algae biomass summit jonathan l. male date: october 1...

1 | Bioenergy Technologies Office

BIOENERGY TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE

Algae Biomass Summit

DATE: October 1, 2014

Jonathan L. Male

Director, Bioenergy Technologies Office


Outline

I. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Overview

II. Algae Program Research and Development Portfolio

III. Algae Program Demonstration Portfolio

IV. Recent Awards

V. Upcoming FOAs


The Challenge and The Opportunity

The Challenge

• More than 13 million barrels of petroleum based fuels are required daily for the U.S. transportation sector – 8.5 million barrels of gasoline for the motor vehicles alone.1

• 67% of U.S. petroleum consumption is in the transportation sector ($350 billion) 2

• 7% of U.S. petroleum consumption is for chemicals and products sector ($255 billion) 2

– Relative value is much higher for chemicals and products.

The Opportunity

• Biomass is the leading renewable resource that can provide drop-in fuel replacements utilizing existing infrastructure for light and heavy duty vehicles and air transportation1

• More than 1 billion tons of sustainable biomass could be produced in the U.S. which can provide fuel for vehicles and aviation, make chemicals, and produce power for the grid.

• 30% of U.S. petroleum usage could be displaced using terrestrial biomass by 2030 3

– This does NOT take into account algae which could provide up to 5 billion gallons/year

• High value chemicals and products from biomass can stimulate biofuels production.

1 Energy Information Administration, 2012 Energy Review, U.S. Department of Energy, 20132 Frost, John, Redefining Chemical Manufacture, Industrial Biotechnology, Spring 2005 (numbers are assumed to be annual figures for 2004) 3 Update to the Billion-ton Study, U.S. Department of Energy, 2011


Develop and transform our renewable biomass resources into commercially viable, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower through targeted research, development, demonstration, and deployment supported through public and private partnerships.

Develop commercially viable biomass utilization technologies to enable the sustainable, nationwide production of biofuels that are compatible with today’s transportation infrastructure and can displace a share of petroleum-derived fuels to reduce U.S. dependence on oil and encourage the creation of a new domestic bioenergy industry.

Mission

Strategic Goal

Mission and Strategic Goal

• By 2017, validate a $3/GGE hydrocarbon biofuel (with ≥50% reduction in GHG emissions relative to petroleum-derived fuel) for a mature modeled price for at least one hydrocarbon technology pathway at pilot scale.

• By 2022, validate hydrocarbon biofuels production at >1 ton/day from at least two additional technology pathways at pilot or demonstration scale.

Performance Goals


Benefits

High productivity relative to terrestrial feedstocks.

Adds value to unproductive or marginal lands.

Able to use waste and salt water.

Able to recycle carbon dioxide.

Able to provide valuable co-products, such as protein to meet animal feed needs.

Produces a range of biofuels including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and ethanol.

Potential to be a high-impact feedstock-increasing the U.S. domestic biomass feedstock production potential by 5 billion gallons per year.

Benefits of Algal Biofuels

Photos Courtesy of Sapphire Energy

Renewable Diesel from Algal Lipids: An Integrated Baseline for Cost, Emissions, and Resource Potential from a Harmonized Model; ANL, NREL, and PNNL; June 2012.


Significant Commercialization Challenges

Photos Courtesy Sapphire Energy

Challenges

Affordable and scalable algal biomass production:

• Current commercial technologies are designed for production of high-value products rather than high-yielding commodity-scale products.

• Current facilities use high-cost liners, nutrients, and predator controls.

Siting and sustainability of resources:

• Nutrient recycle has limited use.

• CO2 delivery requirements limit siting decisions.

• Cultivation currently requires significant water resources.

• Harvesting and preprocessing technologies are not energy efficient.

• Competition for CO2 has significantly increased its cost.

There are two overarching challenges to reaching program costs and performance goals:

(1) Reducing costs of production.

(2) Ensuring sustainability and availability of resources.


Algae Program Goals and Objectives

Courtesy Sapphire Energy, LLC

Program Performance Goal

• Develop and demonstrate technologies that make sustainable algal biofuel intermediate feedstocks that perform reliably in conversion processes to yield renewable diesel, jet, and gasoline in support of the BETO’s $3/gge biofuel goal in 2022.

Photo Courtesy of ATP3 Photo Courtesy of Texas A&M

Approach• Set aggressive productivity targets (1,500 gallons of biofuel intermediate per acre annual average

by 2014 – achieved; 2,500 gallons by 2020; and 5,000 gallons by 2022).

• Use techno-economic, life-cycle analysis, and other validated models as tools to direct research and development; evaluate performance towards goals; and down-select pathways, processes, and performers as appropriate.

• Leverage a strong foundation of ecology, advanced biology, and physiology to improve yield and productivity.

• Incorporate engineering solutions to reduce operating costs.


Program Approach: Integrated Research and Development

To achieve program goals, the Algae Program funds research and development across technology readiness levels (TRL 2-6) within a broad portfolio of disciplines across the production and logistics chain, while interfacing with the Conversion, and Demonstration and Market Transformation Programs.


BETO’s Current Algae Funding Profiles

Funding By Recipient Group

Funding By Technical Area


Benchmarking Progress: Technology Pathway Baselines

CO2

Harvest Water Recycle

1: ALU

2: AHTL

Solvent Extraction

Hydrothermal

Liquefaction

Anaerobic

Digestion

Wet

Gasification

Nutrient Recycle

Nutrient Recycle

Hydrotreating

CH4

Fuel

CH4

Algae Growth

Harvest Preprocess

High Priority Pathways• Advanced algal lipid extraction and upgrading (ALU).

• Whole algae hydrothermal liquefaction and upgrading (AHTL).

Pathways analysis will result in national laboratory-led design case studies

for the BETO to benchmark progress towards $3/gge algal biofuel.


Consortia Successes

National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB)• $50M in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds; led by the Donald

Danforth Plant Sciences Center and included 38 partners.

• Results:

o New production strains isolated as well as genetically engineered (productivity greater than 20 g/m2/d)

o New low-energy, temperature regulating, open pond cultivation system (Algae Raceway Integrated Design - ARID)

o Electrocoagulation harvesting technology improved energy return on investment

o Whole Algae Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) for intermediate oil production demonstrated at continuous operation at Pacific Northwest National Lab with the continuous plug flow reactor.

o HTL can produce renewable diesel from low-lipid, wet algae and captures > 60% of the biogenic carbon.

o Analysis shows combined innovations can reduce the cost of algal biofuel to $5 per gallon.

Consortium for Algal Biofuels Commercialization (CAB-Comm)• $9M in FY10-appropriated funds, $2M in FY14 funds; led by University of California, San Diego.

• Results:

o Genetic engineering breakthroughs allowed for insertion and expression of desirable genes.

o Recent metabolic engineering of algae (diatom) demonstrated the ability to improve lipid yield without inhibiting growth.


Sapphire Energy

Managing Applied Algae R&D in Commercially Relevant Scales

• Algae Testbed Public-Private Partnership and Regional Algal Feedstock Testbed Partnership(FY12 $15 million, FY13 $8 million)

o Long-term, synchronized cultivation trials and user-facilities across the country to help scale lab work to production environments and provide data for Program analyses, reducing risk to start-up companies and smaller algae entities.

• Advancements in Algal Biomass Yield Projects (FY13 $16.5 million, FY14 $3.5 million)

o Projects are integrating R&D on increased biological productivity, efficient harvest and preprocessing, and decreased capital and operating costs in order to achieve the target of demonstrating a biofuel intermediate yield of greater than 2,500 gallons per acre by 2020.

o Hawaii Bioenergy, Sapphire Energy, California Polytechnic State University, New Mexico State University, and Cellana, LLC.

Hawaii Bioenergy’s Algae FarmCellana’s Demonstration Facility

Next Steps: Scaling-up Algae Research and Development

NMSU Containment Basin

CalPoly’s Delhi WWT plant site

Sapphire Energy’s Green Crude Farm


For more information visit: www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/integrated-biorefineries

• The Demonstration and Deployment Program manages a diverse portfolio of projects focused on the scale-up of biofuel production technologies from pilot- to demonstration- to pioneer-scale.

• Of the 33 biorefineries that have received funding through BETO, 3 have been completed, 5 are in close-out, and 5 have been either terminated or withdrawn.

• The remaining 20 biorefineries are considered active and utilize a broad spectrum of feedstocks and conversion techniques.

• There are 4 algae projects: Sapphire, Solazyme, Algenol, and BioProcess Algae.

Demonstration and Market Transformation Portfolio – Overview

Map of BETO-funded Projects

Note: Bioprocess is the only I-Pilot Project that appears on this map.

Sapphire

Solazyme

Algenol

BioProcess

http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/integrated_biorefineries.html


Demonstration Portfolio

Algenol • Algenol’s technology utilizes blue-green algae to directly produce

ethanol; hydrothermal liquefaction can also be used to produce hydrocarbon fuels from wet algae. Marine blue-green algae is also cultivated in vertical photobioreactors (PBRs) in salt water.

• Recent progress includes continuous operation for 6 months of a 40 block unit (40 PBRs); and continuous operation for an extended period of a 4,000 block unit (4,000 PBRs in 1 acre).

• Goal for full capacity is 100,000 gallons/year; the project is scheduled for completion in December 2014.

Solazyme• Solazyme’s technology utilizes sucrose and cellulosic-derived sugars

fed into a heterotrophic algae system to produce jet fuel and diesel. Dark fermentation is used to accelerate the microalgae’s oil production.

• Solazyme works with Chevron, UOP Honeywell, and other industry refining partners to produce renewable diesel for vehicles and ships, and renewable jet fuel for both military and commercial application testing.

• Performance tests utilizing cellulosic-derived sugars was completed in January 2014; the completed facility is expected to have a capacity of 300,000 gallons/year.


Demonstration Portfolio

Sapphire Energy• Sapphire’s algae is cultivated in open raceway ponds; “green

crude” is converted into jet fuel and diesel.

• Sapphire has completed continuous operation of at least 22 acres of ponds exceeding 15 months.

• Sapphire repaid its USDA Loan Guarantee ahead of schedule, and has signed a joint development agreement with Phillips 66, and partnered with the Linde Group and Tesoro Refining.

• The completed facility is expected to have a biofuel capacity of 1,000,000 gallons/year.

BioProcess Algae• BioProcess produces kilogram quantities of heterotrophic

lipids using a mixo-trophic algal system co-located at an ethanol plant ready for refining into on-spec military fuels (F-76, JP-5 and JP-8).

• The project comprises 9 greenhouses, on 14 acres, and is designed to process 2.5 tons per day.

• This project is a new start, the project was selected in FY13, and validation is expected in FY14.


Recent BETO Award Announcements

Algal Biofuels Research

Following a 2013 FOA, DOE announced $3.5M in additional funding to support the Department’s goal of producing 2,500 gallons of algal biofuel feedstock per acre per year by 2018, an important milestone toward reducing the cost of algal biofuels to cost-competitive levels of 5,000 gallons per acre per year by 2022.

• Cellana, LLC, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, was selected to receive $3.5M to develop a fully integrated, high-yield algae feedstock production system by integrating the most advanced strain improvement, cultivation, and processing technologies into their operations at Kona Demonstration Facility.

Carbon, Hydrogen and Separation Efficiencies

Following a 2013 FOA, DOE announced $6.3M in additional funding to support lowering production costs by maximizing the renewable carbon and hydrogen from biomass that can be converted to fuels and improving the separation processes in bio-oil production to remove non-fuel components. One of these awards is:

• SRI International of Menlo Park, California will receive $3.2M to produce a bio-crude oil from algal biomass that will maximize the amount of renewable carbon recovered for use in fuel and reduce the nitrogen content of the product in order to meet fuel quality standards.


New Funding Opportunity

• GOAL: The Targeted Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts (TABB) FOA seeks to reduce the cost of algal biofuels from $7 per gallon – the current projected state of technology for 2019 without this FOA – to less than $5 per gallon algal biofuel by 2019, through non-integrated bench and process development scale technology improvements.

• CHALLENGES: Algae Program funded work has highlighted barriers to broad commercialization must be overcome with both higher yields in scalable cultivation systems and higher value of the algal biomass.

• FOA OBJECTIVES: The FOA selection process will identify projects in two topic areas:

1. Multi-disciplinary consortia that bring together upstream and downstream expertise to develop algae cultures that produce valuable bioproductprecursors, alongside fuel components, to increase the overall value of the biomass;

2. Single investigator or small team technology development projects focused on developing crop protection and CO2 utilization technologies to increase yields.

• ADDITION TO PORTFOLIO: This FOA builds on the existing advances towards productivity goals, but is unique from all prior efforts in that the FOA outcome will be a finished fuel rather than a biofuel intermediate. This FOA is the first from the Algae Program to explicitly fund bioproductsR&D in addition to biofuels.

• Concept papers due: 10/30/2014

• Full applications due: 12/15/2014Photo credits NREL and Arizona State University

https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/#FoaId71d6c458-dc5c-4ed3-891b-b9d56f0e75cc


Additional Slides


EERE Organization Chart

Assistant Secretary

David Danielson

Office of Transportation

Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)

Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)

Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO)

Office of

Renewable Power

Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO)

Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO)

Wind & Water Power

Technologies Office (WPTO)

Office of Energy Efficiency

Building Technologies Office (BTO)

Federal Energy Mgmt. Program

(FEMP)

Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO)

Weatherization & Intergovernmental

Programs Office (WIPO)

Sustainability Performance Office (SPO)

Operations &Strategic Innovation Office

(OSIO)

Office of Strategic Programs (SP)

Communications

Stakeholder Engagement

Legislative Affairs

Technology to Market

Policy & Analysis

International

Office of Business Operations (BO)

Information Technology

Services Office (ITSO)

Project Management Coordination

Office (PMCO)

Workforce Management Office (WMO)

Golden Service Center (GSC)

Office of Financial Management (FM)

Budget Office

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary

Michael Carr


R&D Breakthroughs

• NAABB has screened over 1,500 strains and identified 30 promising algae that show marked improvement over baseline production.

• High-yield strains have been shared with partners for testing in their outdoor cultivation facilities.

A scanning electron microscope image of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana

• Researchers at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography made a significant breakthrough in the metabolic engineering of algae to improve yield of lipids (the energy-storing fat molecules that can be used in biofuel production) without inhibiting growth.

• Development of “Rainbow Algae,” the result of stacking multiple traits localized throughout genome with robust expression and targeted protein localization.

• This has resulted in high-impact demonstration of genetic engineering breakthroughs to allow for the insertion and expression of genes as well as the tagging of proteins throughout the algal cell.

Texas A&M, Pecos SiteThe following R&D breakthroughs have high-impact commercial applications:

Texas A&M, Pecos Site


• Molecular toolboxes developed for 5 production strains coupled with climate-simulating PBRs.

• High-throughput pipeline of genomes and transcriptomes to target genes of interest and evaluate biomass potential in simulated production environments

• Whole Algae Hydrothermal Liquefaction demonstrated at continuous operation including separations, upgrading, and carbon recovery from waste-water for multiple algal feedstocks.

• Design basis allows for production of advanced renewable diesel from fast-growing, low-lipid algae and captures > 60% of the biogenic carbon in the biofuel.

R&D Breakthroughs


• A major NAABB Consortium breakthrough is a new technology pathway which implements the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of whole wet algae biomass.

• HTL avoids the steps of biomass drying and solvent extraction of lipids, and is ideal for lower lipid content strains as well as algae cultures of more than one strain.

• The Pacific Northwest National Lab HTL Design Case shows pathway to high-impact algal biofuel, projecting a $4.49 per gallon gasoline equivalent price by 2022.

Baseline and Projections: HTL Pathway

Whole Algae HTL• 57 - 70% of the carbon in

algae captured in oil

• Carbon retained during

hydrotreating (70-90 wt%)

• Aqueous carbon capture as

biogas

Whole Algae HTL

• 40-70% of the carbon in algae

captured in oil.

• Carbon retained during

hydrotreating (70-90 wt%)

• Waste-water cleanup captures

additional carbon as biogas.

HT Fuel

HTL Oil

Algae Slurry

Photo courtesy of PNNL

Source: Process Design and Economics for Conversion of Algal Biomass to Hydrocarbons: Whole Algae Hydrothermal Liquefaction andUpgrading, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, March 2014. http://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-23227.pdf

http://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-23227.pdf


Baseline and Projections: ALU Pathway

Algae Production and Logistics Minimum Fuel Selling Price for Lipid Extraction Pathway

• The greatest opportunity area for reducing costs is production systems

o Improved biomass yield

o Reduced cultivation capital costs (e.g., eliminating plastic pond liners)

• Significant cost improvements are also projected in feedstock harvest and preprocessing.

BETO Multiyear Program Plan: Baseline and Projections

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$14.66

$8.61

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$20.00

$25.00

2010 2014 2018 2022

Pro

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Feedstock Conversion

Hydrotreating Anaerobic Digestion


ABY Goal: Through integrated R&D on algal biology and downstream processing, demonstrate biofuel intermediate yield of greater than 2,500 gallons per acre by 2018.

• Hawaii Bioenergy: The project will develop a cost-effective photosynthetic open-pond system to extract algal oil.

• Sapphire Energy: The project will work on improving algae strains and increasing yield through cultivation improvements and thermal processing of whole algae.

• New Mexico State University: The project will genetically engineer improved productivity of a microalgae and develop a 2-stage thermal processing system.

• California Polytechnic State University: The project will be based at a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Delhi, California, that has six acres of algae ponds.

Algal Biomass Yield (ABY) FOA Selections

Photograph of the 8 acre Hawaii Bioenergy Algae Farm

Bing.com image of Delhi WWT Plant in central California

Google Maps image of the Sapphire Energy field site


Algae Testbed Public-Private Partnership (ATP3)

DOE investment of $15M over a 5 year performance period

Objectives:

• Collaborative Open Testbeds

– Establish a network of testing facilities for the algal research community and increase stakeholder access to real-world conditions for algal biomass production.

– Through facility infrastructure, enable the acceleration of applied algae research, development, investment, and commercial applications for biofuel feedstock production.

• High Impact Data from Long Term Algal Cultivation Trials

– Design and implement a unified experimental program across different regional, seasonal, environmental and operational conditions comparing promising production strains at meaningful scales.

– Feedstock trial data will be made widely available to economic and greenhouse gas models and overall research community allowing for a robust analysis of the state of technology.

• Regional testbed facilities for the partnership are physically located in Arizona, Hawaii, California, Ohio, Georgia, and Florida.

Status:

• Completed the Go/No Go Review on January 29, 2014 and was recommended to proceed forward.

• ATP3 has successfully increased its industry participation by adding four additional stakeholders.

Photos courtesy of ATP3


Regional Algal Feedstock Testbeds (RAFT) Partnership

DOE Investment of $8M over a 4 year performance period

• FY13 CR allowed for an additional selection of a down-scoped award.

• RAFT leverages work and partnerships formed during the National Alliance of Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) Consortia (ARRA $50M).

• RAFT is coordinating feedstock trials with ATP3 to improve laboratory standards and collect data from geographically diverse sites.

Objectives:

• Obtain long term algal cultivation data in outdoor pond systems to determine how much biomass and lipid can be obtained from algae growing year round at pilot scale.

• Optimize biomass and lipid content for production of biofuel using impaired waters.

• Develop real time sensors and control strategies for efficient cultivation.

• Improve and refine cultivation models, as well as system techno-economic models and life cycle assessments.

• Testbeds located in Tucson, AZ; Pecos, TX; Las Cruces, NM, and the Pacific Northwest.

Status:

• RAFT had a successful kick-off in December 2013.

• RAFT has initiated unified production experiments with ATP3.

Photos courtesy of RAFT


In July 2011, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to commit $510 M ($170 M from each agency) to produce hydrocarbon jet and diesel biofuels in the near term. This initiative sought to achieve:

• Multiple, commercial-scale integrated biorefineries

• Cost-competitive biofuel with conventional petroleum (without subsidies).

• Domestically produced fuels from non-food feedstocks.

• Drop-in, fully compatible, MILSPEC fuels (F-76, JP-5, JP8).

• Help meet the Navy’s demand for 1.26 billion gallons of fuel per year.

• Contribute to the Navy’s goal of launching the “Great Green Fleet” in 2016.

• Demonstration of the production and use of more than 100 million gallons per year will dramatically reduce risk for drop-in biofuels production and adoption.

On September 19th, three projects were selected for construction and commissioning:

Defense Production Act (DPA) Initiative

Company Location Feedstock Conversion Pathway Capacity (MMgpy)

Gulf Coast Fats, Oils, and Greases

Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA)

82.0

McCarran, NV Municipal Solid Waste

Gasification – Fischer Tröpsch (FT)

10.0

Lakeview, OR Woody Biomass

Gasification – Fischer Tröpsch (FT)

12.0


Aviation Biofuels: Accomplishments/Milestones

The Commercial Alternative Aviation Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) has set a goal of 1 billion gallons per year of alternative jet fuel by 2018 (the commercial aviation market currently 20 billion gallons per year), and DOE is playing an active role by providing technical expertise in various high-level aviation activities, including:

• Becoming the latest partner agency for Farm to Fly 2.0, joining the aviation sector as well as Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in an agreement to enable commercially viable and sustainable jet fuels in the U.S.

• Serving on CAAFI Steering Group and as a co-host with the FAA for the Aviation Biofuels Techno-Economic Analysis Workshop, November 2012.

• Working with FAA to develop a National Alternative Jet Fuels Strategy Roadmap (December 2014).

• Supporting FAA’s newly established Center of Excellence in alternative jet fuels led by Washington State University/MIT, and supported by National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

• Increasing technical work at National Laboratories to enable achievement of alternative jet fuel goals.


• Significant progress has been made as a result of DOE investment over the

past 3 years in advancing the baseline described in the BETO Multi-Year

Program Plan

• Innovative work across the value chain is showing promise in reducing costs:

• Increased productivity achieved through new strains, strain engineering,

breeding, and application of polycultures

• Advances in sustained outdoor cultivation through crop protection, nutrient

management, and pond design and managements

• Process engineering leading to highly efficient biomass to biofuel intermediate

yields in the 60-70% range. (Demonstrated by Bioprocess Algae and the National

Alliance of Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Consortium)

• Higher yields lead to greater than 50% reductions in land and water requirements

in order to achieve 5 billion gallons per year production scenario.

Significant Program Progress


Algae R&D Sites

AZCATI Test Bed

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Test Bed

Cellana, LLC

Georgia Institute of Technology Test Bed

University of Arizona

Test Bed Facilities

Regional Algae Feedstock Trials

Hawaii Bioenergy

Sapphire EnergyNew Mexico State University

California Polytechnic State University

ABY Selections

Texas A&M University

PNNL & New Mexico State University


Strategic Communications• New Communications

Vehicles & Outlets• Awareness and Support of

Office• Benefits of

Bioenergy/Bioproducts

BETO’s Core Focus Areas

Research, Development, Demonstration, & Market Transformation

FeedstockSupply &Logistics R&D• Terrestrial• Algae• Product

Logistics Preprocessing

Conversion R&D• Biochemical• Thermochemical• Deconstruction• Biointermediate• Upgrading

Demonstration & Market Transformation• Integrated

Biorefineries• Biofuels

DistributionInfrastructure

Sustainability• Sustainability

Analysis• Sustainable

System Design

Strategic Analysis• Technology and

Resource Assessment

• Market and Impact Analysis

• Model Development & Data compilation

Cross Cutting

Program Portfolio Management

• Planning • Systems-Level Analysis • Performance Validation and Assessment• MYPP • Peer Review • Merit Review • Quarterly Portfolio Review

• Competitive • Non-competitive • Lab Capabilities Matrix


Key Challenge for Innovation Involves Lowering Risks

De-risking technologies is central to R&D through demonstration that addresses greater integration and scale:

• BETO is focusing on advancing renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels technologies.• Technical, construction, operational and financial/market risks.

Key Challenges

Biomass Pretreatment Conversion Product

• Reliable supply • Consistent quality • Affordable delivery

• Biomass feeding, sizing and moisture

• Solids handling • Construction materials

• Products Yields • Construction materials • Catalysts • Fermentation organisms

• Separations• Catalytic upgrading • Recycle loops


A 42-gallon (U.S.) barrel of crude oil yields about 45 gallons of petroleum products.

Greater focus is needed on RD&D for a range of technologies to displace the entire barrel of petroleum crude.

• U.S. spends about $1 Billion each day on crude oil imports.*

• Only about 40% of a barrel of crude oil is used to produce petroleum gasoline.

• Cellulosic ethanol can only displace the portion of the barrel that is made into gasoline.

• Reducing our dependence on oil also requires replacing diesel, jet fuel, heavy distillates, and a range of other chemicals and products that are currently derived from crude oil.

*American Petroleum Institute

Replacing the Whole Barrel


Demonstration Portfolio – Key Algae Projects: Algenol (Pilot-Scale)

Photos courtesy of Algenol

Technology • Overexpression of fermentation pathway enzymes in blue-green algae to directly produce ethanol,

as well as hydrothermal liquefaction of wet algae to hydrocarbon fuels.

• Cultivation of marine blue-green algae in vertical photobioreactors (salt water).

Progress• 40 Block (40 PBRs) operated continuously for over 6 months.

• 4,000 Block (4,000 PBRs in 1 acre) operated successfully and continuously for extended period.

• Downstream processing unit operations in place and in various stages of shakedown, commissioning, and operation.

• Successfully generating an average of 6,000 gallons/acre/year of ethanol.

• 31 issued patents and 63 pending applications.

• Goal for full capacity is 100,000 gallons/year.

• Project is scheduled for completion in December 2014.

Membrane Dehydration SkidHydrothermal Liquefaction Unit

Photobioreactors

Reference: http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/integrated-biorefineries

http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/integrated-biorefineries


Solazyme, Inc.: Pilot-Scale

Technology

• Sucrose and cellulosic-derived sugar fed heterotrophic algae system to produce renewable jet fuel and diesel.

• Utilizes dark fermentation to accelerate the micralgae‘s natural oil production.

• Capicity of facility is for 500,000 L of oil.

Progress

• Works with Chevron, UOP Honeywell, and other industry refining partners to produce renewable diesel, renewable diesel for ships, and renewable jet fuel for both military and commercial application testing.

• Mechanical completion mid-year 2012.

• Sucrose optimization runs complete.

• Performance test utilizing cellulosic-derived sugars completed January 2014.

• Biofuel capacity of 300,000 gallons/year.

Photos courtesy of Solazyme

Industrial fermentation



BioProcess Algae: Pilot-Scale

Technology• Produce kilogram quantities of heterotrophic lipids using a mixo-trophic algal

system co-located at an ethanol plant ready for refining into on-spec military fuels (F-76, JP-5 and JP-8).

• Project comprises 9 greenhouses, on 14 acres, and is designed to process 2.5 tons per day.

Progress• This project is a new start this year. Project was selected in FY13, validation is

expected in FY14.

• Long-lead bench equipment in operation.

• On-spec biomass production complete, extraction and refining complete.

• Hydroprocessing of bio-oils and crude extracted oil complete.

Photos courtesy of BioProcess Algae

Reference: http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/algal-integrated-biorefineries

http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/algal-integrated-biorefineries


Sapphire Energy, Inc.: Demonstration-Scale

Technology• Cultivation in open raceway ponds.

• Convert to a “Green Crude” for conversion into jet fuel and diesel.

Progress• Continuous operation of at least 22 acres of ponds exceeding 15 months.

• Repaid USDA Loan Guarantee ahead of schedule, project self-financed.

• Signed joint development agreement with Phillips 66.

• Expanded partnership with Linde Group to commercialize its downstream conversion technology.

• Entered a commercial agreement with Tesoro Refining for the purchase of Sapphire’s Green Crude.

• Biofuel capacity of 1,000,000 gallons/year.

May Contain Business Sensitive and Proprietary Information

Photos courtesy of Sapphire Energy


http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/integrated-biorefineries


Upcoming Event

• BETO is organizing a Workshop on Waste-to-Energy, which is scheduled to take place November 5, 2014 in Washington, DC.

• Identify and address technical barriers in the Waste to Energy space presently limiting commercial operations

• Topics of Specific Interest:– Wastewater residuals and biosolids

– Foodstuffs and other wet, organic municipal solid waste

– Anaerobic digestion

– Hydrothermal liquefaction

• If you are interested in attending or for more information please email [email protected]

Waste to Energy Roadmapping Workshop

http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/events/waste-energy-roadmapping-workshop

mailto:[email protected]

algae biomass summit jonathan l. male date: october 1...

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