratory ……………………………………………………….. 10
Panelist 3: Junyong Zhu, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Products
Laboratory………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11
Panelist 4: Perry Toms, Steeper Energy ……………………………………………………………………… 12
Stakeholder Input Session #1: Feedstock Preprocessing Group Discussions…………………………. 13
Objective………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13
MSW Quality Attributes…………………………………………………………………………………………… 13
Gaps and Challenges of MSW Preprocessing Technologies………………………………………….. 15
Session Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22
Session #2: Coproduct Development Panel Presentations…………………………………………………… 22
Topic Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 22
Panelist 1: Charles Tremblay, VP, Enerkem ……………………………………………………………….. 23
Feedstock Coproduct Development Opportunity …………………………………………………………. 23
Panelist 2: William Orts, USDA………………………………………………………………………………… 23
Optimizing Biorefinery Infrastructure Toward “Zero-Waste” Agriculture………………………. 23
Panelist 3: Soydan Ozcan, Oak Ridge National Laboratory…………………………………………… 24
Maximizing the Value of Biofuel Feedstock Through Diverse Applications …………………… 24
Stakeholder Input Session #2: Coproduct Development …………………………………………………….. 25
Objective………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 25
Opportunities of Low-Quality MSW Fractions for Coproduct Development…………………… 26
Opportunities to Adopt Coproduct Development along with Biofuel Feedstocks …………….. 27
Environmental Drivers……………………………………………………………………………………………… 27
Environmental Roadblocks……………………………………………………………………………………….. 27
Economic Drivers ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 28
Economic Roadblocks ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 28
Policy Considerations ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 28
Major R&D Priorities ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 28
Session Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 29
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Advancing Synergistic Waste Utilization as Biofuels Feedstocks: Preprocessing, Coproducts, and Sustainability
Session #3: Sustainability Trade-Off Analysis Panel Presentations……………………………………… 29
Topic Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 29
Panelist 1: Shakira Hobbs, University of Kentucky ……………………………………………………… 30
Utilization of Waste Polylactic Acid and Assessment of its Environmental Sustainability… 30
Panelist 2: Stacy Katz, WSP ……………………………………………………………………………………… 31
Infrastructure, Economics & Sustainability Considerations for MSW into Viable Products. 31
Panelist 3: Jay Fitzgerald, DOE-BETO ………………………………………………………………………. 31
Bioenergy, Sustainability, and Waste Resources………………………………………………………….. 31
Stakeholder Input Session #3: Sustainability Trade-Off Analysis Group Discussions ……………. 33
Objective………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 33
Environmental Impacts …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
Data Availability and Gaps to Monitor Environmental Impacts …………………………………….. 36
Tools and Capabilities Needed to Monitor Environmental Impacts………………………………… 37
Session Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 38
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 38
Appendix A: Workshop Agenda……………………………………………………………………………………… 40
Appendix B: Workshop Attendees ………………………………………………………………………………….. 42