Advanced BioFuels USA

by Jim Spaeth (U.S. Department of Energy) The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) recently performed major upgrades to the content, appearance, and useability of its longstanding Interactive Integrated Biorefinery (IBR) Map. The upgrades came as a part of an effort by BETO’s System Development and Integration (SDI) subprogram to highlight new awards within its diverse portfolio and to provide stakeholders with the means to easily access and aggregate data based on a variety of project characteristics.

The interactive Integrated Biorefineries Map highlights competitively awarded bioenergy projects co-funded by BETO’s Systems Development and Integration program.

The original Interactive IBR Map was launched in 2014 to provide a way for stakeholders to visualize and navigate the subprogram’s portfolio. The map gave stakeholders the opportunity to see the geographic distribution of projects within the SDI portfolio and to view project details such as scale, funding level, feedstock, and product. While the original map was a useful resource to stakeholders seeking to learn about IBRs, many aspects of the map and its underlying data have become outdated since its launch.

When the IBR map was originally deployed, the SDI subprogram (then named Demonstration and Deployment) had a strategic focus of de-risking bioenergy production technologies through validated proof of performance at the pilot, demonstration, and commercial scales. These projects sought to take the lessons learned from lower technology readiness level (TRL) work and scale up technologies to build first-of-a-kind integrated biorefineries that would efficiently convert a broad range of biomass feedstocks into commercially viable biofuels and bioproducts.

…

The updated interactive map displays all the subprogram’s competitively awarded projects from Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) dating back to 2007, including the most recently awarded projects from BETO’s FY21 Scale-up and Conversion FOA.

The earlier generation IBR projects generated valuable data and produced vital lessons learned. Many have been completed and retired from the portfolio. The final technical reports for these projects can be found at the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) website and can also be viewed by clicking the link in the project’s entry on the IBR Map.

Over the years, the subprogram has seen successes such as:

1. T2C-Energy, LLC validating their Tri-Reforming Catalyst and Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (TRIFTS) process at pilot scale to meet the FY22 Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) milestone to validate a biofuel pathway at engineering scale with a price of <$3 per gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) that has at least a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 
2. LanzaTech, Inc partnering with Virgin Airlines to make the world’s first commercial flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fuel for the transatlantic flight was made from recycled waste gases via Lanzatech’s Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) process.
3. POET-DSM utilizing the Project LIBERTY facility to produce pharmaceutical-grade ethanol to help meet the demand for alcohol-based hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the subprogram continues to have an overarching goal of de-risking bioenergy technologies through validated proof of performance at various scales, over time the focus of the office and subprogram have adapted to shifting market conditions and industry feedback. With these changes in strategy, the subprogram has awarded new lower TRL projects that seek to optimize individual process operations, employ new conversion technologies, and focus on the production of different fuels and products.

Many of these new projects focus on the advancement of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technologies. In September 2021, the White House rolled out the SAF Grand Challenge with the goal to reduce the cost, enhance the sustainability, and expand the production and use of SAF. This challenge set forth the substantial goals of 3 billion gallons of SAF being produced by 2030 and a fully zero-carbon aviation sector by 2050. In support of these goals, BETO set milestone goals for demonstrating SAF technologies that meet cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. To advance these goals, SDI has awarded SAF projects at the pre-pilot, pilot, and demonstration scales with potential for new SAF projects to be awarded under BETO’s recent FY22 Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries and Greenhouse Gas Reduction in First Generation Ethanol Production (Scale-Up+) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). In addition to these more scale-up focused projects, SDI has also brought on modeling and analysis projects whose predictive models and use of high-performance computing work will inform future projects and accelerate scale-up.

In addition to requiring new projects to meet specific technical criteria such as feedstock type, primary fuel, or carbon utilization, the SDI subprogram requires that new projects incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) objectives into their project plans. Through these actions, SDI-funded projects will foster a more inclusive environment for people from groups that have been historically underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. The DEI plans being put forth by SDI projects seek to advance equity and encourage the inclusion of individuals from underrepresented communities. Examples of DEI related actions include, but are not limited to, the inclusion of underrepresented groups in key project roles, collaboration with Minority Serving Institutions, implementing DEI related education programs within a project’s organization, or the solicitation of services from businesses owned by minorities, women, or veterans.

With the sunsetting of older projects and the introduction of many new ones, the SDI program wanted to highlight these new projects and make it as easy as possible for stakeholders to find and digest the details of the work that is being performed in academia, industry, and at DOE’s national labs.

…

Using the map, users can navigate around the United States to learn about the diverse portfolio of projects funded under the SDI umbrella. Clicking on a project’s icon will display an overview of the project and a more detailed list of project characteristics can be found in the sortable data table accompanying the interactive map. Through filters, users can sort project lists based on a wide range of metrics, including TRL, Primary Feedstock, Conversion Technology type, Primary Product, the FOA under which a project was awarded, and  project location. SDI is excited to announce these updates to an already useful resource and hopes that stakeholders throughout the bioenergy sphere will enjoy the map’s new look and features. The map will receive additional updates as the SDI portfolio continues to grow and evolve.  READ MORE