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 for a cellulosic industry due to plentiful land, ample rainfall, and a pressing need for agricultural diversification. The goal of […]
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. Lee leads the team of researchers.
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 to short term storage. Changes in biomass quality and impacts of pretreatment techniques are not well understood. And most of […]
This continuing Project with DOE BETO regarding improved logistics builds on advances in two previous High Tonnage projects (Pine at AU; Switchgrass at Genera). The project goal is to evaluate a state-of-the-art biomass merchandizing and processing system to identify sources of variation along the supply chain of multiple, high-impact biomass sources, and to develop practices […]
Opal is an end-to-end RNG provider to the transportation market, currently at Scale, with substantial embedded growth opportunity. The company has 5 operating RNG & 19 renewable power plants, operates 75 stations across 18 states, has 7 projects under construction, and 15 projects in development. CEO Adam Comora recently shared this company overview with investors and stakeholders.
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 an early opportunity for deployment of CO2 utilization technologies. But how do we use it? NREL’s Jack Ferrell leads a […]
The overall goal of this project is to evaluate performance of new miscanthus varieties and improved sustainability within the overall miscanthus biomass supply chain. Specifically, to identify energy crop production that is dependable, high-yielding, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable. Also, provide empirical data on yieldsand environmental effectsof bioenergy crops associated with different geographic locations, soil types […]
Methane! We’ve been shouting it from the rooftops for some time — methane is the future! Made from dairy waste and municipal solid waste, primarily, it’s become the fastest route to carbon jitigation because all that potential methane avoids the atmosphere and insteads finds applications in heat, power and ultimately for chemistry and liquid fuels […]
Policymakers and energy security hawks love fuel, but consumers love renewable chemicals that power the everyday applications in their lives — resins, solvents, nutraceuticals, intermediates to make fabrics, nylons, plastics, and more. There’s a dizzying array of candidates — hydrogen for chemistry, methanol ammonia, PLA, PHA, ethanol, ethylene, MEG, ethyl acetate, BDO, PEG, the four-carbon […]
What’s up with the most exciting molecule in the bioeconomy as measured by capacity building? There are greenfield projects, refinery conversions, new technologies headed toward commercial, and the exciting arrival of DME at scale. What are the drivers, who are the players, what technologies are developing and deploying, how does policy play a role — […]
