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Office of the Biomass Program (OBP) research could help fundamentally change the way we produce and consume energy and industrial products in the United States. Instead of using fossil fuels to produce energy and industrial products, our vast domestic biomass resources can be used to make similar fuels, power (industrial process heat and electricity), chemicals, materials, and much more. To aid in this transition, OBP partners with U.S. industry to foster research and development in advanced biomass technologies.
The two primary goals of the Biomass Program are to (1) reduce dependence on foreign oil and (2) to spur creation of the domestic biomass industry. To reach these goals, the program focuses on five core R&D areas:
The objective is to develop sustainable technologies capable of providing the necessary large supply of low-cost, high-quality lignocellulosic biomass to biorefineries that produce fuels, combined heat and power, chemicals, and other materials.
This involves the breakdown of biomass into raw component sugars using a range of chemical and biological processes. The objective of the Sugar Platform is to develop the capability of biomass to produce inexpensive sugar streams that can be used to make fuels, chemicals, and other materials that are cost competitive with conventional commodities. The residues from this process can also be used for power or to make other products.
The emphasis is on converting biomass or biomass-derived biorefinery residues to intermediates such as pyrolysis oil and syngas. These intermediates can be used directly as raw fuels or products, or may be further refined to produce fuels and products that are interchangeable with existing commercial commodities such as oils, gasoline, diesel, synthetic natural gas, and high-purity hydrogen.
This broad heading of products includes three market sectors: 1) fuels, 2) chemicals and materials, and 3) power. The products R&D portfolio focuses on bridging the gap between technology development and market demand by maximizing the value of all the components produced by the Sugar and Thermochemical Platforms. This research also supports the concept of producing multiple products from an integrated biorefinery.
This is the ultimate deployment strategy for the Program. A biorefinery embodies a facility that uses biomass to make a range of fuels, combined heat and power, chemicals, and materials in order to maximize the value of biomass. The Program is taking a systems integration approach that translates the technical successes achieved in each of the other four core R&D areas to an integrated market-ready biorefinery. The goal of this R&D area is to establish integrated biorefineries through partnerships with industry and academia.
Figure 1. Biomass Program Research Strategy
To ensure future success in these programs areas, the Biomass Program strongly relies on competitive solicitations to identify projects that support its focus. Through these solicitations, the office funds projects with teams including the private sector, national laboratories, and universities. The Office of the Biomass Program encourages biomass research organizations and industries to consider and respond to these solicitations.
Additionally, the Program works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other government programs through the National Biomass Initiative. This includes joint solicitations between the USDA and DOE that address research goals outlined in the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000.
Detailed information about the Biomass Program research efforts is found in the "Biomass Program's Multi-Year Technical Plan." (PDF 62 MB) Download Acrobat Reader. The Publications page of this Web site includes many other key or informative documents. The Technologies pages explain the five core research and development areas more fully. The Biomass Basics page provides a good introduction to biomass and biomass conversion technology.
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