Bioenergy Technologies: Past, Present and Future Joyce Yang, PhD Technology Manager June 17, 2013 BIO World Congress Montreal, Canada 1 Bioenergy Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Why Biofuels: Energy Security and Diversity Line at Gas Station in Maryland (1979) US News and World Reports Cause: Iranian Revolution (loss of imported oil) Line at Gas Station in New Jersey (2012) Christian Science Monitor Cause: Hurricane Sandy (loss of electric power) 2 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Compelling Economics: Value of Biofuels Lost Imported crude oil ($75/bbl) Cost of production & transport (avg.): $20/bbl + Profit to host country : $55/bbl Cost of refining & Taxes: + marketing: + $20/bbl = $30/bbl Pump price: $125/bbl ($3/gal) Biomass Cost of feedstock supply and logistics: $31/bbl Cost of Taxes: + conversion, distribution, + $20/bbl = marketing: $74/bbl Pump price: $125/bbl ($3/gal) Price differential between imported crude oil vs. domestic biomass: $75/bbl x 4.3 x 10 9 barrels/year = $323 billion/year Sources: EIA, Annual Energy Review; BETO MYPP 3 Bioenergy Technologies Office
U.S. Energy Policy & Program History Oil Crisis ( 73-79) Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 Energy Security Act of 1980 Established DOE Office of Alcohol Fuels Program Energy Policy Act of 1992 Specified tax incentives; Loan Guarantee Biomass Act of 2000 USDA & DOE Lead Biomass R&D Board and TAC Energy Policy Act of 2005 Defines Renewable Biomass Energy Indepencence and Security Act of 2007 Establishes Renewable Fuel Standard Source: U.S. Energy Information Agency (2010) 4 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Key Policy Driver: U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Advanced Biofuels 2022 2015 2012 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Production Targets (Billions of Gallons) Fuel Category Lifecycle GHG Reduction Thresholds* Conventional biofuels 20% Biomass-based diesel 50% *Reduction from 2005 petroleum baseline Other advanced biofuels 50% Cellulosic biofuels 60% 5 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Gallons of ethanol produced (in millions) Different Names, Enduring Mission 1980 s Office of Alcohol Fuels Program (AFP) 1990 s Office of Fuels Development (OFD) 2000 s Office of Biomass Program (OBP) 2010 s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Mission Develop and transform our renewable biomass resources into commercially viable, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower through targeted research, development, demonstration, and deployment supported through public and private partnerships. 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 Source: Renewable Fuels Association 6 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Cellulosics: Improving the Environmental Benefits Water Consumption of Transportation Fuel Corn ethanol Switchgrass ethanol Gasoline (US conventional crude) Net Water consumed 10-324 L/L ethanol 2-10 L/L ethanol 3-7 L/L gasoline Key Variability Factors Regional differences in irrigation Fuel production technology Age of oil well, production technology and degree of recycling Gasoline (Canadian oil sands) 3-6 L/L gasoline Geological formation, production technology Source: Wu et al. Environmental Management (2009) Source: Wang et al. Environmental Research Letters (2007) 7 Bioenergy Technologies Office
DOE Approach: Reduce Uncertainties and Risks Research & Develop Technologies (Feedstocks, Biological and Non-Biological Conversion) Model Cost Impacts and Sustainability Integrate, Demonstrate & Deploy New Technology with Pilot, Demo and Commercial Scale Biorefineries Replicate Commercial Scale Integrated Biorefineries 8 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Cellulosic Ethanol Accomplishment In September 2012, scientists at DOE s National Laboratories successfully demonstrated feedstock and conversion processes resulting in production of cellulosic ethanol at a price of $2.15 or less per gallon. Cellulosic Biomass (biomass harvesting and supply system logistics) Biochemical (deconstruction and fermentation) Pathway Thermochemical (gasification and fuel synthesis) Pathway Demonstrated pilot plant production of cellulosic ethanol cost of $2.15 and $2.05 (modeled nth plant) for Biochemical and Thermochemical pathways respectively Further benefit to the biofuels industry: Enabling the Renewable Fuel Standard production target of 16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuel by 2022 Leveraging of technical breakthroughs to enable conversion of cellulosic feedstock to hydrocarbon biofuels (virtually indistinguishable from gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other petroleum products) Enable the United States to better harness its natural resources, increase U.S. energy security, cut costs at the pump, and reduce dependence of foreign oil 9 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Biochemical Conversion of Corn Stover: A Decade of Improvements Source: NREL Biomass Supply Feedstock Logistics Pretreatment /Conditioning Enzymatic Hydrolysis Fermentation Ethanol Production Cost Improvements: (2001 = $9.16; 2012 = $2.15) 2001 = $1.25/gal 2012 = $0.34/gal 2012 = $0.49/gal Technology Improvements: Improved Biomass Supply Analysis economic availability of feedstocks feedstock prices specified by quantity and year Incorporation of sustainability metrics Development of four yield scenarios Spatial distribution Better Collection Efficiency 43% to 75% Higher Bale Density 9.2% to 12.3% Lower Storage Losses 7.9% to 6% Higher Grinder Capacity 17.6 to 31.2 ton/hr 2001 = $1.37/gal 2012 = $0.27/gal Better Xylan to Xylose Yields 63% to 81% Lower Degradation Product Formation 13% to 5% Lower Acid Usage 3% to 0.3% Reduced Sugar Losses 13 to <1% Reduced Ammonia Loading decreased by >70% 2001 = $4.05/gal 2012 = $0.39/gal Enzyme Cost Reductions $3.45 to $0.36/gal Enzyme loading Reductions 60 to 19 mg/g Higher Cellulose to Glucose Yields 64% to 78% Process Efficiency Improvements washed solids to whole slurry mode of hydrolysis 2001 = $0.60/gal 2012 = $0.15/gal Improved Overall Ethanol Yield 52% to 96% Better Xylose to Ethanol Yields 0% to 93% Better Arabinose to Ethanol Yields 0% to 54% Improved Ethanol Tolerance 36 to 72 g/l titers 2001 = $1.90/gal 2012 = $0.51/gal (Balance of Plant) Scale Improvements: National to countylevel detail Field/Pilot Model Estimates to Demonstration 10 Bioenergy Technologies Office Bench (1L batch) to Pilot (1 ton/day, continuous) Bench (1 L batch) to Pilot (1 ton/day, continuous) Bench (1L) to Pilot (8000L)
U.S. Commercial Scale* IBR s Based on Cellulosic Feedstocks Ground Broke Target Product Location DOE Role DuPont Q4, 2012 Cellulosic ethanol Nevada, Iowa R&D POET-DSM Q1, 2012 Cellulosic ethanol Emmetsburg, Iowa R&D, IBR Abengoa Q4, 2011 Cellulosic ethanol Hougoton, Kansas IBR KiOR Q2, 2011 Cellulosic gasoline, diesel and jet Columbus, Mississippi none Ineos-Bio Q1, 2011 Cellulosic ethanol Vero Beach, Florida R&D, IBR * Commercial-scale defined by expected profitability and not nameplate capacity 11 Bioenergy Technologies Office
BETO D&D Technology Portfolio (IBR) To date, BETO has or is investing in 33 R&D, pilot, demonstration, and commercial-scale IBR projects selected to validate technologies Diverse feedstocks represented: Agricultural Residues Energy Crops Algae/CO2 Forest Resources Municipal Solid Waste Non-edible oils A variety of transportation fuels, biobased products, and biopower are being developed Cellulosic Ethanol Butanol Methanol 12 Bioenergy Technologies Office Renewable Gasoline Renewable Diesel Jet Fuel Biodiesel Biobased Chemicals Process heat and steam Electricity
Replacing the Whole Barrel Greater focus needed on RDD&D for a range of technologies to displace the entire barrel of petroleum crude U.S. spends about $1B each day on crude oil imports.* Only about 40% of a barrel of crude oil is used to produce petroleum gasoline. Ethanol can only displace the portion of the barrel that is made into gasoline. Reducing our dependence on oil also requires replacing diesel, jet fuel, heavy distillates, and a range of other chemicals and products that are currently derived from crude oil. Source: Energy Information Administration (2011) A 42-gallon (U.S.) barrel of crude oil yields about 45 gallons of petroleum products. *American Petroleum Institute 13 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Hydrocarbon Strategy and Implications Elemental Composition of Feedstock (weight %) Crude Oil (>80C:1O) C = 83-87% H = 10 14% N = 0.1 2% O = 0.05 1.5% Biomass (1C:1O) C = 44 51% H = 5.5 6.7% N = 0.12 0.6% O = 41 50 % Elemental Composition of Hydrocarbon Product (50% C8H18) (50% C12H23) C = 85.3% H = 14.7% N = 0% O = 0% C = 85.3% H = 14.7% N = 0% O = 0% Elemental Composition of Ethanol Product (C2H6O) C = 52% H = 13% O = 35% C = 52% H = 13% O = 35% Strategy Consequences Need to remove nitrogen A. Significant loss of yield (up to 50%) due to lack of oxygen in product B. Need to supplement hydrogen 14 Bioenergy Technologies Office
Upcoming BETO Events Program Management Review July 30, 2013, Renaissance Hotel, Washington D.C. Results from the Project Peer Review will be presented and the overall focus and proposed future direction for the Office will be reviewed. Biomass 2013: How the Advanced Bioindustry is Reshaping American Energy July 31-August 1, 2013, Washington D.C. Convention Center This year s conference will highlight industry successes and explore current trends and the frontiers of bioenergy. 15 Bioenergy Technologies Office