DOE Announces $12 Million in Available Funding to Support up to 5 Advanced Biofuels Development Projects

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 18:58.

DOE Announces $12 Million in Available Funding to Support Advanced Biofuels Development - March 30, 2011

To support the goal announced by President Obama today to reduce America’s oil imports by one-third by 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it will be accepting applications for $12 million in funding for laboratory or small pilot-scale projects that support the development of advanced biofuels. Successful projects will develop technologies that will be able to replace refinery feedstocks or directly replace gasoline, diesel, or jet fuels without requiring modifications to vehicles or fueling infrastructure. These projects will continue to accelerate innovations in the renewable biofuels industry as part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to build a cleaner, safer, and more secure energy future for America that ultimately breaks our dependence on foreign oil and moves our nation toward a clean energy economy that creates jobs and boosts U.S. competitiveness.

The funding opportunity will provide up to $12 million over the next three to four years to support as many as five projects. These investments are for research and development of technologies that will support the production of gasoline, diesel, and/or jet fuels from biomass. Each selectee will utilize biomass materials such as woody biomass, and corn stover in thermochemical conversion processes known as gasification and pyrolysis. Gasification breaks down biomass using heat to produce synthesis gas, which can then be used to produce liquid fuels and chemicals. Pyrolysis also uses heat to break down biomass into liquids that may be upgraded to produce liquid fuels and chemicals. This R&D will leverage existing work and should result in commercially available technologies or processes.

A description of the solicitation, eligibility requirements, and application instructions can be found on the FedConnect website under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000467. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on May 5, 2011.

DOE’s Biomass Program works with industry, academia, and National Laboratory partners on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. For more information on DOE’s Biomass Program, please visit the Biomass Program website.

( categories: )

F-22 Raptor flown on synthetic biofuel

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 22:01.

F-22 Raptor flown on synthetic biofuel - by 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

3/21/2011 -  EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An F-22 Raptor successfully flew at supercruise March 18 on a 50/50 fuel blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biofuel derived from camelina, a weed-like plant not used for food.

The flight was the capstone of a series of ground and flight test events conducted by the 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base the week of March 14 for the Raptor using the biofuel blend. The Air Force selected the F-22 weapon system to be the biofuel blend flight test pathfinder for all fighter aircraft.

The overall test objective was to evaluate biofuel fuel blend suitability in the F-22 weapon system. Testing consisted of air starts, operability, and performance at different speeds and altitude throughout the flight envelope. The F-22 Raptor performed several maneuvers including a supercruise at 40,000 ft. reaching speeds of 1.5 Mach. Supercruise is supersonic flight without using the engine's afterburner.

The overall flight was a success and another milestone completed for the Alternative Fuels Certification Division in support the Air Force's 2016 acquisition goal to cost-competitively acquire 50 percent of the domestic aviation fuel requirement via alternative fuel blends in which the component is derived from domestic sources produced in a manner that is 'greener' than fuels produced from conventional petroleum.

The camelina-derived synthetic fuel falls into a class of hydro-processed blended biofuels known as hydrotreated renewable jet fuels, or "HRJs." The HRJ fuel can be derived from a variety of plant oil and animal fat feedstocks.

Air Force officials in February certified the entire C-17 Globemaster III fleet for unrestricted flight operations using the HRJ biofuel blend.

Disrupt IT