Celebrating Bioenergy Day 2024 With a Research Retrospective

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) bioenergy research empowers the decarbonization of our nation’s industrial and transportation sectors and a circular bioeconomy through development and deployment of sustainable fuel, chemical, and polymer technologies.

NREL researchers have been uncovering secrets about interesting methods and technologies such as biodegradable plastics, phosphorus-eating algae for resource recovery, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) to value-added chemicals.

With National Bioenergy Day 2024 upon us, NREL reflects on some of the team’s scientific discoveries over the past year that have helped strengthen the bioeconomy.

Bioenergy Research Highlights From Fiscal Year 2024

Building Bridges Through Relationships and Photosynthesis Research

How do you bring together long-time research friends and help develop STEM collaboration with historically marginalized institutions and a DOE national laboratory all in a way that ignites passions and furthers bioenergy research? Through the DOE Office of Science Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) of course! Check out how the VFP brought together old friends and new, while mentoring a new generation of STEM students to understand the energy-generating mysteries of blue-green algae.

Advancing Methods for Recyclable, Plant-Based Wind Turbine Blades

Researchers at NREL see a realistic path forward to the manufacture of wind turbine blades derived from renewable biomass. The chemical recycling process allows the components of the blades to be recaptured and reused again and again, allowing the remanufacture of the same product. This method has the potential to end the current practice of old blades winding up in landfills at the end of their useful life.

Tools To Investigate How Organisms Control Energy at the Electron-Level

In NREL’s Advanced Spin Resonance Facility there is a special technical capability called electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy that provides insight into the most basic energy carrier and unit, the electron. Demystifying the fundamental processes of how organisms control energy at the level of electrons is key to advancing the applied research and development of systems for generating sustainable low-carbon fuels, chemicals, and electricity.

New Device Architecture Enables Streamlined Production of Formic Acid From CO₂ Using Renewable Electricity

Formic acid is a potential intermediate chemical with many applications, especially as a raw material for the chemical or biomanufacturing industries and potential input for biological upgrading into SAF. A research team led by NREL developed a conversion pathway to produce formic acid from CO₂ with high energy efficiency and durability while using renewable electricity. Analysis confirmed that this pathway is economically viable at scale and with use of commercially available components.

NREL Biomass Refining Technology a Cornerstone of SAFFiRE Renewables Biofuel Pilot Plant

SAFFiRE Renewables LLC broke ground in August 2024 on its biofuel pilot plant in Kansas to turn agriculture residue into a scalable biofuel business. The company has licensed an NREL technology that uses an alkaline bath and mechanical shredder to prepare corn stover for ethanol fermentation—essential steps for accessing the energy-dense sugars locked inside. The new plant will not only help DOE with its SAF goals, but using lignocellulosic corn leaves, stalks, and cobs can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 88% to 108% on a life-cycle basis compared to conventional jet fuel.  

WaterPACT Project To Quantify and Reduce Plastic Waste in U.S. Rivers

With more than a million tons of plastic debris entering ocean-bound rivers, creeks, and sewer drains every year, it is essential to intercept this waste before it enters the ecosystems, communities, and ocean. To help solve this problem, the NREL-led Waterborne Plastics Assessment and Collection Technologies (WaterPACT) project is on a mission to develop renewable-energy-powered technologies that detect, quantify, and collect plastic from U.S. waterways.

The North Face Taps NREL-Led BOTTLE Consortium To Scale Biodegradable Polyester Alternative

Polyester-based clothing sheds and disperses tiny microplastic fibers throughout homes, soils, and waterways, taking centuries to degrade. One potential solution is replacing today’s petroleum-derived polyester with a nontoxic, biodegradable alternative made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). A team of BOTTLE consortium scientists from NREL and Colorado State University have developed a portfolio of PHAs that behave like conventional polyester but are biobased, biodegradable, and easier to recycle. In conjunction with The North Face, the BOTTLE team is scaling the process to produce several pounds of PHA fiber, which The North Face will test and evaluate for use in its product lines.

$15 Million Multilaboratory Effort To Advance Commercialization of CO₂ Removal

Carbon dioxide removal technologies have potential to help mitigate climate change by addressing existing carbon emissions and removing them from the atmosphere. To achieve this goal, scientists must first establish robust scientific frameworks and methodologies to account for these efforts—giving governments and private buyers a unified approach to tracking the climate impacts of their investments. In support of this, DOE tapped NREL to support a new $15 million research effort to improve the measurement, reporting, and verification of CO₂ removal technologies.

On the Ground in Colorado, NREL Is Simulating SAF Combustion During Flight

Public and private investments are helping accelerate production and use of SAF, an energy-dense, renewable fuel seen as essential for decarbonizing flight. Adopting SAF means proving the fuel is as safe and reliable as current fuels while being fully compatible with existing jet engines. NREL has developed computer simulations to predict how SAF performs during flight and provide insights on how to maximize its safety and performance. These simulated SAF combustion tests could determine if new fuels meet requirements before industry invests millions of dollars to produce large volumes for ASTM engine tests.

NREL Researchers Produce First Macromolecular Model of Plant Secondary Cell Wall

Lignocellulosic biomass has potential as a feedstock for low-carbon biobased fuels and chemicals. However, this biomass type is difficult to break down during the conversion process due to three layers of biopolymers. NREL scientists quantitatively defined the relative positioning and structure of the three biopolymer layers in Populus wood using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular modeling. Having a computer model of the interplay of these three biopolymers will help design more efficient deconstruction approaches to convert renewable lignocellulosic biomass into better biobased materials.

NREL Research Quantifies Losses From Cardboard, Paper Waste

Of the estimated 110 million metric tons of paper and cardboard waste tossed out across the United States in 2019, approximately 56% was landfilled and 38% was recycled. This category of waste includes everything from newspapers and magazines to books and napkins, from junk mail and photographs to pizza boxes and milk cartons. New research from NREL showed that the estimated value for recovered postconsumer paper and carboard from landfills is $4 billion. Understanding this value can guide policymakers toward sustainable waste management practices and help researchers study the impact of implementing new waste-management technologies.

Newly Identified Algal Strains Rich in Phosphorous Could Improve Wastewater Treatment

Phosphorus in wastewater is a major contributor to harmful algal blooms in water bodies around the globe, with the potential to harm wildlife, livestock, and humans. To prevent this, wastewater treatment plants often rely on chemical- and energy-intensive techniques to remove phosphorus before it can impact downstream water bodies. NREL researchers developed the Revolving Algal Biofilm system for phosphorus removal from wastewater by maximizing the ability of algae to harness solar energy to efficiently accumulate and remove phosphorus from water.

Pick Your Polymer Properties and This NREL Tool Predicts How To Achieve Them With Biomass

Petroleum-based polymers form the building blocks of plastics. Plastics can be made out of renewable biomass and waste resources, but identifying the right chemistry to make biobased polymers more sustainable and higher performing is the challenge. An NREL machine learning tool, PolyID™: Polymer Inverse Design, makes it easier to identify biobased polymers for use in plastics. Using artificial intelligence, the tool can screen millions of possible biobased polymer designs to create a short list of candidates for a given application.

Learn more about NREL’s bioenergy research.