Bioenergy Center

北卡罗来纳农工州立大学的生物能源中心（NCA&amp；T）将成为美国在生物质热化学转化为生物能源领域的教育和研究资源。从生物质能和其他可再生自然资源中高效、经济地生产能源是使美国能源工业实现能源独立和可持续发展的必要条件。热化学催化生物质转化为液体燃料和氢被广泛认为是实现这些目标的关键技术。生物能源中心的主要重点将是开发先进的热化学生物质转化技术，用于生产液体运输燃料和氢气，并培养推动生物燃料行业进入21世纪所需的工程师和科学家。总体目标是：1)通过研究、教育和推广，促进先进热化学生物质转化技术的开发和商业化，以高效、经济地生产液体运输燃料、氢气和化学品；2)为未被充分代表的本科生和研究生提供生物能源领域的教育和培训，为未被充分代表的生物能源领域的科学家提供职业发展；3)为从幼儿园到研究生阶段的学生提供进入生物能源相关STEM学科和职业的管道；4)在nca&； T创建一个跨学科的学习、发现和参与社区，以促进生物能源领域的卓越和内部和外部合作。为了为提高热化学生物质转化技术的效率和经济性提供国家资源，生物能源中心的研究重点集中在三个重点领域：(I)通过生物质气化生产高质量合成气（含有不同数量的一氧化碳（CO）和氢气（H2）的混合物），（II）合成气转化为液体燃料和氢气，以及（III）燃料电池生物燃料的改造和加工。研究项目的创新方面包括：(1)具有最低二氧化碳（CO2）排放量和高能效的热化学过程；(2)用于催化剂筛选和提高合成气液体燃料收率的微反应器；(3)新型多金属催化剂，以最少的CO生成H2；(4)通过重整反应产生高纯度H2的膜反应器系统；(5)具有耐co、高表面积、低铂（Pt）负载电催化剂的质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）电极；(6)技术选择的经济分析，将明确集中在生物质能和能源价格以及生物能源政策规定上。此外，将重点利用评估数据为学术文献提供最佳实践，以招聘、保留和专业发展代表性不足的学生和教师。生物能源中心将包括来自6个院系（生物工程、化学工程、化学、数学、经济和能源与环境系统）的10名教员和路易斯安那理工学院（化学工程）的1名教员。一项种子资助计划将从迄今为止在STEM学科中代表性不足的少数族裔中引入额外的教师。资金将用于装备4个生物能源研究实验室，进一步发展现有的两个跨学科博士项目，并支持未被充分代表的少数民族学生和教师。生物能源中心的研究、教育和行业合作伙伴关系有望使北卡罗来纳州和东南部更接近生物能源行业的领导地位。研究、教育和推广将通过广泛而多样化的合作伙伴家庭来实现，包括路易斯安那理工大学、新吉尔福德县学校系统在nca&t校园的STEM早期学院、北卡罗来纳州社区学院生物燃料倡议、北卡罗来纳州生物燃料中心、凯南课程和领导力发展研究员计划、格林斯博罗自然科学中心、联邦实验室和几家生物能源公司。有关中心研究的教育材料将分发给合作伙伴。将努力将其他HBCU和少数族裔服务机构纳入在线研讨会和课程，以及国际生物能源会议，以确保广泛、公平地获得生物能源所带来的无数经济和教育机会。

NSF CREST Bioenergy Center at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T)The Bioenergy Center at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) will be an educational and research resource for the United States in the field of thermochemical conversion of biomass to bioenergy. The efficient and economic production of energy from biomass and other renewable natural resources is necessary to transform the U.S. energy industry to energy independence and sustainability. Thermochemical catalytic conversion of biomass to liquid fuels and hydrogen is widely recognized as a technology critical to achieving these goals. The major focuses of the Bioenergy Center will be on developing advanced thermochemical biomass conversion technologies for the production of liquid transportation fuels and hydrogen and educating the engineers and scientists who will be needed to propel the biofuels industry forward into the 21st century. The overarching goals are to: 1) through research, education and outreach, spur development and commercialization of advanced thermochemical biomass conversion technologies for the efficient and economic production of liquid transportation fuels, hydrogen and chemicals; 2) provide education and training in the field of bioenergy for underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students, and career development for underrepresented scientists in the field of bioenergy; 3) serve as a pipeline for students from kindergarten up through graduate level into bioenergy related STEM disciplines and careers; and 4) create an interdisciplinary community of learning, discovery, and engagement at NCA&T that will promote excellence and internal and external collaboration in the bioenergy area. To provide a national resource for improving the efficiencies and economics of thermochemical biomass conversion technology, the Bioenergy Center's research is focused in three thrust areas: (I) Production of high-quality synthesis gas (a mixture containing varying amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) by biomass gasification, (II) Conversion of synthesis gas to liquid fuels and hydrogen, and (III) Reforming and processing of biofuels for fuel cells. Innovative aspects of the research projects include development of: (1) thermochemical processes that have minimal carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions with high energy efficiency; (2) microreactors for catalyst screening and higher yields of liquid fuels from synthesis gas; (3) novel multi-metallic catalysts that produce H2 with minimal CO formation; (4) membrane-reactor systems that produce high-purity H2 from reforming reactions; (5) Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) electrodes that have CO-tolerant, high-surface area, low platinum (Pt)-loading electrocatalysts; and (6) economic analysis of technology choices that will be explicitly concentrated on biomass and energy prices as well as bioenergy policy provisions. Additionally, there will be a focus on using evaluation data to contribute to the scholarly literature on best practices for the recruitment, retention, and professional development of underrepresented students and faculty members.The Bioenergy Center will involve 10 faculty members from 6 academic departments (Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mathematics, Economics and Energy & Environmental Systems) and 1 faculty member at Louisiana Tech (Chemical Engineering). A seed grant program will bring in additional faculty from among minority groups who have been heretofore underrepresented in the STEM disciplines. Funding will be used to equip 4 bioenergy research labs, further develop two existing interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs, and support underrepresented minority students and faculty members. The research, education and industry partnerships emerging from the Bioenergy Center are expected to move North Carolina and the Southeast closer to leadership in the bioenergy industry. Research, education and outreach will be achieved through a wide and diverse family of partners, including Louisiana Tech, the new Guilford County Schools system's STEM Early College on the NCA&T campus, the N.C. Community College biofuels initiative, the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, the Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development, the Natural Science Center of Greensboro, federal labs and several bioenergy companies. Educational materials about the center's research will be disseminated to partners. Effort will be expended to include other HBCU and minority serving institutions in online seminars and courses, as well as an international bioenergy conference, to insure broad, equitable access to the myriad economic and educational opportunities that bioenergy promises.