RTI International awarded project to support development of advanced biofuels

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC –The U.S. Department of Energy awarded RTI International a project to support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels or products.

As part of the more than $2 million, 3-year project, RTI will partner with Arkema and AECOM to investigate the technical feasibility and economic potential and the environmental and sustainability benefits of recovering high-value bioproducts (methoxyphenols) from biocrude as building block chemicals in parallel with the production of biofuels. These building blocks chemicals can be used in the production of pharmaceuticals, food flavorings, and perfume products.

Achieving technical success in recovering high-value bioproducts from bio-crude prior to upgrading to biofuels could provide a significant source of revenue to improve overall process economics and help meet the modeled $3/gasoline gallon equivalent production-cost target for advanced biofuels technologies by 2022.

This project is one of three funded by DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office under MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels.

To learn more about these types of advanced biofuels processes, RTI is also coordinating the 2016 Symposium on Thermal and Catalytic Sciences for Biofuels and Biobased Products in Chapel Hill, NC Nov. 1-4. The symposium will spotlight recent technical advances in thermochemical biomass conversion to biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower and will provide a showcase for energy experts.

Drawing on decades of experience in gasification research and catalyst development, RTI is conducting research and development to help make advanced biofuels processes technically and economically viable.