Stump to Pump: Sustainable Fuel Production from Biomass

Diminishing crude oil reserves and an increasing global population drive the worldwide search for clean and sustainable energy. Biofuels, derived from cellulose, offer a promising pathway towards the sustainable production of carbon-neutral transportation fuels. To efficiently generate biofuels from plant materials, we have adopted a comprehensive “stump to pump” approach that seeks to optimize and seamlessly integrate each step of the biofuel production process, from the planting and harvesting of energy crops to the chemical conversion of cellulose to fuels compatible with our existing infrastructure. The first step towards the successful production of biofuels involves the growth and handling of biomass feedstocks. Our research team investigates the viability of various types of biomass as process feedstocks, the efficient growth of biomass, and the logistics of transporting biomass to a conversion facility. In the next step of biofuels production, biomass is converted to syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which can be reacted over a catalyst to produce liquid fuels. Using our institution’s demonstration-scale fluidized-bed gasifier, we can study the production of syngas from different feedstocks as well as the subsequent syngas purification processes. Finally, our investigative team’s expertise in syngas conversion pathways such as Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis allows us to develop reaction schemes for transforming our cellulose-derived syngas into fuels. By interlinking and optimizing each step, our “stump to pump” view of sustainable fuel generation brings the commercialization of biofuels closer to economic reality.