A wide range of biobased products could be made from sugars, lignin, synthesis gas, pyrolysis oil, and other biomass-derived platform chemicals. The Biomass Program is particularly interested in developing transportation fuels, commodity chemicals, and combined heat and power technologies for the utility market, all of which could help reduce dependence on imported oil and foster development of a domestic biorefinery industry. Among other things, the program has done considerable work in the areas of fermentative organisms and other means for biological conversion of sugars, developing products from the lignin that will be generated along with sugars, catalytic conversion of synthesis gas to valuable chemicals, and fermentation of synthesis gas to ethanol. Biorefineries will bundle a number of conversion and separation technologies for specific products to develop economically attractive overall operations.
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