KOSEN 한인과학기술자네트워크

(SBIR) DOE - Bioproducts And Bioenergy Research Primary Sponsor: Department of Energy Deadline: 2/20/2001 KEYWORDS a. Modular Power Systems Using Farm Animal Wastes b. Biomass Material Handling c. Production of Energy Efficient Low-Cost Sugar d. Clean-Up of Gases from Gasification Processes Energy from sunlight, our abundant natural resource, offers the opportunity to utilize a sustainable source of raw materials -- namely, biomass from our nation's crops, forestry, aquatic, and agricultural wastes -- to power our homes, fuel our vehicles, and create everyday products. The use of biomass to produce BioProducts and BioEnergy (BioP&E) will help strengthen U.S. energy security, protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gases, and revitalize rural America. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, including the Office of Transportation Technologies, the Office of Industrial Technologies, and the Office of Power Technologies, seek environment friendly technologies that enable bio-based renewable resources to produce home-grown transportation fuels, chemicals, materials or consumer products, and generate clean locally-based power. Grant applications must demonstrate that proposed approaches have the potential to be more economical than currently practiced technologies. Grant applications are sought only in the following subtopics: a. Modular Power Systems Using Farm Animal Wastes¾ Large quantities of manure, generated at poultry, swine, and dairy farms, are causing high levels of environmental degradation by polluting the nation’s vital watersheds. Various states are exploring ways of disposing of farm animal wastes and are in the process of enacting laws to prohibit many current handling practices. Because animal manure is a potential source of energy, the conversion of animal wastes to energy and other high-value by-products would not only add value but also address the environmental pollution problem. Grant applications are sought to develop modular systems based on thermochemical processes such as combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis to economically convert farm animal wastes primarily to electricity and also to heat as a by-product. In this context, the term modular refers to small (few kW to few mW), integrated systems that can be factory-fabricated and mass produced to lower capital equipment costs. In addition to being small and modular, proposed systems must also be fuel flexible, efficient to operate, and have minimum negative impact on the environment. Modular systems of interest could include, but are not limited to, the utilization of such technologies as advanced fuel cell systems, Stirling engines, and micro-turbines. The Phase I feasibility study must include a preliminary market and resource assessment, preliminary tests to determine material and energy balances, a preliminary integrated system design, preliminary cost estimates (including electrical interface costs) to compare costs with traditional disposal/conversion methods, and estimates of environmental emissions and benefits. Projects should be planned in partnership with appropriate stakeholders (such as farmers, power producers, equipment suppliers, and state authorities) to provide solutions for area or region specific problems. b. Biomass Material Handling¾ A major barrier to the market penetration of bioenergy and biobased product technologies is the high cost of handling the diverse biomass resources, which include both residues and crops. Residues include urban wood wastes, agriculture residues (such as corn stover), farm animal wastes, forest residues, etc. Crops include hardwood and grasses such as willow, poplar, switch grass, etc. Biomass material management starts with the harvest or collection of biomass resources, continues with processing and drying, and ends with feeding the processed biomass to units (e.g., for combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, or other processing) for the generation of power or for integration with chemical processes for the production of fuels and/or biobased products. Grant applications are sought for equipment or processes that address the reduction in handling cost in the areas of material collection technologies, innovative harvesting technologies, moisture removal approaches, densification technologies, storage approaches that minimize degradation, and novel approaches for transportation. Because different resource handling and utilization strategies would be appropriate for different biomass sources and different power generation, fuel production, and biobased product production schemes, grant applications must specify the bioenergy or biobased product technology and the biomass resource type(s) that are being considered and provide an analysis to determine the cost saving. c. Production of Energy Efficient Low-Cost Sugar¾Plant matter is rich in carbohydrates that can be broken down to C6 and C5 sugars (i.e., glucose and xylose), important intermediate chemicals in the conversion of biomass to biobased products and energy. With further chemical processing, i.e., fermentation, these sugars can serve as feedstocks for higher chemicals and fuels. However, the cost of producing these sugars is a major obstacle to the widespread use of biomass products and energy. If the cost of producing fermentable sugars could be reduced, there would be a tremendous increase in the use of renewable carbon (biomass) in place of fossil carbon for the manufacture of fuel, chemicals, and materials, and this would spur the development of bio-refineries. Although prior research has led to some promising processes (e.g., cellulose technology, dilute acid hydrolysis, and other hydrolysis schemes), further improvements or entirely new processes are required. Therefore, grant applications are sought to develop a more cost-effective and energy efficient process to produce C6 and/or C5 sugars from plant matter. d. Clean-Up of Gases from Gasification Processes¾Biomass gasifiers, which would operate upstream of either gas turbines or fuel cells, require further gas processing to improve gas quality to the tolerance level of the power generation device. However, hot gas cleanup for turbine injection presents difficulties in removing particulates and corrosives. Fuel cell requirements are even more demanding. Grant applications are sought to develop novel cleanup methods that could greatly enhance the potential use of biomass gasifiers with turbines and fuel cells. The Phase I feasibility study must include a preliminary application and resource assessment, preliminary tests to determine material and energy balances, a preliminary integrated system design, cost estimates, and estimates of environmental emissions and benefits. Please note: (1) The technical topics are to be interpreted literally; DOE personnel are not permitted to further interpret the narrative description of the technical topics. (2) The award selection process is extremely competitive. Last year, only 1 out of 6 grant applications were awarded. Only those applications with the highest scientific/technical quality will be competitive. References Biobased Products and Bioenergy http://www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/page2.html Interagency Council on Biobased Products and Bioenergy, Executive Order 13134: Developing and Promoting Biobased Products and Bioenergy http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-res/I2R?urn:pdi://oma.eop.gov.us/1999/8/13/4.text.1 and get E.O. 13134 as PDF file Bognet, J. E., "Energy Potential of Modern Landfills," presented at the Eighteenth Annual Illinois Energy Conference: Energy Aspects of Solid Waste Management, Chicago, Illinois, Oct. 29-30, 1990, 1990. (DOE Report No. CONF-9010176-1) (NTIS Order No. DE91006490)* Croft, B. and Fawcett, T., Landfill Gas Enhancement: The Brogborough Test Cells, Harwell,UK: AEA Environment and Energy, 1993. (Report No. ETSU-B/B-5/00080/REP) (NTIS Order No. DE94740088)* Hot Gas Chemical Clean-up, Harwell, UK: Energy Technology Support Unit, March 1998. (Report No. ETSU-TSR-006) (Available from ETSU, Harwell, Oxfordshire 0x11 0RA, UK. E-mail: etsu.co@aeat.co.uk) Moo-Young, M., ed., Comprehensive Biotechnology, 4 Vols., Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Science (formerly Pergamon Press), 1985. (ISBN for set: 0-08-026204-X) Vol. 1: The Principles of Biotechnology: Scientific Fundamentals; Chemical & Biochemical Fundamentals; Physical and Physio-Chemical Fundamentals. Vol. 2: The Principles of Biotechnology: Engineering Considerations; Process Engineering, Operations and Equipment. Vol.3: The Practice of Biotechnology; Current Commodity Products; Health Care Products; Foods and Beverages; Chemicals, Biochemicals and Fuels. Vol. 4: The Practice of Biotechnology: Specialty Products and Service Activities; Specialized Activities and Potential Applications; Waste Treatment and Utilization; Governmental Regulations and Public Concerns. Overend, R. P. and Chornet, E., eds., Biomass: A Growth Opportunity in Green Energy and Value Added Products: Proceedings of the Fourth Biomass Conference of the Americas, Oakland, CA, Aug. 29-Sept. 2, 1999, 2 Vols., London.: Elsevier Science, Ltd., August 1999. (ISBN: 0080430198)Overend, R. P. and Rivard, C. J., "Thermally and Biological Gasification," presented at the First Biomass Conference of the Americas: Energy, Environment, Agriculture, and Industry, Burlington, Vermont, Aug. 30-Sept. 2 1993, pp. 470-497. (DOE Report No. NREL/CP-200-5768-Vol. 1) (NTIS Order No. DE93010050)* Paisley, M. A., et al., Gasification of Refuse Derived Fuel in the Batelle High Throughput Gasification System, July 1998. (DOE Report No. PNL-6998) (NTIS Order No. DE89017754)*Roe, S. et al., Emerging Technologies for the Management and Utilization of Landfill Gas, January 1998. (Report Number: EPA-600/R-98-021) (This item is available full text as a PDF file on the Web; unfortunately, it has no URL. You may obtain it by using the Energy Files Portal Search, checking EPA technical reports and plugging in the Report Number and LFG. It is listed as having no title. Energy Files Portal URL is: )SCS Engineers; Comparison of Models for Predicting Landfill Methane Recovery, 1998. (Order #GR-LG 0075: Final Report +Disk - Microsoft Excel format) (Available from: The Solid Waste Association of North America, P.O.Box 7219, 1100 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20907-7219. Telephone: 1-800-GO-SWANA (1-800-467-9262). Fax: (301) 589-7068. Simell, P., et al., "Gasification Gas Cleaning with Nickel and Monolith Catalyst," Development in Thermochemical Biomass Conversion, 2:1103-1116, New York: Chapman & Hall, December 1996. (ISBN: 0751403504) The Technology Roadmap for Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020: A Vision to Enhance U.S. Economic Security Through Renewable Plant/Crop-Based Resource Use. (Report No. DOE/GO-10098-385)** The Technology Roadmap for Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020: Research Priorities for Fulfilling a Vision to Enhance U.S. Economic Security through Renewable Plant/Crop-Based Resource Use.(Report No. DOE/GO-10099-706) ** * See Section 7.1 ** Available at http://www.oit.doe.gov/agriculture/pdfs/af25942.pdf NOTE: The Solicitations listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should always use the suggested link below. This will take you directly to the appropriate agency information where you can read the official version of the solicitation you are interested in. The official link for this page is: http://sbir.er.doe.gov/sbir/Solicitations/FY%202001/2001.htm. Solicitation closing date is February 20, 2001.