An interagency board co-chaired by the Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the National Biofuels Action Plan (NBAP), outlining specific actions and goals toward achieving renewable fuels production targets.
The NBAP outlines interagency actions, federally supported research and development efforts, and future goals and required steps in seven areas: Sustainability; feedstock production; feedstock logistics; conversion science and technology; distribution infrastructure; blending; and environment, health, and safety.
Interagency working groups have been chartered with near-term deadlines to deliver key results, such as the development of science-based sustainability criteria and indicators; 10-year forecasts for research to develop cost-effective methods of producing cellulosic biofuels from non-food feedstocks; the advancement of these next generation biofuels to commercialization; and the creation of recommendations on infrastructure issues.
Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman also announced additional steps the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is taking to support the development of a sustainable biofuels industry: research to enable increased use of biofuels, deployment of cellulosic biorefineries, and biofuels research and development.
"The challenge is to find ways to go farther and to go faster–we must progress to the next level," said Secretary Bodman. "That means we must accelerate the development and deployment of next generation biofuels, fuels made from cellulose, algae and from other non-food products as well as fuels compatible with our existing energy infrastructure including renewable diesel, green gasoline and bio-butanol."
Increasing the Use of Biofuels
U.S. consumers already use E10, gasoline blended with 10% ethanol, in conventional vehicles and other engines. In order to meet the goals set forth in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, however, the U.S. will likely need to use higher blends of ethanol in conventional vehicles. The DOE initiated a testing program in August 2007 to assess the potential impacts of higher blends of ethanol such as E15 and E20, gasoline blended with 15 and 20% ethanol, on conventional vehicles and other gasoline engines.
A preliminary report released this week by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, provides results available to date from testing E15 and E20 on 13 vehicles and 28 small non-road engines, including lawn equipment and generators. The report showed that most of the regulated emissions with E15 and E20 were within the normal test variation, and no statistically-significant change was detected. While the data collected to date is encouraging, particularly with regard to regulated emissions, additional studies are needed on a wider range of vehicles and engines, the DOE said.
Supporting Deployment of New Technologies
The deployment of cellulosic biorefineries is a critical pathway to meeting renewable fuels production mandates, according to the plan.
The DOE announced additional funding with POET, LLC of Sioux Falls, S.D.
The DOE also announced the selection of five advanced biofuels projects for funding of up to $7 million. The five projects selected will develop cost-effective, environmentally friendly ways to convert non-food feedstocks into stabilized pyrolysis oils. These biologically-derived oils are generated through the rapid heating of biomass, for the ultimate production of transport fuel. Pyrolysis oils offer the potential of a greenhouse-gas neutral, renewable, and domestically produced alternative to petroleum-based fuels.
Five advanced biofuels projects received negotiation of awards:
— UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.) With partners: Ensyn Corp, DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, Colo.), DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, Wash.) and USDA-Agricultural Research Service.
— Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Blacksburg, Va. and New Brunswick, N.J.) With partner: Rutgers University.
— Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa and Houston, Texas) With partner: ConocoPhillips.
— RTI International (Research Triangle Park, N.C. and Decatur, Ill.) With partner: Archer Daniel Midland Co.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Amherst, Mass.) With partner: Renewable Oil International.
— University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Amherst, Mass.) With partner: Renewable Oil International.
Loading...