SEP Integrated National Framework for Cellulosic Drop-in Fuels

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The NSF Sustainable Energy pathways (SEP) Program, under the umbrella of the NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) initiative, will support the research program of Prof. Hemant Pendse and co-workers at the University of Maine. The highly multi-disciplinary team will develop a framework for evaluating and comparing biofuel technologies by integrating the disciplines of engineering, environmental science, economics, and policy. As a baseline, the framework will be applied to Formate Assisted Pyrolysis (FORMAP) which is a transformative new "drop-in" (infrastructure compatible) hydrocarbon biofuel technology. Project efforts will culminate in a multi-criteria decision-making analysis (MCDA) tool. The research will include work to (1) Evaluate the environmental impacts of each stage of the product life cycle based on various feedstock, processing, component recycling and production scenarios related to the FORMAP technology, and (2) Evaluate possible policy, legal and social acceptance barriers to swift implementation of the new technology. This combined with the MCDA tool will culminate in an Energy Pathway Readiness Level (EPRL) scale, by which this FORMAP technology and other energy technologies could be evaluated for their "readiness" for deployment in the commercial arena in other regions. The FORMAP chemistry is transformative as it makes possible a paradigm shift away from the heterogeneous catalytic post-processing, which is currently the most studied pathway to improve pyrolysis. This project takes FORMAP to real biomass derived intermediates rather using synthetic reagents. The research will provide guidance on the most sustainable pathway for public and regulatory acceptance, and commercialization. While the proposed research is focused on the Northeast region, the research results will be broadly applicable other regions in the United States. Since a broad suite of technologies will be necessary to reduce the overall dependence on petroleum, the analyses will make it possible to systematically marry feedstock production, fuel production, and product distribution technologies for a particular region. Education initiatives will utilize online delivery to improve the size and scope of the audience. Taken in total, education and outreach efforts will promote applied workforce development for those entering or currently working within the biofuels industry. Experience in interdisciplinary research collaboratives and undergraduate and graduate student research projects will promote the next generation of scientists and scientific discoveries.The research will support development of a new process, FORMAP, which has the potential to renewably replace petroleum products with new drop-in biofuels that can be used for aviation and ground transport. The proposed research will result in the development of a multi-criteria decision-making analysis (MCDA) tool that will allow national and international researchers in other regions to optimize the overall sustainability of advanced biofuels through alterations to feedstock choices, production processes, and transportation and distribution alternatives that are locally appropriate. Detailed chemical characterization and process models developed by the project will provide data for the economics and integration of FORMAP into existing petroleum fuels infrastructure.