Argonne National Laboratory leverages scientific competencies in modeling and technology development to enable a carbon sparing, environmentally friendly economy through the integrated development of biofuels, bioproducts and ecosystem services.
The INL Bioenergy Program's mission is to support DOE in achieving their vision by developing processes and technologies through applied science and engineering that remove the barriers associated with accessing a sustainable, efficient feedstock supply.
INL is the nation’s leading laboratory for bioenergy feedstock research. Specifically, INL’s research is focused on addressing barriers associated with efficiently, economically, and sustainably supplying large quantities of quality feedstock to future biorefineries. This effort includes improving feedstock preprocessing technologies, understanding feedstock variability and its implications on conversion processes, feedstock supply system design and analysis, and at-scale equipment testing and design. INL feedstock research and development occurs at several scales, ranging from laboratory-scale, to bench-scale prototyping, to pilot-scale testing and demonstration in partnership with other national labs, industry, and academia.
NREL's bioenergy research and development activities advance the technologies to produce bio-based energy, fuels, and products.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory brings together experts from across scientific disciplines to analyze all aspects of the bioenergy supply chain—from biomass resources to the environmental sustainability of a fully developed bioeconomy. Current research focuses on conducting resource assessment and analysis, investigating methods to reduce logistics costs for the bioenergy industry, determining best management practices for socioeconomic and environmental sustainability, ensuring infrastructure and biorefinery materials are compatible with bio-oils, developing biocomposites for 3D printing, and developing new technologies to enable lower-cost conversion of biomass to biofuels and bioproducts.
PNNL bioenergy research and development focuses on processes that convert biomass and wastes into chemicals and biofuels that are infrastructure ready (e.g., gasoline, diesel and jet fuel). Researchers with technical expertise in advanced biotechnology, catalysis, and thermal processing enable these advances to take place.
The Biomass Research and Development (BR&D) Board coordinates research and development activities concerning bio-based fuels, products, and power across federal agencies, and aims to maximize the benefits of federal programs and bring coherence to federal strategic planning. The BR&D Board oversees the interagency Bioeconomy Initiative, a coordinated federal effort to expand the sustainable use of the nation’s abundant biomass resources for biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. The vision of the Bioeconomy Initiative is a vibrant U.S. bioeconomy that enhances economic growth, energy security, and environmental quality by maximizing sustainable use of the nation’s domestic biomass resources for affordable biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.
The Biomass Feedstock National User Facility at Idaho National Laboratory's Energy Systems Laboratory facility provides pilot- and industrial-scale testing for a variety of preprocessing techniques. Preprocessing is essential to preparing biomass feedstock for conversion, ensuring the material is high-quality and provides as much fuel as possible. The facility's Characterization Laboratory enables researchers to use advanced methods, such as particle characterization and microscopy, to better understand the relationship between feedstocks and their conversion performance.
The Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit (ABPDU) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California gives researchers a much-needed, small-scale testing and development platform—a necessary step towards full commercialization of biofuels. ABPDU covers five key areas of expertise: pretreatment, enzymatic conversion, fermentation conversion, product recovery, and analysis. More importantly, it is one of the only facilities in North America that focuses on advanced solvent pretreatment technologies such as ionic liquids, which can help boost the energy efficiency of biomass conversion. ABPDU aids researchers in generating, collecting, and analyzing data that will improve the biofuel before full pilot-scale testing begins.
The Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado is taking early stage biofuel development to pilot-scale by enabling partners to test conversion technologies on up to one ton of biomass material a day. NREL researchers and operators have the expertise to troubleshoot any potential process complications that could occur during development. On-site chemists can also develop specialized analytical methods to streamline and improve production processes for partners and can help partners develop and utilize these models to estimate market feasibility, cost sensitivities, and environmental sustainability of commercial-scale production of biofuels.
NREL's Thermochemical Users Facility is the nation's leading center for test reactors, filters, catalysts, and other operational tools for biofuel production. In addition to its on-site capabilities, selected partners can also obtain analyses at their own project sites, giving them more options to evaluate pilot scale heat- and pressure-based conversion technologies like gasification and pyrolysis.
These testing facilities are enabling comprehensive assessment, testing, and development of bioenergy technologies. Together, they represent one of the many ways BETO is helping the nation develop reliable, sustainable, and domestic fuel sources and products.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) Fixed Bed Upgrading and Separations System facility in Washington is scaling up for bio-oil and hydrocarbon fuel production. PNNL recently expanded their hydrotreater, which can now upgrade or stabilize large quantities of bio-oils for potential use at pilot-scale plants. The fixed bed facility can collect samples in each production phase and perform a wide range of analyses, enabling researchers to collect valuable performance and usability information.
Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. CABBI is integrating recent advances in agronomics, genomics, biosystems design, and computational biology to increase the value of energy crops, using a “plants as factories” approach to grow fuels and chemicals in plant stems and an automated foundry to convert biomass into valuable chemicals that are ecologically and economically sustainable.
Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. CBI is accelerating the domestication of bioenergy-relevant plants and microbes to enable high-impact, value-added coproduct development at multiple points in the bioenergy supply chain.
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), led by the University of Wisconsin—Madison in partnership with Michigan State University. GLBRC is developing the science and technological advances to ensure sustainability at each step in the process of creating biofuels and bioproducts from lignocellulose.
Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), led by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. JBEI is using the latest tools in molecular biology, chemical engineering, and computational and robotics technologies to transform biomass into biofuels and bioproducts.
The Western Biomass Research Center, based in Maricopa, AZ, works with the Central-East and Northwestern centers on the genetic improvement of oilseed crop yield and enhancing biomass production.
The Northwestern Biomass Research Center, based in Sidney, MT, is mainly focused on work on oilseed crops with the potential to meet the immediate feedstock needs of the U.S. military and aviation industry for jet and marine fuels.
The Central-East Biomass Research Center, based in Lincoln, NE, focuses on the genetic development and sustainable production of switchgrass and perennial grasses, corn stover, and other crop residues for cellulosic biomass feedstocks. This region produces a significant amount of the corn used for ethanol production, and its challenges in dedicated feedstock production is to integrate biomass production into existing agricultural landscapes in ways that enhance soil and water quality.
The Southeastern Biomass Research Center, based in Tifton, GA, focuses on semitropical perennial grasses such as sugar cane, Napier grass, and biomass sorghum, which can be harvested for sugar- and cellulose-based biorefinery feedstocks. The Southeast is expected to supply nearly half of the required feedstock to supply advanced biofuel to meet the RFS2 goals by 2022.
