Michael (Mike) Talmadge is a senior research engineer in the National Bioenergy Center at NREL. With more than 20 years of experience in fuel production technologies, Mike has spent much of his work in petroleum production and refining process technology development with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, Valero Energy Corporation, Seeq Corporation, and Johnson Matthey.

During his time at NREL, Mike has supported the development of biomass-derived fuel and chemical technologies through process modeling and techno-economic analysis of biomass to fuel and chemical pathways. He has contributed to the development of strategies to incorporate biomass-derived hydrocarbon intermediates and finished fuel blendstocks into existing petroleum refining infrastructure through collaborative efforts with industry and projects at NREL. Mike has also recently led development of a techno-economic analysis platform for assessing and comparing water treatment and reuse technologies in the National Alliance for Water Innovation.

Research Interests

Process modeling

Techno-economic analysis

Biofuels and biochemicals

Refinery co-processing

Education

M.B.A., Villanova University

B.S., Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University

Featured Work

Economic and Environmental Potentials for Natural Gas To Enhance Biomass-To-Liquid Fuels Technologies, Green Chemistry (2018)

Comparative Techno‐Economic Analysis and Process Design for Indirect Liquefaction Pathways To Distillate‐Range Fuels via Biomass‐Derived Oxygenated Intermediates Upgrading, Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining (2017)

Fast Pyrolysis Oil From Pinewood Chips Co-Processing With Vacuum Gas Oil in an FCC Unit for Second Generation Fuel Production, ScienceDirect (2017)

Conceptual Process Design and Economics for the Production of High‐Octane Gasoline Blendstock via Indirect Liquefaction of Biomass Through Methanol/Dimethyl Ether Intermediates, Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining (2016)

Process Design and Economics for the Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Hydrocarbons via Indirect Liquefaction: Thermochemical Research Pathway to High-Octane Gasoline Blendstock Through Methanol/Dimethyl Ether Intermediates, NREL Technical Report (2015)

A Perspective on Oxygenated Species in the Refinery Integration of Pyrolysis Oil, Green Chemistry (2014)

Techno‐Economics for Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass To Ethanol by Indirect Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthesis, AIChE (2012)

Process Design and Economics for Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol, OSTI (2011)

Process Design and Economics for Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass To Ethanol: Thermochemical Pathway by Indirect Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthesis, NREL Technical Report (2011)