Producing Transportation Fuels, Electrical Power, and Chemicals in a Circular Bioeconomy

February 19, 2024

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Timothy J. Donohue (National Academy of Engineering) Renewable raw materials can be exploited as alternatives to fossil fuel–based liquid transportation fuels, electrical power, and chemicals. -- Among today’s greatest challenges is the development of sustainable and cost-effective ways to produce sufficient transportation fuels, electrical power, and chemicals while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2019 fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal) supplied roughly 80 percent of the energy used in the United States, with the remainder derived from a combination of renewable resources (nuclear, wind, hydroelectricity, and biofuels; Kretchmer 2020).

Adding to the challenge is the ever-growing demand for numerous products derived from fossil fuels. Tens of billions of gallons of fossil fuel–derived hydrocarbons are used every year to generate liquid transportation fuels, electrical power, and petrochemicals. In the United States in 2021, liquid transportation fuels accounted for about 30 percent of fossil fuel use—-combining the commercial and military needs of the aviation, marine, shipping, automotive, and industrial sectors—and the electrical power sector accounted for about 10 percent.[1]

Using raw materials as a source of fuels, electrical power, and chemicals could move society to a circular bioeconomy that minimizes waste while generating products, services, and processes from this and other renewable resources (Gallo 2022). Plugging abundant renewable raw materials into the economy will require significant technical advances and changes in existing agricultural and industrial practices, but the environmental, health, social, and economic benefits are enormous (Northrup et al. 2021; Robertson et al. 2022).

Renewable Biological Sources

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These renewable raw materials include billions of tons of organic residues in nonfood animal and plant material, purpose-grown crops (e.g., switchgrass, poplar) used for conversion into these products, manure, microbes, and residues derived from other agricultural, municipal, and industrial activity. There is also an opportunity to tap abundant gaseous carbon sources (carbon dioxide)—produced by the biological process of respiration, sequestered from the atmosphere, or released by fuel combustion—to help reduce net GHG emissions (Elhacham et al. 2020).

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Approaches to a Circular Bioeconomy

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For instance, industries could convert plant and animal residues that are not suitable for or needed as food into numerous products (e.g., feed, fiber, chemicals, materials, pharmaceuticals, and food replacements or additives). Such practices can increase the future profitability of agriculture and reduce net GHG emissions from industrial synthesis of these products when compared to existing practices.

In addition, advances in breeding of so-called dedicated energy crops can increase biomass productivity and enhance above- and underground carbon sequestration from the atmosphere (Northrup et al. 2021). The ability to increase the yield and quality of biomass per acre from purpose-grown nonfood cropping systems on fallow, unreclaimed pastureland and acreage that is not suitable for food production is crucial to realizing the vision of a circular bioeconomy.

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Catalytic, biological, and hybrid technologies can be used to convert raw materials derived from existing industries (food, chemicals, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other sectors) into liquid transportation fuels, electrical power chemicals, and materials.

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Challenges of Renewables for Liquid Transportation Fuels

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For air and marine transport, “drop-in” liquid fuels—derived from renewable resources (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, and renewable gasoline) that can be mixed with fossil-derived fuels—are needed until other non-GHG-intensive petroleum replacements can be developed. Of course, combustion of drop-in liquid fuels should release minimal particulates or pollutants to prevent unwanted environmental impacts of their use in different engines. And the renewable hydrocarbons in drop-in fuels should be cost-competitive and compatible with existing pipeline, shipping, and engine systems. Development and acceptance of drop-in fuels will also minimize or prevent the need to design and deploy entirely new engine systems.

Renewable natural gas (RNG) can be a major source of fuel for some vehicles and for electrical power.

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Renewable Chemicals and Materials in the Circular Bioeconomy

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Existing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies can sequester CO2 underground either in plant roots (biological CCS; Northrup et al. 2021) or in geological formations (Raza et al. 2019). Emerging technologies can capture CO2 and store it in insoluble material (the type used to reinforce concrete and other materials; Ragipani et al. 2022). Syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen generated by industrial activity, could also be converted into useful chemicals and other materials (Sun et al. 2019).

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Industries in the circular bioeconomy would operate like petrochemical refineries where chemicals and materials can be lower-volume and higher-profit per unit products, generating revenue to lower the cost of liquid transportation fuels and electrical power (Huang et al. 2020; Wu and Maravelias 2019).

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To address knowledge and technology gaps, public and private investments are essential to generate the likely game-changing advances in biology, chemistry, computation, and engineering needed for success. Investments could include single investigator awards and center-scale initiatives that assemble teams to make breakthroughs that occur when researchers work across disciplines.

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Technology, Investment, Modeling, and Communication Needs

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Looking to the Future

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[1] US Energy Information Administration, “US energy facts explained,” Jun 10, 2022, https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/

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