Replacing the Whole Barrel Text Version

This flash animation widget describes the Department of Energy's vision of "Replacing the Whole Barrel" of petroleum crude with biomass-derived fuels and products. The layered barrel graphic shows products made from a typical barrel of crude oil according to data from the Energy Information Administration in 2010: diesel (10 gallons), jet fuel (4 gallons), gasoline (19 gallons), and other products (12 gallons).

The United States spends nearly $1 billion a day on imported oil. Clicking the droplets below the barrel navigates to screens for each of the four major barrel product categories.*

* Energy Information Administration. Layers show products made from a barrel of crude oil (gallons) in 2010.

Diesel

Biomass-based diesel blendstocks

  • Potential Markets
    • Light-to heavy-duty vehicles; military; rail
  • Technologies in Biomass Portfolio
    • Biochemical- pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, hydrogeneration
    • Thermochemical- gasification, pyrolysis, liquefaction, upgrading thermochemical intermediates
    • Algal- sunlight/CO2/nutrients to algal oils then hydrotreating or metathesis chemistry
  • Biomass Program Project Partners
    • Targeted R&D
      • ANL1,2
      • BMI
      • Danisco1
      • DSM
      • GTI
      • HCL Cleantech1
      • INL1,2
      • MBI
      • NABC
      • Novozymes1
      • NREL
      • PNNL
      • SABC
      • TEES1
      • UOP
      • W.R. Grace
      • RTI

1Focusing on upstream processes that can be leveraged
2Participating in cross-cutting activities

    • Integrated biorefinery demonstrations
      • Amyris
      • Clearfuels/Rentech
      • Elevance
      • Flambeau
      • GTI
      • NewPage
      • REII
      • Sapphire
      • Solazyme
      • UOP

Jet Fuel

Biomass-based jetblendstocks

  • Potential Markets
    • Commercial and military aviation
  • Technologies in Biomass Portfolio
    • Biochemical- pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, catalytic conversion, hydroprocessing
    • Thermochemical- gasification, pyrolysis, liquefaction, upgrading thermochemical intermediates
    • Algal- sunlight/CO2/nutrients to algal oils upgrading or metathesis chemistry
  • Biomass Program Project Partners
    • Targeted R&D
      • ANL1
      • BMI
      • GTI
      • HCL Cleantech1
      • Iowa State University
      • INL1,2
      • Lanza Tech
      • MBI
      • NAABB
      • NABC
      • NREL
      • RTI
      • TEES1
      • University of Massachusetts
      • UOP
      • Virent
      • Virginia Tech
      • W.R. Grace

1Focusing on upstream processes that can be leveraged
2Participating in cross-cutting activities

    • Intergrated biorefinery demonstrations
      • Cleanfuels/Rentech
      • Elevance
      • RSA
      • Sapphire
      • Solazyme

Gasoline

Biomass-based gasoline blendstocks (ethanol and renewable gasoline)

  • Potential Markets
    • Light-duty vehicles
  • Technologies in Biomass Portfolio
    • Biochemical- pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, catalytic conversion, hydroprocessing
    • Thermochemical- gasification, pyrolysis, liquefaction, upgrading thermochemical intermediates
    • Algal- sunlight/CO2/nutrients to ethanol
  • Biomass Program Project Partners
    • Targeted R&D
      • ANL1,2
      • Cargill
      • Danisco1
      • DSM
      • DuPont
      • GTI
      • INL1,2
      • LanzaTech
      • Masacoma
      • MBI
      • NAABB
      • NABC
      • Novozymes1
      • NREL
      • PNNL
      • RTI
      • TEES
      • UOP
      • Virent
      • W.R. Grace

1Focusing on upstream processes that can be leveraged
2Participating in cross-cutting activities

    • Intergrated biorefinery demonstrations
      • Abengoa
      • ADM
      • Algenol
      • API
      • Blue Fire
      • Enerkem
      • GTI
      • Haldor Topsoe
      • ICM
      • INEOS
      • Lignol
      • Logos
      • Masacoma
      • Pacific Ethanol
      • POET
      • RSA
      • UOP
      • Verenium
      • Zeachem

Other Products*

*Other Products include heating oil and other distillates, heavy fuel, liquified petroleum gases, and more.

Biomass-based products

  • Potential Markets
    • Plastics, solvents, alcohols, specialty chemicals
  • Technologies in Biomass Portfolio
    • Biochemical- pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation
    • Thermochemical- gasification, pyrolysis, liquefaction, upgrading thermochemical intermediates
    • Algal- methathesis chemistry
  • Biomass Program Project Partners
    • Targeted R&D
      • ANL1,2
      • Danisco1
      • DSM1
      • Genomatica
      • General Atomics
      • INL1,2
      • LanzaTech
      • MBI1
      • NAABB
      • NREL1
      • PNNL
      • TEES1
      • Virginia Tech
      • Virent
      • W.R. Grace

1Focusing on upstream processes that can be leveraged
2Participating in cross-cutting activities

    • Intergrated biorefinery demonstrations
      • ADM
      • Amyris
      • API
      • Elevance
      • Flambeau
      • Myriant
      • New Page
      • Pacific Ethanol
      • RSA
      • Zeachem

For more information, view the Biomass Program Overview, available on the "About the Program" Web page.