Biofuels Research and Development:
An Overview of the U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Biomass Program

CREST International
I ttil SymposiumSi
off Algal
Al l FFuell R
ResearcheshAugust 8, 2009
Joyce C
C.Yang,Yang PhPh.D.
D

U.S. DOE Organization Chart
U.S. Secretary of Energy

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For Teachers &Scientists

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Infrastructure &Environment

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Management &Administration

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Science

DefensePrograms

Office of Energy
gy Efficiency
y & Renewable Energy
gy
P
Power
G
Generationti Geothermal Wind & Water Power SolarFuels & Vehicles
 Biomass/Biofuels
Bi/Bi f l Hydrogen Vehicle Technologies

Energy Efficiency
 Buildings Technologies
 Industrial
I d t i lT
Technologies
h l i Weatherization
 Federal Energy Management

DOE National Laboratories

Why Biofuels?

Why Biofuels?
The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world with anunprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuelprices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely mitigation,
the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented.
Hirsch et al., 2005
Peaking of World Oil Production:
Impacts, Mitigation & Risk Management

Why Biofuels?
The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world with anunprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuelprices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely mitigation,
the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented.
Hirsch et al., 2005
Peaking of World Oil Production:
Impacts, Mitigation & Risk Management

Net Difference Between Annual World Oil Reserves
Additions and Annual Consumption

Billions of
BarrelsWhy Biofuels?
New Passenger Cars Trend
8.00
7.00
6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00

• Number of cars constant (~132,000,000)• 6.3% rate of fleet turnover per year
• 12 years to change over 50% of fleet; 30+ years

1.00
0.00
1990

for whole fleet
1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

Year
(
(Data
from DOT Bureau of Transportationp
Statistics))

2004

2006

2008

U.S. Legislative Mandates (Selected Years)

EnergyIndependence
and Securityy
Act (EISA)
of 2007
EPAct
2005

2022
2015

Ad anced Biofuels
Advanced
Biof els

2012(include cellulosic biofuels otherthan starch-based ethanol)

2012
0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Billions of Gallons
Ethanol & Biodiesel

Conventional (Starch) Biofuel

Cellulosic Biofuels

Biodiesel

Other Advanced Biofuels

EISA defines Advanced Biofuel as “renewable fuel, other than ethanol derived
from corn starch, that has lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions…that are at least
50 percent less than baseline lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions
emissions.””

Biomass Program Mission
Develop and transform U
U.S.
S
renewable and abundant biomass
resources into cost-competitive,
high-performance biofuels,
bioproducts, and biopower.
Focus on targeted research,development, and demonstration
St throughthh public
bli andd
Supportprivate partnerships
Deploy in integrated biorefineriesSuccessive Generations of Biofuels

Corn
Ethanol

Cellulosic
Ethanol

Advanced
Biofuels• Commerciallyavailable (noDOEO research)esea c )• Focus of current
DOE research• Focus of planned DOE
research• Potential
P t ti l tto lowerl
GHG emissions 86%• Could minimize
environmental footprint• Uses biomass fromwaste and nonagricultural land

• Energy content, fueleconomy, and chemistry
may be more similar topetroleum-based fuels• Reduced GHG
emissions• Capacity
constrainedBiomass
o ass Programog a Goa
Goalss
Short Term: Foster breakthrough technologies
needed to make cellulosic ethanol cost-competitiveby 2012 (cost target: $1.76/gal).

Mid Term:T
H l createHelpt an environmentit
conducive to maximizing the sustainable productionof biofuels by 2017, including cost-effective
technology sufficient infrastructuretechnology,
infrastructure, appropriate
policies, and supportive consumers.

Long Term: Increase the supply of cellulosic
and advanced biofuels to 21 billion gallons by 2022
(per Renewable Fuel Standard in the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007)

Biofuels Supply Chain
Feedstock
Production

Feedstock
Logistics

Biofuels
Production

Biofuels
Distribution

Biofuels
End Use• Cellulosic Ethanol: Primary focus of the program.
• Alternative Light-Duty and Diesel Replacement Fuels:
Major scoping activities are underway to help prioritize future
workk on additionaldditi
l alternatelt
t ffuelsl ththatt require
i governmental
t l
support and can significantly contribute to achieving thePresident’s
Presidents goals
goals.

Feedstocks for Today and Tomorrow
Today• Grains (corn, sorghum, wheat)• Oilseeds and plants (soybeans)

Tomorrow• Agricultural residues (stalks,stems,, cobs,, other cropp wastes))• Energy crops (switchgrass,miscanthus, poplar, willow)• Forest resources (wood waste, forest
thinnings, small-diameter trees)• Oilseeds and oil crops (Jatropha(Jatropha,
rapeseed, microalgae)• Green wastes (urban wood wastes,
sorted municipal solid waste)Biomass Resources Adequate to Meet RFS

Conclusion:
B 2017
By
2017, fforestt andd croplandl dresources can yield 20-30
billion gallons of cellulosic
biofuels.

Perlack et al., 2005

Regionalg
Biomass Energy
gy Feedstock Partnershipp
MT State Univ
Moccasin, MT

Univ of MN
Morris, MN

ND State Univ
C
Carrington,
ND

SD State Univ
Bristol, SD

SD State Univ
Brookings, SD

Univ of NE
Lincoln, NE
KS State Univ
Hays, KS

OK State Univ
Fargo, OK

Univ of MN
Rochester, MN

Univ of IL
Champaign, IL
Champaign

IA State Univ
Ames, IA

Purdue Univ
West Lafayette, IN

Univ of MO
Columbia MO
Columbia,

KS State Univ
Manhattan,
KS
OK State Univ
Bixby, OK

VA TechGretna, VA
Univ of KY
NC State
St t U
Univi
Lexington, KY
Plymouth, NC

MS State Univ
Starkville, MS
MS State Univ
Raymond, MS
LA State Univ/USDA ARS
St. Gabriel, LA
TX A&M Univ
College Station, TX
TX A&M Univ
Beaumont, TX

Cornell Univ
Ithaca, NY
Rutgersg
Univ
New Brunswick, NJ
Penn State Univ
State College, PA

Auburn Univ
Auburn, AL
Clemson Univ
University of GA Florence,, SC
Bishop, GA
USDA ARS/Univ of GA
Tifton, GA

Planted/Established Field Trials

TX A&M Univ
Corpus Christi,
TX

TX A&M Univ
Westlaco, TX
Univ of HI
Molokai HI
Molokai,Planned Field Trials
Organization
Location

CRP

Energycane

Switchgrass

Miscanthus

SorghumCorn Stover
Removal (All include
ARS)

Total Trials = 38

Biochemical Conversion of Cellulose
Cellulases (Enzymes)

cellulose
ll l
OH

HO

cellobiose

glucoseEthanol

Thermochemical Conversion of Cellulose

gasification

pyrolysis

Hydrocracking
Fischer-Tropsch/
Alcohol Synthesis

EthanolExploring Routes to Convert Biomass
Integrated Biorefineries• Energy
crops• Forest
Residue• Agricultural
wastes• Algae

Pretreatment

Bioethanol

BiochemicalDistillation

Conversion

DDGS
Lignin((for power)p)

Feedstock
Pretreatment

Lipid (Oil)
Extraction

Thermochemical
Conversion

Algal Oil or“Bio-crude”

Hydroprocessing
Transesterification

REFINING

Feedstock
Production& Logistics

Feedstock

Olefins
Gasoline
Jet fuel
Biodiesel
Green
DieselNeed for Advanced Biofuels
Recent studies highlight the potential of advanced
biofuels other than cellulosic ethanol.
Compared to ethanol, this next generation of biofuels
would
ld b
be more similari il iin chemical
h i l makeupktto gasolineli
and diesel fuels.
Their compatibilitypy with the existingg infrastructure mayyexpedite rapid displacement of petroleum(hydrocarbon-based fuels) in the market.

• Green ggasoline• Cellulosic biobutanol• Algae-based biofuels

Hydrocarbon-Compatible(Infrastructure-Compatible)
Advanced Biofuels

Whyy Advanced Biofuels? Demand
U.S. Diesel Outlook(EIA FY2008 Reference Case for 2030)• 75 billion gal/yr

Petroleum• < 0.5 billion gal/yr biodiesel
Jet Fuel
Fraction

production (2007)

DieselFractionsoybean crop utilized

Gasoline
Fraction• 13 billion gal/yr if the entire U.S.
US

U.S. Jet Fuel Outlook(EIA FY2008 Reference Case for 2030)• 35 billion gal/yr

Cellulosic Ethanol displaces light duty gasoline fraction only.
Need heavy duty/diesel substitutes to displace entire barrel.

Whyy Algae?
g
Supplypp y• Algaeg can pproduce more lipidsp(p(plantoils) per acre than other plants -potentially 10x - 20x– Lipids are the preferred starting point tomake diesel or jet fuel from biomass• Algae cultivation can utilize:– marginal,
marginal non
non-arable
arable land
– saline/brackish water– large waste CO2 vent resources• Minimal competition with food, feed,or fiberCommercial-Scale Cultivation

Outdoor Photobioreactor
Ai
ArizonaS
State U
UniversityiiRaceway Ponds
Cyanotech, Hawaii

Technical Barriers• De-watering methods

Algal
Cultivation• Bioreactor design• Temperature control• Invasion and fouling• Lipid extraction• Process
optimization

P ifi ti
• Purification

Oil ((Lipid))
Recovery• Fuelcharacteristics• Engine testing(ASTM)• Starting species• Growth rate
• Oil content & FA
profile• Nutrient requirements•CO2 and H2O sources

Fuel
Production

U.S. Congressional Interest
FY08 DOE Appropriation Language2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA)•

Section 228 Required the DOE topresent a report to Congress on thefeasibility of microalgae as afeedstock for biofuels production

Recent Biomass Program Algae Activities• Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop December 2008
*Public comment on rough draft ended 08/03/09*Workshop Proceedings
http://www.orau.gov/algae2008pro/• 3 University-based algae projects*U. Georgia – livestock waste as algae nutrient*Montana State & Utah State- extremophilic algae*Scripps Oceanographic Institute- diatom lipids• Analyses*Techno-economic modeling (Sandia and NREL)*Resource assessment (Pacific Northwest National Lab)

• Algal Biofuels Consortium FY10

Algal Biofuels Consortium Announcement• Release Date: July 15, 2009
• Funding Opportunity Number (Grants.gov): DE-FOA-0000123• Close date: September 14, 2009
• Consortium Composition: “appropriate
appropriate mix of U.S.
U S industry,
industry academia
academia,
and government and/or non-government laboratories, and could include
foreign entities with the appropriate skill sets”.
• R&D areas:• Feedstock Supply- Strain development and cultivation• Feedstock LogisticsLogistics Harvesting and extraction• Conversion/Production - Accumulation of Intermediates andSynthesis of Fuels and Co-products

Integrated Biorefineries&
Biofuels Infrastructure Compatibility

Biorefinery Demonstrations
Expediting Commercialization
Commercial-Scale Biorefineries(up to $272 M)– FourF
cost-shared,t h d iintegratedtt d bibiorefineryfidemonstrations to produce 98 million
gallons of cellulosic ethanol in 5 years
with variety of conversion technologies
and cellulosic feedstocks

10%-Scale Biorefinery Validation (up to $210 M)– Cost-shared, integrated biorefinery demonstrations using cellulosic
f d t k tofeedstocks
t producedrenewable
bl ffuelsl att one-tentht thof commercial scale– Eight projects now in progress

Commercial-Scale
Biorefineryy Demonstrations
DOE investments in cellulosic biofuels will accelerate commercializationand help create a biofuels market based on non-food feedstocks
feedstocks.

Performers

Feedstock
Type

Conversion
Technology

Status of Project

Abengoa

Agricultural
Residue

Biochemical

Phase 1-Cooperative Agreement
signed Sept. 2007

Bluefire

MSW

Biochemical

Phase 1-Cooperative Agreement
signed Sept. 2007.

Poet

Corncobs
Corn Fiber

Biochemical

Phase 2-Technology Investment
Agreement – Signed Oct. 2008

Woody Waste

Gasification +Mixed Alcohol
synthesis

Phase 2-Technology Investment
Agreement – Signed Nov. 2007
Ground Breaking Nov. 2007

Range
Fuels

Small-Scale (10% of Commercial Scale) Biorefinery
Demonstrations
Performers

Feedstock Type

Conversion
Technology

Alltech Envirofine,
LLC

Wood Residue

Biochemical

Flambeau River

Wood Residue

Thermochemical

Lignol Innovations

Wood Residue

Biochem-organosolv
Biochemorganosolv

NewPage
Corporation

Wood Waste

Thermochemical

Mascoma

Switchgrass & hardwoods

Biochemical

Pacific Ethanol

Agricultural & Forest
Residue

Biochemical

Wood chips (mixed

RSE Pulp & Chemical hardwood)
Verenium Biofuels

Bagasse, A
B
Agriculturali lt l &Wood Residue

Biochemical
BiochemicalImpacts of Intermediate Ethanol Blends
Preliminary Report Issued Oct. 7, 2008
• DOE studying intermediate ethanol blends (allocated$2.1 million in FY07 and $12.5 million in FY08).
• The DOE test program is evaluating -– Vehicle exhaust and evaporative emissions– Catalyst durability and aging– Cold-start operation and drivability– Fuel-system and catalyst materials compatibility• DOE is also evaluating impacts of higher ethanol blends on small engines– Testing leaf blowers, line trimmers, pressure washers, and small generators– Expanded test plan for marine engines, all-terrain vehicles, andmotorcycles in summer 2008 with input from industry.
• Additional durability testing is required

The Biomass Program
Yesterday,Today, andTomorrow

A Billion-Dollar Investment in Biofuels
Since early 2007, DOE has announced investments of more than $1 billion for the
RD&D of ne
new biof
biofuels
els technolog
technology, with
ith a focfocus
s on nonnon-food,
food cellulosic
cell losic feedstocks
feedstocks.
• Cellulosic Ethanol Biorefinery Demonstrations at commercial and 10%-scale• World-classWorld class Bioenergy Research Centers (Office of Science)• University Research projects (including Advanced Biofuels)• New and Improved Enzymes and Micro
Micro-organism
organism R&D• Thermochemical Processes R&D (Pyrolysis, Gasification)• Annual USDA/DOE Joint Solicitation• Field Trials under the Regional Biomass Energy Feedstock Partnership• Biofuels Sustainability Studies and Modeling (Knowledge Discovery
Framework)• Joint EPA/DOE Ethanol Blend Studies

Major DOE Biofuels Project Locations
Cargill Inc(Minneapolis, MN)
Pacific Ethanol(B(Boardman,dOR)Montana State University(B(Bozeman,
MT)

University of Maine(Orono, ME)
Mascoma(Kinross, MI)

University of Minnesota(Minneapolis, MN)

Mascoma(Lebanon, NH)

Flambeau River(Park Falls, WI)

Cornell University(Ithaca, NY)

NewPage(Wisconsin Rapids, WI)
Gas Technology Institute(Des Plaines, IL)

Genencor(Palo Alto, CA)

Novozymes(Davis, CA)
Lignol(Grand Junction, CO)

Ceres, Inc(Thousand Oaks, CA)

BlueFire Ethanol(Mecca, CA)

UOP, LLC(Des Plaines, IL)
Purdue University (2)Iowa State (3) University(West Lafayette, IN)(Ames, IA)
AlltechEnvirofine(Washington
Vi i i Tech
Virginia
T hCounty, KY)(Blacksburg, VA)

Abengoa(Hugoton, KS)
Georgia Tech
(Atlanta, GA)

Verenium Corp (2)((San Diego,
g , CA))Southern ResearchInstitute(Birmingham, AL)

ResearchRh Triangle
Til Institute
I tit t (2)(Research Triangle Park, NC)

University of Georgia(Athens, GA)

Range Fuels(Soperton, GA)

Eight Small-Scale Biorefinery Projects
Four Commercial-Scale Biorefinery Projects

Verenium Biofuels Corp.
(Jennings LA)(Jennings,

Four Improved Enzyme Projects
Five Projects for Fermentation Organisms
Five Thermochemical Syngas Projects
DOE Joint Solicitation Biomass Projects
Five Thermochemical Bio-Oil Projects
Six University Conversion Projects

University of Mass
(Amherst, MA)
GE Global Research(Niskayuna, NY)

Stevens Institute ofTechnology(H b k NJ)(Hoboken
DSM Innovation Center(Parsippany, NJ)
Univeristy ofToledoDupont(Toldeo, OH)(Wilmington, DE)

Poet(Emmetsburg, IA)

Emery Energy(Salt Lake City, UT)

RSE Pulp &Chemical, LLC(Old Town, ME)

Office of Science Bioenergy
Centers
DOE Great Lakes, Madison, WI
DOE Joint Bioenergy Institute, Berkeley,CA
DOE Bioenergy Science Center, Oak
Ridge, TN

Regional Partnerships
South Dakota State Univ., Brookings, SD
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK
Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR2009 Programg
Priorities and Goals
Advancing Presidential Objectives
Science & Discovery• Connecting basic and applied bioscience• Conducting R&D at universities andnational labs to achieve transformational
breakthroughs:•

Advances in enzymes and catalysis• Engineering of new microorganisms• Novel sustainability indicators

Clean, Secure Energy• Developing
p g & demonstratingg cellulosic
and advanced biofuels to meet RFS

Economic Prosperity• Creating 50 to 75 jobs per new biorefinery• Creating major new energy crop markets• Reinvigorating rural economies

Climate Changeg• Reducing GHG emissions by up to 90% withadvanced biofuels (compared to gasoline)Program Plan for FY 2009
Biomass Budget by Technology Area

Products
Development$15.7M

SBIR/STTR$3.8M• Fuels• Chemicals• Materials• Other
Products

Biorefinery
Demonstrations$138.4M• Small commercial scale• Demonstration scale• Pilot Scale

Thermochemical
Syngas & Bio-oil Production
Platform R&D• Gasification & Gas Clean-up$19 9M$19.9M• Pyrolysis & Oil Stabilization
Bioconversion Low-Cost Sugars
Platform R&D• Pretreatment$32.1M• Enzymes• Fermentation

Feedstock Infrastructure$15.1M
Low Cost Biomass
Low-Cost• Production• Harvesting• Collection & Storage• Sustainability
S t i bilit

Recoveryy Act: Biomass Programg• $480M Integrated pilot and demonstration biorefineries• $176.5M Commercial-scale biorefineries• $25M Process demonstration user facility• $5M Sustainability efforts• $50M$
Algal biofuels consortium• $35M Advanced fungible biofuels technology consortiumBiomass Program:g
The Impactp
We are bringing a viable alternative to gasoline to the market, loweringgreenhousehgas emissions
i i
iin ththe ttransportationt ti sector,t andd reducing
d i ththe needdfor imported oil.
• In 2007 alone,, the U.S. biofuels industryy -• Added $48 billion to U.S. gross domestic product• Supported creation of 230,000 jobs
• Displaced 228 million barrels of oil and saved Americans $16.5 billion• Displaced 3% of vehicle gasoline consumption• Recent McKinsey study found that ethanol blending lowered gas prices by 17
cents per gallon in 2008

Questions?
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass