US DOE to grant USD 15m for improvements at integrated biorefineries

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award up to USD 15 million (EUR 12.6m) to eight projects seeking to enhance the operations of integrated biorefineries.

The goal of the projects is to solve critical research and developmental challenges needed for the “successful scale-up and reliable operations” of integrated biorefineries (IBRs), the DOE said in a press release on Wednesday. Other objectives will be to cut capital and operating costs and support the production of advanced or cellulosic biofuels and higher-value bioproducts.

The projects are separated by topic in four main focus areas, each of them addressing one or more of the following: continuous handling of solid materials and feeding systems to reactors under various operating conditions; high-value products from waste in an integrated biorefinery; industrial separations within an integrated biorefinery; and analytical modeling of solid materials and reactor feeding systems.

“These projects have the potential to increase the efficiency of producing biofuels and bioproducts, enabling the United States to better utilize its abundant biomass resources, boost economic development, and advance US competitiveness in the global energy market,” said Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.

The projects in the list are led by Thermochemical Recovery International Inc, Texas A&M Agrilife Research, White Dog Labs, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the South Dakota School of Mines, Forest Concepts, Clemson University and Purdue University.

The funding initiative is conducted by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.841)

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