Bioenergy Technologies Office State of Technology—2020 Research and Development Status

May 19, 2022

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(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) funds research and development (R&D) on technologies necessary for the deployment and production of cost- competitive bioenergy, primarily biofuels. Results of experimental efforts are periodically compiled and compared with benchmark technology designs to assess overall progress. This report provides a status of those R&D efforts at the end of 2020.

This report first describes the approach for assessing progress, followed by specific technology pathway configurations within which progress is charted. Each pathway configuration is described separately and the state of technology progress is presented for the combined pathway, as well as for pathway components. Detailed component descriptions reference technology barriers and challenges that are detailed in the appendix.

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Contents
Acronyms and Abbreviations............................................................................................................... ix
Bioenergy Technologies Office State of Technology—2020 Research and Development Status ..1
Technology Pathways Using Dry Feedstocks.......................................................................................7
Dry Feedstocks Converted via High Temperature and Upgrading................................................................ 7
Direct Liquefaction Design Case................................................................................................................. 7
Indirect Liquefaction Design Case ......................................................................................................... 28
Dry Feedstocks Converted via Low Temperature and Upgrading............................................................... 46
Biochemical Conversion via 2,3-BDO Intermediate Design Case...................................................... 52
Biochemical Conversion via Mixed-Acids Intermediate Design Case................................................ 63
Technology Pathways Using Wet Feedstocks ......................................................................................... 81
Algae Production................................................................................................................................................. 82
Wet Feedstocks Converted via Low Temperature and Upgrading ............................................................. 88
Combined Algae Processing Design Case ................................................................................................ 88
Wet Feedstocks Converted via High Temperature and Upgrading...........................................................107
Algal Hydrothermal Liquefaction Design Case ...................................................................................107
Wet Waste Hydrothermal Liquefaction Design Case .............................................................................126
Appendix: Technology Barriers and Challenges .............................................................................140
Overall Barriers and Challenges......................................................................................................140
Feedstock Technologies R&D Barriers and Challenges...........................................................141
Advanced Algal Systems R&D Barriers and Challenges...........................................................143
Conversion R&D Barriers and Challenges....................................................................................145
Systems Development and Integration R&D Barriers and Challenges................................149
Analysis and Sustainability Barriers and Challenges ................................................................151
Bibliography......................................................................................................................................153