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[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Exelus Selected for Up to $1.2M DOE Award to Further Biomass-to-Gasoline Work
November 13, 2009
| The basic Exelus BTG process. Source; Exelus. Click to enlarge. |
The US Department of Energy has selected Exelus, Inc. for an award of up to $1,200,000 to further its development of Biomass-to-Gasoline (BTG) technology—a novel thermochemical process that converts biomass into a clean, high-octane gasoline-compatible fuel. (Earlier post.)
The BTG process applies a series of moderate-temperature, catalyzed reactions to convert lignocellulosic biomass into gasoline-range alcohols. The BioGasoline produced by BTG has a high octane rating (greater than 105 using the (R+M)/2 method), and lower blending vapor pressure (RVP) and higher energy density than conventional ethanol.
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DOE and USDA Select Projects for More Than $24M in Biomass Research and Development Grants
The US Departments of Agriculture and Energy selected projects for more than $24 million in grants to research and develop technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. Of the $24.4 million announced today, DOE plans to invest up to $4.9 million with USDA contributing up to $19.5 million. Advanced biofuels produced through this funding are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% compared to fossil fuels.
Projects selected must contribute a minimum of 20% of matching funds for research and development projects and 50% of matching funds for demonstration projects. Funding is provided through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and DOE’s Biomass Program.
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UMass Amherst Licenses Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis Technology to Startup Anellotech to Produce Renewable Biogasoline
August 29, 2009
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| Huber’s process rapidly pyrolizes biomass in the presence of a zeolite (ZSM-5) catalyst. Click to enlarge. |
The University of Massachusetts Amherst recently granted a biofuels startup company, Anellotech, exclusive global rights to the university’s catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) technology developed by chemical engineer and UMass Amherst faculty member George Huber for producing renewable biogasoline and other biohydrocarbon fuels. (Earlier post.)
Huber’s patent-pending technique offers a low-cost, single-step process for turning sawdust, woody stalks and other waste biomass into gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil and valuable chemical commodities such as benzene, toluene and xylenes. Huber is a co-founder of Anellotech and chair of Anellotech’s scientific advisory board.
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Diversified Energy Moves Ahead With New Projects for Omnigas and Centia Technologies
Diversified Energy Corporation, an alternative and renewable energy technology development company with a portfolio of several technologies, recently received support for further projects developing its HydroMax/OmniGas molten-metals based gasification technology (earlier post) and its Centia renewable biohydrocarbon drop-in fuel technology (earlier post).
The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) approved the second year of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) funding for Diversified Energy’s OmniGas molten-metals based gasification technology.
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Waste Management Invests In Terrabon Waste-to-Renewable Gasoline Venture
August 26, 2009
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| Terrabon’s pathway to renewable hydrocarbon fuel produces ketones, which are then processed using conventional refinery technology. Click to enlarge. |
Waste Management, Inc. has invested in waste-to-fuel company Terrabon, LLC. Terrabon is the developer of a carboxylic acid fermentation platform licensed from Texas A&M University for the conversion of biomass to fuel intermediates that can then be upgraded into industrial chemicals and renewable gasoline. (Earlier post.)
Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management and environmental services in North America. The company joins Valero Energy Corp., the largest refiner in North America, which also invested in Terrabon in April 2009 and recently increased its investment in Terrabon. This investment from Waste Management and Valero will be used by Terrabon to advance the scalability of their technology.
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Joule Biotechnologies Introduces Its Technology for Producing Renewable Transportation Fuels
July 27, 2009
| Joule Biotechnologies uses proprietary, highly-engineered product-specific organisms to produce renewable fuels and chemicals. Click to enlarge. |
Joule Biotechnologies, Inc., a bioengineering startup, unveiled its Helioculture technology—a system that leverages highly engineered photosynthetic organisms to catalyze the conversion of sunlight and CO2 to usable transportation fuels and chemicals. Among the co-founders of Joule Biotechnologies is Harvard Medical School Professor of Genetics George Church, who also co-founded LS9.
Joule’s SolarFuels meet today’s vehicle fuel specifications and infrastructure; the company expects to achieve widespread production at the energy equivalent of less than $50 per barrel. The company’s first product offering, SolarEthanol fuel, will be ready for commercial-scale development in 2010. Joule has also demonstrated proof of concept for producing hydrocarbon fuel and expects process demonstration by 2011.
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ExxonMobil Launches Major Advanced Algal Biofuel Research and Development Program With Synthetic Genomics; More than $600M Targeted
July 14, 2009
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE) has launched what it calls a “significant” new program to research and develop advanced biofuels from photosynthetic algae that are compatible with today’s gasoline and diesel fuels. As part of the program, ExxonMobil has formed a strategic research and development alliance with Synthetic Genomics Inc., a privately held company focused on developing genomic-driven solutions and founded by genome pioneer, Dr. J. Craig Venter.
Under the program, if research and development milestones are successfully met, ExxonMobil expects to spend more than $600 million, which includes $300 million in internal costs. As part of the multi-faceted agreement, SGI will receive milestone payments for achievements in developing technology related to algal-based biofuels and related products. Total funding for SGI in research and development activities and milestone payments could amount to more than $300 million with the potential for additional income from licensing to third parties.
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Virent Receives Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for BioForming Process to Produce Biohydrocarbon Fuels
June 22, 2009
| Overview of Virent’s BioForming process. Click to enlarge. |
Virent Energy Systems is receiving one of five 2009 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards (Small Business Award) for its BioForming process—a water-based, catalytic method to make gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel from the sugar, starch, or cellulose of plants that requires little external energy other than the plant biomass. (Earlier post.)
Virent’s catalytic BioForming process combines proprietary aqueous-phase reforming (APR) technology with conventional catalytic processing technologies used in petroleum refining—such as catalytic hydrotreating and catalytic condensation processes, including ZSM-5 acid condensation, base catalyzed condensation, acid catalyzed dehydration, and alkylation—to generate the same range of hydrocarbon molecules now refined from petroleum.
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Total Invests in Series D Round of Butanol and Renewable Hydrocarbons Company Gevo
April 28, 2009
Oil and gas major Total has invested an undisclosed amount in the series D round of advanced biofuels company Gevo.
Gevo was founded in 2005 by Drs. Frances Arnold, Matthew Peters and Peter Meinhold of the California Institute of Technology. The company is focused on the development of advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals based on isobutanol and its derivatives. Gevo’s technology enables the cost-effective, practical production of renewable hydrocarbons such as isooctene and isooctane for the gasoline market, renewable jet fuel and renewable diesel blendstocks. Gevo has already produced renewable gasoline and jet fuel that meet or exceed all ASTM specifications.
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Dynamotive Produces Renewable Gasoline and Diesel from Biomass in Three-Stage Process: Pyrolysis, Hydroreforming, Hydrotreating
April 25, 2009
Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation has successfully produced renewable gasoline and diesel from biomass at its research facility in Waterloo Ontario through a novel two-stage upgrading process of its pyrolysis oil, BioOil.
The BINGO (Biomass INto GasOil) process involves pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to produce a primary liquid fuel, BioOil, which is then hydroreformed to a Stage 1 gas-oil equivalent liquid fuel that can either be directly utilized in blends with hydrocarbon fuels for industrial stationary power and heating applications or be further upgraded to transportation grade liquid hydrocarbon fuels (gasoline/diesel) in a Stage 2 hydrotreating process. (Earlier post.)
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Researchers Engineer Yeast to Produce Methyl Halides from Biomass; Precursors for Biohydrocarbon Fuels
April 22, 2009
| CH3I production from cellulosic feedstocks using a microbial co-culture. A. fermentans ferments cellulosic feedstocks to acetate and ethanol, which the modified S. cerevisiae uses to produce methyl halides. Adapted from Bayer et al. (2009). Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have engineered the industrial yeast S. cerevisiae to convert biomass to methyl halides with good yield. As end products, methyl halides (CH3X, X = Cl, Br or I) are used in a variety of applications. They can also be used as intermediates for the chemical synthesis of more complex carbon compounds such as fuel hydrocarbons.
Zeolite catalysts (e.g., ZSM-5 and SAPO-34) have been used to convert methyl halides to products including gasoline, olefins, aromatics, alcohols and ethers. A method to convert biomass to methyl halides thus enables the transformation of biomass into drop-in chemicals and liquid fuels—e.g., bio-gasoline—in a two-step process. A paper on the work was published online 20 April in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
