W. R. Grace & Co. has been awarded up to $3.3 million from the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the evaluation and enhancement of advanced biofuel technologies.
The company will work with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a DOE research facility, to develop technologies for thermochemical conversion of biomass to advanced biofuels that are compatible with existing fueling infrastructure. The technologies will upgrade bio-oils into gasoline, diesel and jet fuels using a specialized catalytic reactor designed to resist corrosion and extend catalyst lifetime. Also on the team are VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, who will be providing pyrolysis oils, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who will study corrosion.
The funding is a component of the Department of Energy's strategy to accelerate the development of sustainable biofuels, and is coordinated by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Biomass Program.
Grace and PNNL researchers will use a thermochemical process known as pyrolysis, which breaks down biomass using heat to produce bio-oils that can be further processed in existing petroleum refineries into transportation fuels.
Source: W.R. Grace
Writer: Walaika Haskins