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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Distributed biomass supply chain cost optimization to evaluate multiple feedstocks for a biorefinery

Conventional practices of siting all biomass preprocessing operations at the biorefinery is widely believed to be the most cost-effective solution for feedstock supply because of economies of scale. Yet, biomass preprocessing operations could be decentralized by moving the preprocessing operations to distributed biomass preprocessing centers, also known as “depots” located near biomass sources. We present a comparative case study with multiple biomass resources to analyze biorefinery feedstock supply logistics designs having distributed depots and a primary depot co-located with the biorefinery. A mixed-integer linear programming model was developed to simultaneously optimize feedstock sourcing decisions, and optimal preprocessing depot locations and size, utilizing biomass resources from agricultural residue, energy and municipal solid waste to meet carbohydrate specifications and feedstock demand for a biochemical conversion process. Findings from a case study in the US showed that a biorefinery could increase its feedstock supply draw area and supply volume by 57.3%, 177.4% respectively without increasing the feedstock delivered cost by adopting distributed depot-in the feedstock supply chain design. A distributed-depot-based supply chain can be more economical by selecting optimal mix of biomass resource, optimal siting and depot scales during feedstock supply chain design. The results from this study indicate that a biorefinery can utilize dynamic blending to meet the feedstock quality specifications as well as larger supply radius in the distributed depot-based supply chain design to access more available biomass to handle potential feedstock supply uncertainty.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spatially Varying Costs of GHG Abatement with Alternative Cellulosic Feedstocks for Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Cellulosic biomass-based sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) can be produced from various feedstocks. The breakeven price and carbon intensity of these feedstock-to-SAF pathways are likely to differ across feedstocks and across spatial locations due to differences in feedstock attributes, productivity, opportunity costs of land for feedstock production, soil carbon effects, and feedstock composition. We integrate feedstock to fuel supply chain economics and life-cycle carbon accounting using the same system boundary to quantify and compare the spatially varying greenhouse gas (GHG) intensities and costs of GHG abatement with SAFs derived from four feedstocks (switchgrass, miscanthus, energy sorghum, and corn stover) at 4 km resolution across the U.S. rainfed region. We show that the optimal feedstock for each location differs depending on whether the incentive is to lower breakeven price, carbon intensity, or cost of carbon abatement with biomass or to have high biomass production per unit land. The cost of abating GHG emissions with SAF ranges from $\$181$ Mg –1 CO 2 e to more than $\$444$ Mg –1 CO 2 e and is lowest with miscanthus in the Midwest, switchgrass in the south, and energy sorghum in a relatively small region in the Great Plains. While corn stover-based SAF has the lowest breakeven price per gallon, it has the highest cost of abatement due to its relatively high GHG intensity. Furthermore, our findings imply that different types of policies, such as volumetric targets, tax credits, and low carbon fuel standards, will differ in the mix of feedstocks they incentivize and locations where they are produced in the U.S. rainfed region.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Woody Feedstock 2022 State of Technology Report

The U.S. Department of Energy promotes production of advanced liquid transportation fuels from lignocellulosic biomass by funding fundamental and applied research that advances the state of technology (SOT). As part of its involvement in this mission, Idaho National Laboratory completes an annual SOT report for n th -plant and 1 st -plant woody biomass feedstock logistics. The purpose of the SOT is to provide the status of feedstock supply system technology development for woody biomass to biofuels relative to technical targets and cost goals from specific design cases, based on data and experimental results. Conventional feedstock supply systems need to be modified to meet the demands of conversion pathways, specifically to have the ability to adjust the quality of the raw biomass materials. Advanced systems incorporate innovative methods of material handling, preprocessing and supply chain configuration. In advanced designs, variability of the raw biomass can be reduced to produce feedstocks of a uniform format, moving toward biomass commoditization. Against this backdrop, the 2022 Woody SOT for low-ash woody feedstocks utilizes feedstock fractionation by incorporating technologies that can separate the biomass into its anatomical fractions (wood, bark, needle, and extrinsic ash) to reduce impurities and attempt to maximize the retention of usable fractions that satisfy downstream quality considerations. By using a series of air classification steps, this strategy can reduce the extrinsic ash in forest residues, separate out a majority of the incoming needles (which can be supplied to alternate markets), and maximize the retention of whitewood in the usable fraction. The fractionated forest residues are then mixed with clean-pine chips in a 50-50 blend to prepare the feedstock for the desired conversion pathway. The n th -plant analysis estimated the delivered cost for the feedstock at $\$$69.23/dry ton (2016$\$$) which represents a $\$$6.64/dry ton decrease compared to the cost estimate of the 2021 Woody SOT supply system for low-ash woody feedstocks. The quality requirements in the 2022 Woody SOT were identical to those of the 2021 Woody SOT at = 1.00 wt % ash and = 50.51 wt% carbon. The cost savings derive primarily from reductions in dry matter losses during air classification. The GHG emissions for the n th -plant analysis were estimated at 178.39 kg CO2e/dry ton compared to 178.71 kg CO 2 e/dry ton in the 2021 Woody SOT, a decrease of 0.32 kg CO2e/dry ton. The small change stems from an increase in emissions attributed to preprocessing and slightly larger savings in emissions from transportation. In the 1 st -plant analysis of the 2022 Woody SOT system, the average throughput was estimated to be approximately 2,128 dry tons/day or 96.51% of the name plate capacity. During the simulation the daily throughput ranged from 1,090 dry tons/day to 2,200 dry tons/day, or 49.43% to 99.75% of the daily nameplate capacity. After the year of operation 722,403 tons of processed feedstock were produced in total without regard to quality considerations (99.64% of the annual nameplate capacity). The variability in throughput was primarily caused by equipment failures in the system. Regular failures, downtime caused by routine maintenance per manufacturer guidelines, contributed to a majority 62.50% of failures and 62.60% of downtime. Failures due to wear were the other cause of disruption within the system, impacting the rotary shear and orbital screen and accounting for 37.50% of the failures and 37.40% of the total downtime. Ultimately the system was on stream for 87.84% during the simulation period, which is only 2.16 percentage points below the nth-plant assumption for on-stream time. The production cost of the system averaged $\$$71.66/dry ton. The costs ranged from a minimum of $\$$71.23/dry ton to a maximum of $\$$2,115.30/dry ton. When dry matter losses (disposed low-quality fractions as well as other losses such as in grinders) were considered the costs increased to an average of $\$$75.11/dry ton with a minimum of $\$$74.69/dry ton and a maximum of $\$$2,136.86/dry ton...

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Wood pellets, what else? Greenhouse gas parity times of European electricity from wood pellets produced in the south‐eastern United States using different softwood feedstocks

Abstract Several EU countries import wood pellets from the south‐eastern United States. The imported wood pellets are (co‐)fired in power plants with the aim of reducing overall greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions from electricity and meeting EU renewable energy targets. To assess whether GHG emissions are reduced and on what timescale, we construct the GHG balance of wood‐pellet electricity. This GHG balance consists of supply chain and combustion GHG emissions, carbon sequestration during biomass growth and avoided GHG emissions through replacing fossil electricity. We investigate wood pellets from four softwood feedstock types: small roundwood, commercial thinnings, harvest residues and mill residues. Per feedstock, the GHG balance of wood‐pellet electricity is compared against those of alternative scenarios. Alternative scenarios are combinations of alternative fates of the feedstock materials, such as in‐forest decomposition, or the production of paper or wood panels like oriented strand board ( OSB ). Alternative scenario composition depends on feedstock type and local demand for this feedstock. Results indicate that the GHG balance of wood‐pellet electricity equals that of alternative scenarios within 0–21 years (the GHG parity time), after which wood‐pellet electricity has sustained climate benefits. Parity times increase by a maximum of 12 years when varying key variables (emissions associated with paper and panels, soil carbon increase via feedstock decomposition, wood‐pellet electricity supply chain emissions) within maximum plausible ranges. Using commercial thinnings, harvest residues or mill residues as feedstock leads to the shortest GHG parity times (0–6 years) and fastest GHG benefits from wood‐pellet electricity. We find shorter GHG parity times than previous studies, for we use a novel approach that differentiates feedstocks and considers alternative scenarios based on (combinations of) alternative feedstock fates , rather than on alternative land uses. This novel approach is relevant for bioenergy derived from low‐value feedstocks.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Data for Spatially Varying Costs of GHG Abatement with Alternative Cellulosic Feedstocks for Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Cellulosic biomass-based sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) can be produced from various feedstocks. The breakeven price and carbon intensity of these feedstock-to-SAF pathways are likely to differ across feedstocks and across spatial locations due to differences in feedstock attributes, productivity, opportunity costs of land for feedstock production, soil carbon effects, and feedstock composition. We integrate feedstock to fuel supply chain economics and life-cycle carbon accounting using the same system boundary to quantify and compare the spatially varying greenhouse gas (GHG) intensities and costs of GHG abatement with SAFs derived from four feedstocks (switchgrass, miscanthus, energy sorghum, and corn stover) at 4 km resolution across the U.S. rainfed region. We show that the optimal feedstock for each location differs depending on whether the incentive is to lower breakeven price, carbon intensity, or cost of carbon abatement with biomass or to have high biomass production per unit land. The cost of abating GHG emissions with SAF ranges from $181 Mg−1 CO2e to more than $444 Mg−1 CO2e and is lowest with miscanthus in the Midwest, switchgrass in the south, and energy sorghum in a relatively small region in the Great Plains. While corn stover-based SAF has the lowest breakeven price per gallon, it has the highest cost of abatement due to its relatively high GHG intensity. Our findings imply that different types of policies, such as volumetric targets, tax credits, and low carbon fuel standards, will differ in the mix of feedstocks they incentivize and locations where they are produced in the U.S. rainfed region. Note: Column V in TableS7_DayCentSimulatedYield.csv should be labelled Corn Stover CoSo-NT-50% Max.

Geospatial↗
DOE OSTI2020

Slag Management of Carbon Feedstock Used in Gasification FY17 TCF between Eastman Chemical and NETL (Final Report)

NETL, in collaboration with Eastman Chemical Corp (Kingsport, TN), targeted the joint evaluation and refinement of a slag management program developed by NETL (NETL IP, patent applied for) to control gasifier slag properties formed from ash in individual or combinations of different coal-based carbon feedstock materials and specific slag modifiers used in gasification. Slag forms from mineral or organic-metallic impurities in the carbon feedstock that melt at the high temperatures of gasification, coalescing to form a liquid (slag) that must flow from the gasifier. Slag additives, also known as slag modifiers, are often added to the carbon feedstock to modify the ash chemistry and achieve desired slag flow properties at target temperatures used in gasification. If slag does not flow from a gasifier, its buildup within the gasification chamber will cause either gasifier shutdown to physically remove the slag (consuming time and damaging the protective refractory lining), or the gasification temperature must be increased to lower slag viscosity so it can flow from the gasifier, leading to greater refractory wear/corrosion, along with increased fouling and downstream component wear. Because of these issues, gasification is typically targeted at the lowest temperature possible where slag will flow in a controlled manner (a temperature range called T100 for the lowest temperature, with T250 being the highest temperature where the slag has achieved the desired fluidity). That temperature range also needs to yield a desired syngas composition, highlighting the importance of knowing and being able to control carbon feedstock slag viscosity and the temperature of thermal breakdown of the carbon feedstock. Slag viscosity varies with changes in the gasification chamber temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and slag chemistry. The slag model work with Eastman Chemical targeted predicting and controlling molten coal ash slag behavior at specific gasification conditions. The final goal of the refined model was to develop/refine the NETL slag model so a gasifier operator would be able to predict slag behavior prior to purchasing or using a carbon feedstock and control slag properties once a carbon feedstock is being gasified, allowing a gasifier user to determine what mineral additives or blends of different carbon materials would be needed to achieve desired slag properties at targeted gasification conditions. For a given carbon feedstock and desired gasification condition, the actual gasification cost and slag behavior would be able to be predicted using the slag management program in advance of purchasing or using the carbon feedstock – allowing accurate control of slag ash behavior in real time. As part of the TCF project work with Eastman Chemical, the viscosity of several ash compositions of interest to them would be measured and used to populate the slag model, along with a large database of historical slag temperature, chemistry, and viscosity information they possess – information that would in-crease the predictive accuracy of the slag management model with slag ash chemistry of interest to them. As part of the model evaluation and refinement, the predictive model and its database will be installed on computers at Eastman Chemical and used to manage slag properties in a gasifier during real-time operation of their gasifier. In summary, success of the slag management program at Eastman Chemical would support its use by other gasifier operators to manage slag chemistry and properties over other desired gasification temperature ranges, allowing greater process control and efficiency of their carbon feedstock conversion during gasification.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Can a Nuclear-Assisted Biofuels System Enable Liquid Biofuels as the Economic Low-carbon Replacement for All Liquid Fossil Fuels and Hydrocarbon Feedstocks and Enable Negative Carbon Emissions?

This report integrates the results of a series of studies and workshops to address the question: Can a nuclear-assisted biofuels system enable liquid biofuels as the economic low-carbon replacement for all liquid fossil fuels and hydrocarbon feedstocks and simultaneously enable negative carbon emissions? “Economic” is defined as economically competitive relative to other low-carbon replacement options for crude oil. “All” refers to the capability to replace the 18 million barrels of oil per day used by the United States. “Nuclear-assisted” refers to the provision of massive quantities of low-carbon heat and hydrogen at the refinery to fully utilize the carbon content of the cellulosic biomass feedstocks for liquid hydrocarbon production. A system is proposed that decarbonizes about half of the U.S. economy while improving long-term soil productivity and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. In the U.S. almost half the energy consumed by the final customer is in the form of liquid hydrocarbons produced from crude oil. Liquid hydrocarbons are used as (1) an energy source, (2) a method for daily-to-seasonal energy storage, (3) a chemical feedstock, (4) a chemical reducing agent, (5) a method to enhance high-temperature heat transfer in many furnaces and industrial processes and (6) other purposes. As a consequence, the U.S. consumes ~18 million barrels of crude oil per day to produce liquid hydrocarbons. While there are substitutes for liquid hydrocarbons for some applications, our assessment is that the costs and difficulty will dramatically increase if liquid hydrocarbon use goes much below the equivalent of 10 million barrels per day of crude oil. New uses of liquid hydrocarbons to partly replace coal and natural gas could increase demand beyond the equivalent of 10 million barrels of oil per day. One can produce and burn liquid hydrocarbons from biomass without any net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Plants grow by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; thus, burning biomass does not result in any net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Biomass is typically 40% oxygen. To remove this oxygen to create hydrocarbon liquids, there are two options. The first option is to use biomass as (1) a feedstock, (2) an energy source to operate the process and (3) a supply of carbon to remove the biomass oxygen as carbon dioxide. The second option is to use external heat and hydrogen to remove the oxygen as water and produce liquid hydrocarbons. The use of massive quantities of external heat and hydrogen for hydrocarbon liquid fuels production reduces the biomass feedstock per unit of liquid hydrocarbon product by more than a factor of two reducing land use by more than a factor of two. Many cellulosic feedstocks unsuitable for liquid hydrocarbon production are viable feedstocks with external heat and hydrogen inputs. As a result, there is sufficient cellulosic feedstocks to meet U.S. and global liquid fuels hydrocarbon demand without significant impacts on food and fiber prices. The heat and hydrogen (heat plus electricity) are produced using base-load nuclear power plants—the most economic form of nuclear energy. If low-price natural gas, there is also the option of producing hydrogen from natural gas with sequestration of the carbon dioxide. The biomass is locally processed in depots to produce commodity feedstocks that can be shipped long distances to large biorefineries (250,000 barrels per day, oil equivalent) similar to existing refineries except modifications of front-end processes. The depot system enables local recycle of nutrients back to the soil. The biorefinery can produce variable quantities of liquid hydrocarbon fuels and carbon dioxide for sequestration enabling removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Preliminary estimates are that the liquid hydrocarbon costs are equivalent to crude oil at between $60 and $70 per barrel. The largest cost is for hydrogen with biomass feedstocks and refinery costs a smaller fraction of the total cost.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Managing variability in algal biomass production through drying and stabilization of feedstock blends

The uncertainty and variability of algal biomass production presents several challenges to the algal biofuel industry including equipment scaling and the ability to provide a consistent feedstock stream for conversion. Blended feedstocks containing both algal and terrestrial biomass may provide a cost-effective method to manage variability of algal biomass production. The hypothesis is that mixing of algae with terrestrial biomass has the potential to create blends with rheologic (flowability) properties similar to terrestrial feedstock and that blends with the consistency of terrestrial biomass can be dried using established low-cost drying systems. To test this hypothesis and its technical feasibility, prototype bench scale simulated drum dyers were designed and tested with blends of algae and ground pine. Scenedesmus dimorphus biomass was used as the algal feedstock, while 2 mm grind pine was used as the terrestrial feedstock. Pine was selected as the representative terrestrial feedstock to leverage independent HTL research using pine feedstock. In these studies, blends up to 60% algae produced drying curves similar to those of pine alone, and reached dryness (2% moisture) much more rapidly than algae alone. Thermogravimetric analyses performed on these feedstocks provided drying curves consistent with the simulated drum dryers. In addition, observable rheologic properties at the time of blending served as an indicator of drying performance, as those blends with texture similar to pine also dried similar to the pine control. Logistics analyses performed to determine cost and availability of feedstock materials for blending at production scale further indicate the potential of this approach. Lastly, our results indicate that blending of algae with terrestrial biomass enables the use of low cost dryers and has the potential to improve overall algal biofuel economics by capturing the value of excess biomass produced during periods of high productivity and by decoupling of algal production farms and conversion facilities.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Impact of feedstock quality and variation on biochemical and thermochemical conversion

The production of biofuels from lignocellulosic feedstock is attracting considerable attention in the United States and globally as a strategy to diversify energy resources, spur regional economic development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Because of the wide variation in feedstock types, compositions and content of convertible organics, there is a growing need to better understand correlations among feedstock quality attributes and conversion performance. Knowledge of the feedstock impact on conversion is essential to supply quality controlled, uniform and on-spec feedstocks to biorefineries. This review paper informs the development of meaningful feedstock quality specifications for different conversion processes. Discussions are focused on how compositional properties of feedstocks affect various unit operations in biochemical conversion processes, fast pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction. In addition, future perspectives are discussed that focus on the challenges and prospects of addressing compositionally intrinsic inhibitors through feedstock preprocessing at regionally distributed depots. As a result, such preprocessing depots may allow for the commoditization of lignocellulosic feedstock and realization of stable, cost-effective and quality controlled biomass supply systems.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ASSERT FY16 Analysis of Feedstock Companion Markets

Meeting Co-Optima biofuel production targets will require large quantities of mobilized biomass feedstock. Mobilization is of key importance as there is an abundance of biomass resources, yet little is available for purchase, let alone at desired quantity and quality levels needed for a continuous operation, e.g., a biorefinery. Therefore Co-Optima research includes outlining a path towards feedstock production at scale by understanding routes to mobilizing large quantities of biomass feedstock. Continuing along the vertically-integrated path that pioneer cellulosic biorefineries have taken will constrain the bioenergy industry to high biomass yield areas, limiting its ability to reach biofuel production at scale. To advance the cellulosic biofuels industry, a separation between feedstock supply and conversion is necessary. Thus, in contrast to the vertically integrated supply chain, two industries are required: a feedstock industry and a conversion industry. The split is beneficial for growers and feedstock processers as they are able to sell into multiple markets. That is, depots that produce value-add feedstock intermediates that are fully fungible in both the biofuels refining and other, so-called companion markets. As the biofuel industry is currently too small to leverage significant investment in up-stream infrastructure build-up, it requires an established (companion) market to secure demand, which de-risks potential investments and makes a build-up of processing and other logistics infrastructure more likely. A common concern to this theory however is that more demand by other markets could present a disadvantage for biofuels production as resource competition may increase prices leading to reduced availability of low-cost feedstock for biorefineries. To analyze the dynamics across multiple markets vying for the same resources, particularly the potential effects on resource price and distribution, the Companion Market Model (CMM) has been developed in this task by experts in feedstock supply chain analysis, market economics, and System Dynamics from the Idaho National Laboratory and MindsEye Computing.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Herbaceous Feedstock 2019 State of Technology Report

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) promotes the production of advanced liquid transportation fuels from lignocellulosic biomass by funding fundamental and applied research that advances the State of Technology (SOT). As part of its involvement with this mission, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) completes an annual SOT report for biomass feedstock logistics. This report summarizes supply system impacts of Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)-funded research and development efforts at INL and elsewhere (such as the High-Tonnage Feedstock Logistics projects (Webb et al. 2013a, Webb et al. 2013b, Webb et al. 2013c, Webb and Sokhansanj 2014, Sokhansanj et al. 2014)) that lead to improvements in feedstock supply systems. These include improvements to and observed performance of innovative harvest and collection methods, storage technologies, transportation and handling approaches, and advanced preprocessing technologies. Biomass quality and variability, and the interface between feedstock quality and conversion performance are key drivers in addition to delivered feedstock cost. In this report, we estimate the benefits of R&D improvements to individual supply system unit operations and present the status of feedstock logistics technology development for converting biomass into biofuels. These analyses are supported by experimental data where possible and help to align the SOT relative to the cost goals defined in the Multi-Year Program Plan. The 2019 Herbaceous SOT incorporates several technology changes in feedstock preprocessing and introduces opportunities from the integrated landscape management (ILM) strategy and increased grower participation to reduce biomass access costs, while maintaining or improving grower profitability. During FY18 uneven flow from the horizontal bale grinder was identified as a significant issue limiting preprocessing system throughput. Based on FSL-funded research at INL, the 2019 Herbaceous SOT replaces the horizontal bale grinder used in the first stage size reduction with a bale processor. The improved uniformity of biomass flow entering the PDU eliminated slugging flow from the first stage size reduction and improved the throughput of downstream operations. In order to achieve moisture reduction through frictional heating during grinding (which allowed elimination of the costly rotary drum dryer in previous SOTs), the second stage grinder was changed from a rotary shear, which does not remove moisture, back to a hammer mill. Finally, the 2019 Herbaceous SOT introduces modified three-pass and two-pass corn stover supply curves derived from the BT16 resource assessment, based on FY19 modeling results (WBS 4.2.1.20) quantifying economic benefits of ILM in the supply area, together with modeling results (WBS 1.2.1.5) identifying ILM strategies to increase grower participation. The 2019 Herbaceous SOT report documents the current modeled cost of an herbaceous feedstock supply system from harvest to the pretreatment reactor throat for hydrocarbon fuel production via biochemical conversion, based on equipment and processes now available or potentially available in the near term. The modeled cost also considers both the required quality and the availability of the biomass resources. The 2019 Herbaceous SOT predicts a modeled delivered feedstock cost of $81.37 /dry ton (2016$); this is a $2.30/dry ton (2016$) decrease from the 2018 Herbaceous SOT. Technology improvements that contributed to this modeled cost reduction include reduced cost for the new preprocessing design and quantification of the opportunities of the integrated landscape management (ILM) strategy and an increased grower participation rate to reduce the grower payment portion of biomass access costs, while maintaining or improving grower profitability. A greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) assessment was completed by Argonne National Laboratory using the 2019 Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation model, estimating an increase of 14.89 kg CO2e/ton from the 2018 SOT (69.27 kg CO2e/ton in 2018 to 84.16 kg CO2e/ton in 2019). The increase of energy consumption during preprocessing along with higher transportation distance to access low cost biomass from further distance contributed to the increase of GHG emissions in the 2019 Herbaceous SOT. The reason for the increased transportation distances was the cost tradeoff of going farther from the biorefinery to access the cheaper ILM-derived counties (the cheaper price outweighed the cost of increased supply radius).

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Gasification and Techno-Economic Analysis of High-Impact Biomass Feedstocks for the Synthesis of High-Octane Gasoline

Five economically advantaged biomass feedstocks identified in the US Department of Energy's 2016 Billion Ton Study were gasified and the syngas reformed at the bench scale to study the feedstock price-performance relationship. The distribution of reformed syngas compositions, heating values, and yields were similar across the different feedstocks and blends thereof, which ranged from inexpensive residual wastes to more expensive and higher quality biomass, revealing that feedstock performance was mostly insensitive to its price. Custom blended feedstocks produced syngas with characteristics resembling linear combinations of syngas from single-component feedstocks, supporting the ability to customize and predict blended properties based on single-feedstock data. A techno-economic analysis of specific feedstock costs for producing high-octane gasoline showed that miscanthus and forest residues were the most cost-effective with gas yields consistent with experimental gasification data. A field-to-wheels life-cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions showed that forest residues was the most environmentally benign feedstock of those studied.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Biomass production of herbaceous energy crops in the United States: field trial results and yield potential maps from the multiyear regional feedstock partnership

Current knowledge of yield potential and best agronomic management practices for perennial bioenergy grasses is primarily derived from small-scale and short-term studies, yet these studies inform policy at the national scale. In an effort to learn more about how bioenergy grasses perform across multiple locations and years, the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE)/Sun Grant Initiative Regional Feedstock Partnership was initiated in 2008. The objectives of the Feedstock Partnership were to (1) provide a wide range of information for feedstock selection (species choice) and management practice options for a variety of regions and (2) develop national maps of potential feedstock yield for each of the herbaceous species evaluated. The Feedstock Partnership expands our previous understanding of the bioenergy potential of switchgrass, Miscanthus, sorghum, energycane, and prairie mixtures on Conservation Reserve Program land by conducting long-term, replicated trials of each species at diverse environments in the U.S. Trials were initiated between 2008 and 2010 and completed between 2012 and 2015 depending on species. Field-scale plots were utilized for switchgrass and Conservation Reserve Program trials to use traditional agricultural machinery. This is important as we know that the smaller scale studies often overestimated yield potential of some of these species. Insufficient vegetative propagules of energycane and Miscanthus prohibited farm-scale trials of these species. The Feedstock Partnership studies also confirmed that environmental differences across years and across sites had a large impact on biomass production. Nitrogen application had variable effects across feedstocks, but some nitrogen fertilizer generally had a positive effect. National yield potential maps were developed using PRISM-ELM for each species in the Feedstock Partnership. This manuscript, with the accompanying supplemental data, will be useful in making decisions about feedstock selection as well as agronomic practices across a wide region of the country.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Device and method for upgrading petroleum feedstocks and petroleum refinery streams using an alkali metal conductive membrane

A reactor has two chambers, namely an oil feedstock chamber and a source chamber. An ion separator separates the oil feedstock chamber from the source chamber, wherein the ion separator allows alkali metal ions to pass from the source chamber, through the ion separator, and into the oil feedstock chamber. A cathode is at least partially housed within the oil feedstock chamber and an anode is at least partially housed within the source chamber. A quantity of an oil feedstock is within the oil feedstock chamber, the oil feedstock comprising at least one carbon atom and a heteroatom and/or one or more heavy metals, the oil feedstock further comprising naphthenic acid. When the alkali metal ion enters the oil feedstock chamber, the alkali metal reacts with the heteroatom, the heavy metals and/or the naphthenic acid, wherein the reaction with the alkali metal forms inorganic products.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of Feedstock Gasification for High-Octane Fuel Production

Five economically advantaged biomass feedstocks identified in the US Department of Energy's 2016 Billion Ton Study were gasified and the syngas reformed at the bench scale to study the feedstock price-performance relationship. The distribution of reformed syngas compositions, heating values, and yields were similar across the different feedstocks and blends thereof, which ranged from inexpensive residual wastes to more expensive and higher quality biomass, revealing that feedstock performance was mostly insensitive to its price. Custom blended feedstocks produced syngas with characteristics resembling linear combinations of syngas from single-component feedstocks, supporting the ability to customize and predict blended properties based on single-feedstock data. A techno-economic analysis of specific feedstock costs for producing high-octane gasoline showed that miscanthus and forest residues were the most cost-effective. A field-to-wheels life-cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions showed that forest residues was the most environmentally benign feedstock of those studied.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Glass-ceramic matrix composite feedstock and forming

A method of forming a part includes forming a glass-ceramic matrix composite material to form a pre-consolidated feedstock sheet with a pre-determined shape. The pre-consolidated feedstock sheet is sectioned into a first piece of pre-consolidated feedstock sheet and a second piece of pre-consolidated feedstock sheet. The first piece of pre-consolidated feedstock sheet and a second piece of pre-consolidated feedstock sheet are assembled with a second piece of pre-consolidated feedstock sheet to form a composite layup. The first piece of pre-consolidated feedstock sheet and the second piece of pre-consolidated feedstock sheet are joined by compressing the composite layup to form a glass-ceramic matrix composite part.

Gangloff, Jr., John J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Climate Forcing of Bioenergy Feedstocks: Insights From Carbon and Energy Flux Measurements

Bioenergy from biofuels has the potential to slow growing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations by reducing fossil fuel use. However, growing bioenergy feedstocks is a land-intensive process. In the United States, the recent expansion of maize bioethanol has presented some environmental costs, prompting the development of several alternative bioenergy feedstocks. These feedstocks, selected in part for traits associated with ecosystem services, may provide opportunities for environmental benefits beyond fossil fuel displacement. We hypothesized that these bioenergy ecosystems will provide direct climatic cooling through their influence on carbon and radiative energy fluxes (i.e., through albedo). To test this hypothesis, we investigated the potential cooling effect of five current or potential bioenergy feedstocks using multi-year records from eddy covariance towers. Perennial feedstocks were carbon sinks, with an annual mean net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) of –2.7 ± 2.1 Mg C ha –1 for miscanthus, –0.8 ± 1.1 Mg C ha –1 for switchgrass, and –1.4 ± 0.7 Mg C ha –1 for prairie. In contrast, annual rotations were generally carbon sources, with an annual mean NECB of 2.6 ± 2.4 Mg C ha –1 for maize-soy and 3.2 ± 2.1 Mg C ha –1 for sorghum-soy. Using maize-soy as a baseline, conversion to alternative feedstocks increased albedo, inducing further cooling. This effect was strongest for miscanthus, with –3.5 ± 2.0 W m –2 of radiative forcing, and weakest for sorghum, with –1.4 ± 1.4 W m –2 . When feedstock effects on carbon and albedo were compared using carbon equivalents, carbon fluxes were the stronger ecosystem effect, underscoring the role of perennial species as effective carbon sinks. This work highlights the impact of feedstock choice on ecosystem processes as an element of bioenergy land conversion strategies.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Assessing Fossil Fuel and Feedstock Use in the U.S. Plastics and Rubber Sector: A Supply Chain Analysis

In plastics and rubber manufacturing, fossil fuels are consumed both as an energy source and as feedstocks that are converted to higher-value products. For example, in the manufacture of polyethylene, natural gas is consumed both as a fuel and as a feedstock during ethylene production. In this work, we expand on the U.S. Department of Energy's Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Savings Opportunities in U.S. Plastics and Rubber Manufacturing, which quantified onsite fuel consumption and the potential for reducing fuel consumption by increasing energy efficiency in the plastics and rubber sector. The bandwidth study did not quantify fuel consumed upstream in the supply chain or as a feedstock; however, both contribute significantly to a plastic's total fossil fuel requirements. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2014 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS) estimates that fossil fuels consumed as feedstocks account for approximately 74% of total fossil fuel consumption in the U.S. plastic resin manufacturing sector (NAICS 325211). We employ the Materials Flows through Industry (MFI) supply chain modeling tool, developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), to quantify process fuel and feedstock requirements within the supply chains of the same 10 categories of plastics and rubber commodities covered in the DOE bandwidth report. From these results, we identify supply chains that will have a high feedstock requirement even when energy efficiency is increased. We then use MFI to analyze several alternative plastics supply chains, including those utilizing biomass feedstocks and/or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste upcycling, to determine if these alternatives can potentially reduce both process fuel and feedstock requirements within the supply chains of interest. This presentation will include a case study comparison of supply chain energy consumption for petroleum-derived and bio-derived fiberglass reinforced plastic involving a novel waste PET upcycling technique recently discovered by NREL researchers.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗