Energy Department Announces New Advanced Feedstock Logistics Projects

This month, the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced awards for up to $7 million for two projects that will focus on developing and demonstrating ways to reduce the cost of delivering bioenergy feedstocks (such as corn stover, woody biomass, and switchgrass) to biorefineries, where they will be converted into biofuel. The recipients are the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the University of Tennessee. Cost reductions for feedstock harvesting, collection, and transportation create savings that ultimately translate to lower biofuel prices—supporting BETO’s goal to develop advanced biofuels that are costcompetitive with petroleum fuel.

 BioenergizeME Virtual Science Fair Winners Announced

Last week concluded the beta run of the BETO-sponsored BioenergizeME Virtual Science Fair—a high school competition that has students create and share infographics about bioenergy concepts. And, after two weeks of sharing their bioenergy infographics over social media, BETO has announced the winners! Read the BETO blog post to get the scoop, and visit the BioenergizeME Virtual Science Fair Map to see all of the creative bioenergy infographics entered in the competition.

Want to participate in the spring? Visit the Virtual Science Fair website to download the #BioenergizeME Virtual Toolkit and other resources, and send an email to BioenergizeME@ee.doe.gov to request participation details.

Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework (KDF) Recognized at National Conference

Congratulations to the BETO-supported Bioenergy KDF Team for their winning paper at last month’s ACM SIGSPATIAL Conference. The team's paper, “Bioenergy KDF: Enabling Spatiotemporal Data Synthesis and Research Collaboration,” was awarded second place out of a group of more than 50 submissions on topics in the field of geospatial information systems. This achievement is significant, as the paper recognizes the Bioenergy KDF for its research merit to bioenergy stakeholders and for its technical capabilities as a Web-based architecture.

BETO Releases Process Integration and Carbon Efficiency Workshop Summary Report

On June 11–12, 2014, BETO hosted the Process Integration and Carbon Efficiency Workshop in Lakewood, Colorado, to discuss research and development opportunities related to the efficient production of biofuels and bio-based chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. Learn about the challenges and barriers identified during the workshop in the recently released workshop summary report.

Alpena Biorefinery Infographic Now Available 

In April 2014, American Process Inc.’s Alpena Biorefinery produced the first shipment of renewable identification number (RIN)-qualified cellulosic ethanol from woody biomass. The plant, which was named a Michigan Center of Energy Excellence, uses an innovative process to convert the industrial waste stream from a neighboring board manufacturing mill into a cellulosic biofuel and by-product. BETO’s recently released Alpena infographic provides more information about the biorefinery, its economic impact, and the Energy Department’s role in its creation and operation.

EERE Blog: Biofuel Facts for the Road

Going “over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house” this holiday season could require a stop at the gas station to fill up. But how much do you know about the “Contains 10% ethanol” sign or E85 and biodiesel signs that you might see at the pump? Read this EERE Blog post to learn how BETO’s work relates to the fuel choices available today, and share it with your friends and family for their holiday (and everyday) travels.

Recent Events with BETO Representation

Biotechnology Industry Organization Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy

BETO's Demonstration and Market Transformation Technology Manager Glenn Doyle moderated a breakout session on strategic partnerships at the ninth annual Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy, held December 7–9 in San Diego, California. The summit brought together stakeholders to discuss the growth of the industrial biotechnology and bioenergy sectors in North America and the Asia-Pacific region.

To view past Monthly News Blasts, visit the BETO Newsletter page.