U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Bioenergy Technologies Office

Project Fact Sheets

There are numerous facets to biomass research. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office consists of a large array of related but discrete projects covering various aspects of biomass feedstock generation and conversion technologies. DOE national laboratories conduct some projects; universities or other outside research organizations carry out others. Project selection also varies over time, with some projects taking only a year and others continuing for several. The following fact sheets summarize these various internal, external, and joint projects that make up the Bioenergy Technologies Office's project portfolio.

For a listing and summaries of major fact sheets and publications, see our Publications Listing page.

Research and Development Projects

• Feedstocks
• Biochemical Platform Technology
• Thermochemical Platform Technology
• Integrated Biorefineries
• Biobased Products
• Congressionally Directed Projects

Feedstock Research Projects

• Active
  • Feedstock Infrastructure
  • Feedstock Supply Logistics
  • Multi-Component Harvesting of Wheat Straw
• Complete
  • Harvesting and Collection of Biomass
  • Selective Harvest of Wheat Straw
  • Biomass Bulk Processing and Storage
  • Feedstock Supply Forecasts and Analysis
  • Feedstock Supply System Logistics

Biochemical Platform Research Projects

• Active
  • Biochemical Platform Analysis
  • Biochemical Platform Processing Integration
  • Feedstock Sugar Interface
  • Integration of Biomass Pretreatment Technologies With Enzymatic Digestion and Hydrolyzate Fermentation
  • Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis
  • Targeted Conversion Research
• Complete
  • Biological Fractionation Fundamentals
  • Biomass Structure
  • Biomass Surface Characterization 
  • Chemical Processing Fundamentals
  • Development of Improved Ethanol Fermentation Microorganisms
  • Development of New Sugar Hydrolysis Enzymes: Genencor International
  • Development of New Sugar Hydrolysis Enzymes: Novozymes Biotech, Inc.
  • Emerging Pretreatment Options
  • Enzymatic Biomass Conversion Process Integration
  • Enzyme-Mediated Pretreatment
  • Fundamental Study on Kinetics and Transport Phenomena in Low-Water, Dilute-Acid Total Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Biomass
  • Fundamentals of Biomass Hydrolysis at Low pH
  • Pretreatment of Applications for Corn Dry Mills

Thermochemical Platform Research Projects

• Active
  • Advancement of High-Temperature Black Liquor Gasification Technology
  • Biomass Gas Clean-Up Using a Therminator
  • Catalytic Hydrothermal Gasification of Wet Biomass Feedstocks
  • Causticizing for Black Liquor Gasifiers
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Fuel and Chemical Production at Pulp Mills
  • Direct Causticization for Black Liquor Gasification
  • Evaluation of Membrane Systems for Biomass Gasifiers 
  • Feed Processing, Handling, and Gasification 
  • Evaluation of Sulfur in Syngas
  • Fuel Chemistry and Bed Performance in a Black Liquor Steam Reformer 
  • Gasification of Biorefinery Residues
  • Mixed Alcohols Production From Syngas
  • New Catalysts for In-Process Elimination of Tars
  • Pressurized Entrained-Flow Draft Black Liquor Gasification
  • Pyrolysis Oil Upgrading
  • Refractory for Black Liquor Gasifiers
  • Syngas Clean-Up and Conditioning
  • Thermochemical Conversion Analysis
  • Thermochemical Conversion of Corn Stover
  • Trace Metal Scavenging From Biomass Syngas Using Novel Sorbents 
• Complete
  • Catalytic Cleanup Conditioning Fundamentals
  • Evaluation of RVS-1 Sorbent for Removal of Sulfur from Black Liquor Gasification
  • Fundamentals of Biomass Gasification
  • Gasification of Wet Biomass
  • Materials Evaluation for Black Liquor and Biomass Gasifiers
  • Pulsed Black Liquor Reformer Materials Evaluation
  • Syngas Particulate Cleanup
  • Thermochemical Process Modeling and Optimization

Integrated Biorefineries

• Recovery Act - Active
  • ADM Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Algenol Recovery Act Biorefinery Project 
  • Amyris Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • API Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Bluefire Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Clear Fuels Recovery Act Biorefinery Project 
  • Enerkem Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Haldor Topsoe Recovery Act Biorefinery Project 
  • ICM Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • INEOS Bio Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Logos Recovery Act Biorefinery Project 
  • Myriant Recovery Act Biorefinery Project 
  • REII Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Sapphire Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Solazyme Recovery Act Biorefinery Project 
  • UOP Recovery Act Biorefinery Project  
  • ZeaChem Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
• Active
  • Abengoa Commercial Scale Biorefinery
  • Poet Commercial Scale Biorefinery
  • Mascoma Demonstration Scale Biorefinery
  • RSA Demonstration Scale Biorefinery 
• Complete
  • Making Industrial Biorefining Happen
  • Integrated Corn-Based Biorefinery
  • Advancing Biorefining of Distiller's Grain and Corn Stover Blends
  • Big Island Demonstration Project - Black Liquor
  • Collection, Commercial Processing, and Utilization of Corn Stover
  • Enhancement of Co-Products From Bioconversion of Municipal Solid Waste
  • A New Biorefinery Platform Intermediate
  • A Second-Generation Dry Mill Biorefinery
  • Separation of Corn Fiber and Conversion to Fuels and Chemicals: Pilot-Scale Operation
  • GTI Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
  • Verenium Biofuels Corporation Demonstration Scale Biorefinery
  • Elevance Recovery Act Biorefinery Project
• Inactive
  • Range Fuels Commercial Scale Biorefinery
  • Flambeau River Biofuels LLC Demonstration Scale Biorefinery
  • NewPage Corp. Demonstration Scale Biorefinery
  • Lignol Innovations, Inc Demonstration Scale Biorefinery

  Biobased Products

  • Active
    • Catalytic Upgrading of Glycerol to Propylene Glycol
    • Chemicals from Oilseeds
    • Engineering Thermotolerant Biocatalysts for Biomass Conversion to Products
    • Fungal Genomics
    • New Sustainable Chemistry for Adhesives, Elastomers, and Foams
    • Opportunity Analysis for Bio-Based Products
    • Platform Chemicals from an Oilseed Biorefinery
    • Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers
    • Separative Bioreactor
    • Top Value-Added Chemicals from Biomass: Sugar, Syngas, and Lignin Pathways
    • Value-Added Products From Hemicellulose Utilization in Dry Mill Ethanol Plants
  • Complete
    • Arabinose Yeast Cooperative Research and Development
    • Biocatalyst Development for Chemicals
    • Evaluation of Performance and Emission Benefits of Renewable Diesel Transportation Fuel
    • Functionalized Vegetable Oils for Use as Polymer Building Blocks
    • Pyrolysis Oil Upgrading for Products
    • Wood Adhesives from Bark-Derived Phenols

  Congressionally Directed Projects

  • Active
    • Agricultural Mixed Waste Biorefinery Using Thermal Conversion Process
    • Biomass-Derived Hydrogen from a Thermally Ballasted Gasifier
    • Energy from Biomass Research and Technology Transfer Program
    • Gasification-Based Fuel Conversion and Electricity Production in the Forest Products Industry
    • Gasification Research Center
    • Hybrid Poplar Research
    • Indiana Corn Dry Mill
    • Integration of Succinic Acid Production in a Dry Mill Ethanol Facility
    • Iowa Switchgrass Project 
    • Kentucky Rural Energy Supply Program 
    • Micro-Modular Biopower System for Cooling, Heating, and Power
    • Mississippi Ethanol Gasification Project
    • Native Flora Utilization
    • North Central Texas Dairy Waste Control Pilot Project
    • On-Farm Small-Scale Waste Energy Demonstration
    • Southeast Alaska Wood Residue Biorefinery
  • Complete
    • AgraPure Mississippi Biomass Project
    • Black Belt Bioenergy Demonstration Project 
    • North Country Hospital Biomass Conversion and Cogeneration Project
    • Salix Consortium: Energy Crops for Power Production