SBIR Phase I: Cost- and Energy-Efficient Conversion of Cellulosic Biomass to Bio-Fuel Feedstock of Consistent and Preferred Geometry

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目开发了一种新的切割附件，用于切割/研磨/切碎纤维素生物质，以生产用于生产纤维素乙醇的原料。随着能源/柴油价格的上涨，切屑/研磨/切碎过程中的能耗以及更换牙齿/刀具的设备停机时间的成本/效率都令人高度关注。创新的切割技术利用了金属切割领域广泛的研究基础，通过单一的基础产品来解决这些切屑、研磨和切割应用，实现了更大的规模经济。它包括旋转齿和多齿布局，以取代目前的削刀/斩刀和磨齿机的牙齿，以实现更低的比能量，减少换刀停机时间，并更薄的芯片，以促进稍后的乙醇生产阶段的效率。这项研究的更广泛的影响是促进国家的多元化？S能源组合，通过提高以纤维素为原料生产的生物燃料，如木片，柳枝草和玉米秸秆的经济终端能源可行性。尽管乙醇是一种有吸引力的替代燃料，但必须注意不要过度转向以谷物为基础的乙醇，从而对粮食供应造成负面影响。由于非基本农田可用于柳枝草和速生树木等能源作物，从纤维素生物质(包括农业废弃物和林业残渣)生产乙醇可以显著增长，而不会与食品供应过度竞争。其他将受到影响的能源应用包括在产生热量和电力的锅炉中使用切碎/切碎的生物质，这些锅炉正在以越来越快的速度使用纤维素生物质。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops a new cutting attachment for chipping/grinding/chopping of cellulosic biomass to yield feedstock for production of cellulosic ethanol. With increasing energy/diesel prices, power consumption in chipping/grinding/chopping is of heightened concern, as is the cost/inefficiency of equipment downtime for tooth/knife replacement. The innovative cutting technology draws on the vast research base in metal cutting to address these chipping, grinding and chopping applications with a single base product, achieving greater economies of scale. It involves a rotating tooth and multi-tooth layouts that replace current chipper/chopper knives and grinder teeth to achieve lower specific energy, reduced tool-change downtime, and thinner chips to facilitate efficiency later on in the ethanol production stage.The broader impacts of this research are to facilitate the diversification of the country?s energy portfolio by improving the economic end energy viability of biofuels produced from cellulosic feedstock like wood chips, switchgrass, and corn stover. While ethanol is an attractive alternative fuel, care must be taken not to negatively impact food supplies with an excessive shift to grain-based ethanol. Since non-prime farmland can be used for energy crops like switchgrass and fast-growing trees, production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass (including agricultural waste and forestry residues) can enjoy significant growth without undue competition with the food supply. Other energy applications to be impacted include use of chipped/chopped biomass in boilers that produce heat and electricity, which are using cellulosic biomass at increasing rates.