DOE announces awards for biomass R&D

Washington D.C., USA - U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the investment of up to $16.5 million for two major research and development (R&D) initiatives that will support the expansion of renewable transportation fuels production.

The first initiative will invest up to $12 million over three years for four projects to advance technologies for the thermochemical conversion of biomass into advanced biofuels that are compatible with existing fueling infrastructure. The second initiative provides up to $4.5 million for three projects that support research focused on designing landscapes that produce bioenergy feedstock while protecting air, soil, water, and wildlife resources and enhancing ecosystem services. These biomass R&D initiatives continue to strengthen the Department's efforts to accelerate development and deployment of sustainable, renewable biofuels in order to significantly reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Advanced Biofuels Technology Development - up to $12 million

These investments are for further R&D of thermochemical conversion catalysts and processes that will produce gasoline, diesel and/or jet fuel from biomass. Each selectee will utilize a thermochemical process known as pyrolysis, which breaks down biomass using heat in the absence of oxygen to produce a bio-oil. This bio-oil has shown potential to be refined and used in current infrastructure and vehicles.

Sustainable Bioenergy Feedstock Production - up to $4.5 million

These projects will take steps to help design, model, and implement sustainable biomass production systems across different regions of the country, looking at a variety of feedstocks and critical factors like soil erosion and water quality. With sustainable production and processing, the nation's vast agricultural and forest biomass resources have the potential to provide a source of liquid transportation fuels, as well as biopower and bioproducts.

Source: IWR Online, 09 Sep 2010