The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will be hosting their next Project Peer Review from April 22-25, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency - Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. During the 2025 Project Peer Review, around 200 projects in BETO’s
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cover crops have multiple benefits—soil health is the most important benefit. Can Cover crops be a material feedstock supply center for biofuels? Primary challenges to adoption are uncertainties in use of cover crops across states and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What is the potential for cellulosic bioenergy crop production? Cellulosic bioenergy crop production is a nascent industry in the U.S. and has the potential to supply 5% of U.S. energy demand while achieving increased carbon reduction.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A team of researchers have designed a project to develop productive, cost-effective, and sustainable warm-season perennial bioenergy feedstock production systems on marginal croplands across geographic locations in the Midwest. They have found that there is limited data
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Agriculture contributes >9% of US total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nitrous oxide, CO2, and methane from soil management is the biggest GHG contributor. There is a need to reduce the carbon intensity of biomass feedstocks. A
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An estimated 60% of the available corn stover will be collected in excess of 20% moisture resulting in a lack of ability to produce a reliable feedstock with conventional harvest and storage systems. A team of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Physical fractionation and characterization of corn stover. US Department of Energy Peer Review presentation. READ MORE Related articles Enhancing efficiency in ethanol production from high solid corn stover: Insights into enzymatic hydrolysis parameters and cellulase recovery (Journal of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A team of researchers have designed a project to support development of woody feedstocks forUniversity of Maine’s Thermal Deoxygenation pathway to produce renewable aviation fuel and chemicals. The goal of the project is to prepare woody
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A team of researchers have designed a project to utilize post-harvest physiology and chemistry tools during long-term storage and queuing to positively impact downstream processes through reduced chemical and energy input. They aim to enhance anatomical fractionation,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Twelve is developing and scaling a platform for a reactor that electrochemically transforms biogenic CO2. The company’s core innovation is a membrane electrode assembly that enables CO2 electrolysis. In this project, the company aims towards mass
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Researchers have initiated a project to develop electrolyzers that can convert CO2 from biorefineries to produce useful products, and save the cost of air capture. Yet, research still has not been done on testing with CO2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) CO2 electrolysis can utilize waste CO2 from bioreactors to produce market competitive formic acid at commercial scales. Conventional design has energy and cost intensive downstream separations. A solid electrolyte design has tunable formic acid concentration with
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today, lignin from pulp and paper is converted to polymer products through sulfonation. An industry goal, and the goal of this Ingevity / USC / Sandia project, is commercial products from lignin that provide 20% reduction
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) CO2 Electrolysis + Gas Fermentation: a CO2 to Chemicals Platform, that’s the goal of this Argonne National Lab, LanzaTech and Dioxide Materials, project. It aims for room Temperature CO2 electrolysis (Anion Exchange Membrane based technology), and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Isobutanol (IBA), feedstock for an ASTM approved pathway for SAF production, can only be produced at low levels in fermentation (<2%) due to toxicity. Plus, there’s energy intensive recovery to consider – high heat input or
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Developing Carbon Negative Biorefinery with Gas-fermenting Bacteria is the focus of this project, focusing on Acetogens as model gas-fermenting anaerobes, with high energy efficiency and fast electron/carbon consumption making them potentially a new chassis for the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium is developing new chemical upcycling strategies for today’s plastics and redesigning tomorrow’s plastics to be recyclable-by-design. BOTTLE conducts high-impact research and development
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium is developing new chemical upcycling strategies for today’s plastics and redesigning tomorrow’s plastics to be recyclable-by-design. BOTTLE conducts high-impact research and development
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium is developing new chemical upcycling strategies for today’s plastics and redesigning tomorrow’s plastics to be recyclable-by-design. BOTTLE conducts high-impact research and development
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Renewable natural gas (RNG) is typically produced from biogas using gas separation technology – keeping the CH4 – venting the CO2. Upgrading CO2 present in biogas using naturally-occurring organisms can increase production 60 – 70%. In
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wet wastes could provide up to 6 billion gallons of SAF and saves on expensive alternative disposal processes that can reach as high as $4 per gallon of fuel. In this project, researchers propose a method
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Paper sludge typically taken to landfills (50%), incinerated (20%) or spread on land as soil enhancement (10%). In total, there’s 8 million wet tonnes (4MT dry) of paper sludge that costs $240 million each year to
Why should DOE work on plastics circularity? For one, ~2-3% of total energy consumption in the US is used to manufacture plastics, resins, and synthetic rubber. Also, plastic production generates ~3.8% of global GHGs. Finally, plastic production uses ~6% of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A team of researchers partnered with Visolis to develop a hydrogenolysis catalyst that can operate at low-pressures (≤ 5 MPa) and demonstrate conversion of a fermentation-derived C6 intermediate to a high value chemical monomer. The rewards? Risk and cost
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What are the best pathways to generating and upgrading biochemical intermediates. For example, wet waste to mixed volatile fatty acids in arrested methanogenesis. Or, sugars to butyric acid, or 2,3 butanediol. Tasks include mitigation of scalability
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How can a public biofoundry develop and demonstrate capabilities that enable commercially-relevant biomanufacturing of a wide range of bioproducts by both new and established industrial hosts? The ABF has operated as a BETO-supported project since 2016.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) HARNESS strives to develop a proof-of-concept pilot system designed to break down polyether-polyurethane (PE-PU) foams with engineered enzymes, then convert breakdown intermediates to high-value polyols (POs) and diamines. The primary objective of this project is to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Deconstruction is a major effort in BOTTLE (Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment) . Work spans exploratory catalysis (”fail fast”) to advancing promising approaches towards scale-up. There are a couple of routes:
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The ChemCatBio Consortium has a project focused on upgrading C2s. Specifically, to develop novel catalytic upgrading technologies that enable cost-competitive conversion of cellulosic ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). We aim to develop a commercially viable
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Agile BioFoundry carries out techno-economic and life cycle assessments (TEA/LCA) to quantify the economic and environmental performance of selected fermentative routes, to quantify the economic and environmental performance of selected fermentative routes, and to Develop process
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Multiple bioproducts of interest to projects require separations innovations. A team of researchers set a goal to recover acid products using anion exchange and simulated moving bed chromatography, and to develop an ISPR system for the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 2,3-butanediol (BDO) is a common component in fermentation broths present in low concentrations. Recovery/separation of 2,3-butanediol poses many challenges due to inherent limitations such as its high affinity with water and issues with energy-intensive evaporation and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Hydrothermal liquefaction provides a straightforward approach to producing SAF, yet there’s nitrogen in the upgraded biocrude, and it has to come out. Meanwhile, bad news, nitrogen in hydrotreated biocrude consists of a large variety of nitrogenated
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Membrane-based separation processes can provide an energy and carbon-efficient alternative separation strategy for decarbonization of transportation and industry. However, the technology is not currently optimized for the bioprocessing industry and has scalability issues due to lack of mechanical
(U.S. Department of Energy) Highlighting Expert Feedback on BETO's Portfolio -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) released its 2023 Project Peer Review Report, a comprehensive summary of stakeholder and subject-matter expert feedback on BETO’s latest research, development, and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To meet its defossilization goals, the US needs cost-effective solutions to provide conversion-ready feedstocks. A team of researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have undertaken a project to look at advanced supply system designs that utilize active
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Development of a triple-bottom line sustainability (social, environment, economic) assessment tool for local government to evaluate trade-offs of different organic waste streams and energy conversion strategies can help achieve local/regional policy objectives over the current and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 30-50% of the CO2 removals needed for a net zero U.S. economy could come via domestic terrestrial carbon sink enhancements. What’s needed? A project supported by DOE aims to specify U.S. cropland carbon sink strategies and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A team of researchers is working to develop science-based design and operation principles informed by TEA/LCA that result in predictable, reliable, and scalable performance of preprocessing unit operations. The comminution and fractionation manuals that industry needs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A high production cost of renewable natural gas results from slow disintegration and hydrolysis of recalcitrant feedstocks in conventional AD leads to low productivity; low methane content of biogas produced from AD requires downstream purification; and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Energy production from sewage sludge especially at small-scale using Anaerobic Digestion typically does not produce significant value with the current available AD technology due to low Carbon Conversion Efficiency (generally less than 50%). Here a team
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Department of Energy’s Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Office’s Systems Development & Integration Program is overseen by Jesse Adams, who gave this overview of the US program, projects underway, targets, milestones ahead and more, at the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Office’s H2 Infrastructure Technologies Subprogram is overseen by Ned Stetson, who gave this overview of the US hydrogen program, projects underway, targets, milestones ahead and more, at the Hydrogen Program 2023 Annual Merit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest/REenergize! the Gulf Coast) The US Department of Energy’s Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Office’s Hydrogen Production Program Manager is overseen by David Peterson, who gave this overview of the US hydrogen production program, projects underway, targets, milestones ahead and more,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioprocessing Separations Consortium is a National Laboratory-led effort, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, that is dedicated to identifying and overcoming separations challenges associated with the conversion of biomass into fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioprocessing Separations Consortium is a National Laboratory-led effort, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, that is dedicated to identifying and overcoming separations challenges associated with the conversion of biomass into fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioprocessing Separations Consortium is a National Laboratory-led effort, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, that is dedicated to identifying and overcoming separations challenges associated with the conversion of biomass into fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioprocessing Separations Consortium is a National Laboratory-led effort, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, that is dedicated to identifying and overcoming separations challenges associated with the conversion of biomass into fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioprocessing Separations Consortium is a National Laboratory-led effort, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, that is dedicated to identifying and overcoming separations challenges associated with the conversion of biomass into fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project with the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium aims to develop science-based design and operation principles informed by TEA/LCA that result in predictable, reliable, and scalable performance of preprocessing unit operations. The investigators aim to develop design
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project with the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium analyzed a primary challenge in the design of a biorefinery — — the storage, transport, and reactor feeding of the biomass feedstocks, as material handling/feeding is prone
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project with the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium analyzed the initial distribution of feedstock critical material attributes (CMAs) and strategies to manage this variability. Understanding key sources of biomass variability (e.g., growth conditions, harvest
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Low-temperature CO2 electrolysis is a promising pathway to produce low carbon intensity fuels and chemicals, offering advantages in scalability, process efficiency, and intermittent operation. Significant risks must be overcome for CO2 electrolysis to help meet 2050 decarbonization goals A
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project aims to perform techno-economic analysis (TEA), life cycle analysis (LCA), and water analysis of CO2 utilization (CO2U) technologies to address their costs and energy/environmental sustainability implications and to present economic and environmental
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project aims to quantify resource availability and costs for CO2 utilization (CO2U) in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production to inform industry, technology communities, and policymakers on location-specific economic and societal impacts. It will provide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project analyzed promising bolt-on compatible CO2 reduction pathways to fuels or products from standalone biorefineries, (2) Published a comprehensive strategic plan for achieving industrial decarbonization goals via CO2 conversion, with inclusion of outyear technical, cost,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new DOE project aims to develop a novel catalytic upgrading technologies that enable cost-competitive conversion of cellulosic ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel. It aims to develop a commercially viable process within the concept of an
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project aims to support Visolis, a biotech start-up company, to develop hydrogenolysis catalyst that can operate at low-pressures (≤ 5 MPa) and demonstrate conversion of a fermentation-derived C6 intermediate to a high value
A new DOE project aims to develop the centerpiece technology for an integrated biorefinery concept based on the conversion of renewable and waste sources of C1 intermediates (e.g., syngas, CO2, methanol) to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with improved carbon
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project aims to Improve Research Impacts by Providing Industrial Context, Maximize SAF and Heavy Fuels as Primary Products, Facilitate the Reuse of Existing Petroleum Refining Operations and mitigate scale-up risks feasible within lab/pilot
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ChemCatBio accelerates the development of catalytic technologies for converting biomass and waste resources into fuels and chemicals with a lower carbon footprint. From sustainable aviation fuel to bio-based marine fuel to renewable monomers for material manufacturing, the Chemical
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new DOE project is quantifying resource availability and costs for CO2 utilization (CO2U) in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production to inform industry, technology communities, and policymakers on location-specific economic and societal impacts. It will provide insights
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A recent DOE project analyzed promising bolt-on compatible CO2 reduction pathways to fuels or products from standalone biorefineries; Published a comprehensive strategic plan for achieving industrial decarbonization goals via CO2 conversion, with inclusion of outyear technical, cost, and carbon intensity targets, and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Commercial shipping and transportation expected to be difficult to electrify/decarbonize. Projected supply of traditional biomass feedstocks may be insufficient to fully meet global demand. CO2 as a feedstock could help meet SAF Grand Challenge. The CO2RUE
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) SDI directly supports BETO’s strategic goal to decarbonize the transportation sector through R,D, &D to produce cost-effective, sustainable aviation and other strategic fuels – By 2030, SDI aims to support scale-up of multiple biofuel production pathways
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) SDI directly supports BETO’s strategic goal to decarbonize the transportation sector through R,D, &D to produce cost-effective, sustainable aviation and other strategic fuels – By 2030, SDI aims to support scale-up of multiple biofuel production pathways
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office seeks in its separations strategy to support scale-up of sustainable aviation fuels and other biofuels with >70% reduction in GHG emissions relative to petroleum; enable commercial production of 10+ renewable chemicals
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The DOE’s Feedstock Technologies program focuses on challenges and barriers crucial to reaching program goals, including: Feedstock Availability and Cost Production; Feedstock Genetics and Variety Improvement; Sustainable Harvesting; Feedstock Quality; Biomass Storage Systems; Biomass Physical State
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium is led by DOE as a collaborative effort among researchers from 9 National Labs. The key ideas? 1. Biomass feedstock properties are variable and different from other Commodities. 2. Empirical approaches to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office seeks to decarbonize the U.S. economy by developing efficient and economical biological and chemical technologies to convert renewable carbon resources into bioenergy and renewable chemicals and materials. Good news? CO2 represents
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The DOE’s goals are >54% upgradable products from Lignin by 2030, including an emphasis on Deconstruction and depolymerization, conversion of lignin oils to liquid fuels, opportunities for lignin to SAF, and valorization of lignin-derived monomers to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) High-value chemicals and materials have the clearest near-term path to market; accordingly, the program is encouraged to increase its focus on ancillary technologies for producing high-value chemicals alongside core technologies that focus on producing high-volume fuels.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Agile BioFoundry is a consortium of seven U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories that operate as a distributed biofoundry in collaboration with industry and academia. They partner with the biomanufacturing industry to accelerate bioproduct
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Technology is great — but energy is made by systems that integrate technology at scale. So, a critical part of the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office is its Systems development and integration programs. Who’s on the team,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (establishes partnerships with key public and private stakeholders to develop technologies for producing cost-competitive advanced biofuels from non-food biomass resources, including cellulosic biomass, algae, and wet waste (e.g.,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (establishes partnerships with key public and private stakeholders to develop technologies for producing cost-competitive advanced biofuels from non-food biomass resources, including cellulosic biomass, algae, and wet waste (e.g.,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (establishes partnerships with key public and private stakeholders to develop technologies for producing cost-competitive advanced biofuels from non-food biomass resources, including cellulosic biomass, algae, and wet waste (e.g.,
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) hosted the 2023 Project Peer Review on April 3-7, 2023, in Denver, CO. During this in-person event, more than 280 projects in BETO’s research, development, and demonstration portfolios presented their progress
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is hosting the 2023 Project Peer Review on April 3-7, 2023, at the Grand Hyatt Denver in Colorado. Approximately 280 projects in BETO’s research, development, and demonstration portfolio will be presented
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In this project, researchers aim to establish a mechanistic pathway and characterize vs potential and pH, and demonstrate direct conversion of flue gas at high faradaic efficiency and current density. They also aim to demonstrate that
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines initiative are exploring how simultaneous innovations in fuels and engines could boost fuel economy and vehicle performance, while reducing emissions—advancing the underlying science needed
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In this project, researchers aim for market-ready production of carbon nanotubes from TVA flue gas-derived CO2, including a TEA and LCA in collaboration with NREL. The researchers have a goal of 80-90% less cost than
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In this project, researchers are designing and developing tailored dual-function materials (DFMs) and the accompanying pressure-swing process for reactive capture and conversion (RCC) of CO2 to directly produce methanol. This will favor lower capital and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This Project aims to advance the Technical Readiness Level through experimental and modeling to enhance the efficiencies while assessing the TEA/LCA of a dual functional catalytic porous polymer for simultaneous capture and conversion of CO2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This Project aims to update a 2014 NETL study that quantifies the cost and performance associated with capturing point-source CO2 from industrial plants. It’s a part of the search for CO2 capture, and Sally Homsy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The objective of this project is to demonstrate the UK CO2 capture process at Nucor Steel Gallatin treating electric arc furnace evolved gas with a CO2 concentration of ~1.5 vol%.Kunlei Liu and Heather Nikolic of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This Project aims To execute and complete a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for a commercial-scale, carbon capture system that separates 95% of the total CO2 emissions at Holcim Ste Genevieve Cement Plant using
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This Project aims to design, build, and operate a 10 MWe Large Pilot membrane capture system. Brice Freeman and Richard Baker of Membrane Technology & Research showed these slides at the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This Project aims to develop an initial engineering design (IED)and estimated cost for capture and compression of CO2 generated from an operational ethanol production facility. It’s a part of the search for CO2 capture, and Jason
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This Project aims to develop technologies to increase algae productivity and reduce culturing costs, In addition, it aims to develop algae, refinee processing and verify content for nutraceuticals and to incorporate feed blends. It’s a
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cellulosic bioenergy crop production is a nascent industry in the U.S. and has the potential to supply up to 5% of U.S. energy demand while achieving increased carbon reduction. The Southeast U.S. is ideally suited
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The goal of this project is to develop productive, cost-effective and sustainable warm-season perennial bioenergy feedstock production systems on marginal croplands across geographic locations in the Midwest. The University of Illinois (at Champaign-Urbana)’s D. K.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Harvesting and transportation makes up 40 –60% of the delivered cost of SRWC and are an important source of GHG emissions. Harvesting systems are not well developed — throughput decreases up to 65% from harvester
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) CO2 is the ubiquitous feedstock, available from a range of point sources, as well as in the atmosphere. It’s the only feedstock measured in gigatons. Domestic biorefineries emit a very pure CO2 wastestream, and represent
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As we observed once here in Digestville, biomass is where catalysts go to die. How can we change that? Providing fundamental insight and actionable recommendations for extending catalyst lifetime in biomass catalytic conversion by a collective and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Whether it is Mixed C6-C5 Corn Stover Hydrolysate Sugars to Produce Butyric Acid with In-situ Product Removal, or Non-Biological Conversion of Mixed C6-C5 Corn Stover Hydrolysate Sugars to Furans (Furfural, HMF), opportunities abound in biobased
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ethanol is an attractive feedstock for middle distillate fuels and chemical products. How do we unlock the potential not only for ethanol-to-jet, but for C3+olefin (ETO) opportunities, and more. Dehydrate, oligomerize, hydrogenate – the path
by Jim Lane (Biofuel Digest) Accelerated catalyst and process development cycle enabling demonstrated performance enhancements in half the time. That’s the bold goal of a DOE project aimed at providing a fundamental insight leading to actionable recommendations for critical catalysis challenges by
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Catalytic fast pyrolysis is a versatile technology pathway for the direct liquefaction of biomass and waste carbon sources. In this slide deck from NREL’s Mike Griffin, we explore the Potential for high carbon yields to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This project funded by the US Department of Energy and led by NREL’s Josh Schaidle aims to Guide existing and future research and development efforts by defining key technical challenges, risks, cost/carbon intensity drivers, and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How do we utilize CO2 with cheaper renewable energy? What products can we make? Those are the questions explored in this project funded by the US Department of Energy’s BETO office and led by Jonathan
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The project goal is to develop the natural formatotroph, C.necator, as a robust microbial chassis for efficient formate conversion to value-added products in support of CO2 capture. The project is funded by the US Department
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To develop, innovate, and reduce costs of CO2 Separations using enzyme-based technology to accelerate CO2 capture alternative solvents with low regeneration energy. That’s the goal of this project funded by the US Department of Energy’s
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) By producing valuable products out of CO2, this project will incentivize CCU to realize carbon circular economy opportunities. That’s the promise of this project funded by the BETO Office at the US Department of Energy
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) hosted its virtual 2021 Project Peer Review on March 8‒12, 15‒16, and 22‒26, 2021. During the event, 271 projects in BETO’s research portfolio were presented, representing a total
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s the perfect fuel, and the perfect vehicle? Can we optimize both at the same time, instead of optimizing one at a time? Researchers associated with the Co-Optima project aim to identify low carbon fuel-engine
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) NREL is focusing on commodity productswith sufficient market sizes to aid biofuels production (e.g., adipic acid), working with Lignin Util. & SepConfor lignin substrates, and developing innovative biocatalysts and bioprocesses for lignin valorization. Get all
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Baby, it’s cold outside, and LanzaTech is working on a flexible Alcohol-to-Diesel process for producing drop-in, renewable diesel fuel blendstocks from biomass-derived ethanol, including cold weather uses. From the tech behind it to the latest
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech, Northwestern, University of South Florida and Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are working on the engineered reveral of the β-oxidation cycle in clostridia for the synthesis of fuels and chemicals. The objective? To develop clostridia
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The National Academy of Sciences concluded that bioeconomy pathways are among the largest potential contributors to carbon drawdown, which is essential to avoiding the worst long-term impacts of climate change. The goal of a Lawrence
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How can we produce bioenergy in a manner that increases water use efficiency, lowers regional water stress, and mitigates nutrient and sediment loss? That’s the question Argonne National Lab researchers are working on with their
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Terry Marker from the Gas Technology Institute shared this slide guide at the BETO 2021 Project Peer Review covering their goal to produce 100 gallons of Jet Fuel from Biogas using the Cool GTL Process,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Do biofuels have potential for the maritime sector? Should BETO implement a biofuels program for large ocean-going vessels to meet the International Maritime Organization’s carbon reduction goals (a 40% reduction relative to 2008 levels by
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are literally tons of food waste per year but biofilm can help increase hydrolysis and methanogenesis reaction rates and help solve anaerobic digestion challenges. Take a look at Argonne National Lab’s latest on how they
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wildfires around the globe have been increasing but what about controlled fires? The U.S. Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Lab is looking at prioritizing how and where to target forest restoration (timber harvest
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Enabling biorefineries to achieve 50% reductions in time to bioprocess scale-up, as compared to the current average of 10 years, is what the U.S. Department of Energy aims to do by establishing a distributed Agile
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Leveraging existing refining infrastructure leverages billions US$ in CAPEX and 5 million bpd of crude refining. NREL, PNNL, and LANL is tackling how to accelerate adoption of co-processing biomass-derived feedstocks with petroleum streams in operating
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algae biofuel AND high value co-products from residuals across algae strains? Are there co‐products that lead to increased LEA value, while maintaining biofuel production, to drive down the overall cost of biofuel? That is what
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How can anaerobic membrane bioreactors increase wet waste’s net energy yield? That’s exactly what University of Illinois scientists are working on to develop improved AnMBR and integrate it into pilot demonstration. Find out their results
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biological gas-to-liquid conversion offers a means to valorize biogas, improve bioprocess sustainability, and reduce risk of waste and biomass processing. How big is the biogas market? What are the newest biocatalysts and gas fermentation tech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Data – we all need it. And the Biofuels Information Center provides essential bioenergy data, information, and tools to educate stakeholders on all aspects of biofuels. Where do they get the data from? How does
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) White Dog Labs is working on producing a Single-Cell Protein product from a cellulosic ethanol plant waste stream. The goal – to produce enough butyrate enhanced SCP product from cellulosic ethanol streams, that can be
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech’s Dr. Laurel Harmon shared this illuminating slide guide at the BETO Peer Review on jet and diesel fuel production from industrial waste gases, commercialization of ethanol-to-jet technology by building a standalone Alcohol-to-Jet pre-commercial demonstration
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Does renewable butyl acetate make a good fuel additive? Can it be used as a bioblendstock for diesel to decrease combustion pollutants and lower the sooting propensity of a BA/diesel-based mixture? Can it’s low freezing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech, Purdue and PNNL are working together to develop a commercially viable process to convert an ethanol-derived olefin intermediate into a jet-range hydrocarbon with 60 wt.% yield to cycloalkanes and demonstrate its commercial utility as
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Evaluating sustainable scale up of algae production systems, algal biofuels, and algal bioproducts is no easy task, but scientists at Argonne National Lab are looking into this by looking at the life cycle analysis of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Creating a sustainable, inexpensive bioinsecticide that leverages the inherent chemical functionality from thermochemical biomass conversion that can improve biofuel economics is one of National Renewable Energy Lab’s goals. Take a look at bioinsecticide production using
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can biofuels production meet federal air quality regulations? At what cost? What are the emissions across the biofuels supply chain? What are the economic and human health impacts? Are there mitigation opportunities and approaches that work?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)Optimizing and de-risking the deployment of biomass gasification processes by implementing physics-based simulations of feed handling and transportation unit operations was NREL’s goal as they did modeling and simulations to support Red Rock Biofuels during design
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Determining the technical feasibility of using biofuels, especially bio-oils, for marine engine use, understanding the efficacy of biofuels in marine transport, looking at the impact on fuel handling systems and impact of bio-oils blended with
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies Model – aka GREET – can be used to address impacts and conduct life cycle analyses of biofuels and bioproducts. Check out Argonne National Laboratory’s
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) You’ve probably seen the IATA Tech Roadmap and ICAO’s goals for aviation’s CO2 emissions to decrease, but how do we get there? Check out this illuminating slide guide from BETO’s Peer Review where Sandia National Labs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Did you know that adding plant substrate to some algae strains (not all!) can result in improved biomass and/or lipid production? That’s what Amanda Barry from Sandia National Labs reported in this slide guide on
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Lignin 20-30% of plant/wood biomass is the key to a successful biorefinery that would make both biofuels and bioproducts said Mark Thies from Clemson University in this BETO Peer Review slide guide that dives into
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Dan Anderson from Pacific Northwest National Lab shared this illuminating slide guide at BETO’s Peer Review this year with the latest on PNNL’s work on building algae hydrothermal liquification (HTL) pathway to fuels, with the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) NREL is working on decarbonization of fuels and chemicals production by looking at the integration of CO2 utilization into two existing conceptual biorefinery designs, the brutal reality of CO2 reduction, market trends, decreasing the cost
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What if we could build a biorefinery in every state and divert all 76 million dry T/y of organic wastes into transportation biofuels…forever? That’s what Pacific Northwest National Lab hopes will happen someday as they
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Check out this NREL slide guide covering their latest work on waste-to-energy resources, municipal solid waste (MSW) streams available for bioenergy conversions, and the latest data and analyses on WTE projects. From food waste management
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can you really convert 50% of lignin carbon into bio-phenols? Spero Renewables is working on exactly that and making polymers and chemicals from lignin bio-phenols. Spero even enables biofuel cost reduction of $1-2 gallons gasoline
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wet waste, municipal sludge residuals, animal manure, food waste, inedible fats/oils/greases – all things we used to throw away, but now can be converted into valuable bioproducts. Check out this illuminating slide guide on BETO’s
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the recent BETO peer review, Xylome shared this illuminating slide guide on making biodiesel precursors from dissolved organics and corn fiber present in grain ethanol stillage by engineering hyper-lipogenic strains of L. starkeyi to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) MicroBio Engineering, Heliae, Sandia National Labs and Cal Poly shared how they developed the capability for over 3,700 gal/ac-yrof biofuel intermediates through microalgal strain improvement, mixotrophic approaches and novel conversion technology, demonstrated annual productivity of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biomass derived sugars can be used by engineered microbes to make fuels and chemicals – but Invizyne is looking at alternative methods to improve cellulosic utilization and conversion. Check out their BETO presentation highlighting their
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuel blendstocks is what it’s all about for Dimitris Assanis from SUNY and Ofei Mante from RTI International. Check out their BETO presentation on bioblendstock oils rich in naphthenes produced using catalytic fast pyrolysis and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Perennial grass miscanthus as an energy crop has advanced into high biomass yielding varieties and NC State University is working with Novozymes, Iogen and Oak Ridge National Lab on evaluating new miscanthus varieties and improving
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Everyone wants to reduce the price of biofuels – and a team from Texas A&M, USDA, AgriLife Research, Mississippi State University and others are working on improving the economics and environmental sustainability of biomass sorghum
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why algae? With biofuel yield 8-13 times larger than corn, well, why not! We took key slides from the 100+ slide deck from this year’s U.S. DOE BETO presentation on the latest goings ons with
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) hosted its 2021 Project Peer Review virtually on March 8‒12, 2021; March 15‒16, 2021; and March 22‒26, 2021. Presentations for all sessions can be found in the searchable database below. For more information,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bioenergy switchgrass feedstock – can it be the next-generation feedstock we’ve been looking for in the Midwest? University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is looking at perennial bioenergy feedstock production on marginal croplands across geographic locations in
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This U.S. Department of Energy BETO project’s biomass blend concept will allow biorefineries to utilize a much larger proportion of the land within their procurement radius, thereby enabling larger scale, more economically feasible facilities to
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