Feature Article

September 2006

Biomass R&D Technical Advisory Committee FY 2006 Annual Recommendations

Harriet Foster
BCS, Incorporated

During its August 10, 2006 public quarterly meeting, the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee approved its annual recommendations to the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy for the fiscal year.

Recommendations are submitted in the following categories, according to the specifications of the Biomass R&D Act of 2000 (Title III of the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000, P.L. 106-224, as revised by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, P.L. 109-58):

A.      Recommendations regarding the distribution and use of Initiative funds

B.      Recommendations on the solicitation and proposal review process

C.      Overall recommendations to the Secretaries

1. Recommendations regarding the distribution and use of Initiative funds
   1. In order to fully support the Vision of the integrated biorefinery, the Thermochemical platform should receive continued funding, and those thermochemical technologies should become an integral part of the Biofuels Initiative.
   2. The Biomass Program and the Fossil Energy Program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) should report to the Committee on how their efforts in the areas of thermochemical conversion and in carbon capture and storage are interacting with each other, what synergies and benefits they see in expanding the coordination and collaboration from current levels, and what future coordination and collaboration are being planned.
   3. R&D should be pursued to develop liquid transportation fuels from biomass, in addition to ethanol and biodiesel.
   4. R&D should be funded to develop technologies capable of processing multiple and mixed feedstocks into biofuels and bioproducts (to the extent possible).
   5. Research should endeavor to provide technologies of scales that can be practiced on a local basis in dispersed geographies utilizing readily available feedstocks. Such technologies will help to reduce the concentration of plant emissions in an area, reduce the transportation requirements for inbound feedstocks and outbound finished products and provide the economic benefits of resulting jobs to more locations.
   6. To reach the billion-ton feedstock goal, the departments should support R&D capable of handling and converting a wide variety of feedstocks. This should include research directed at overcoming logistical hurdles and addressing issues of harvesting, handling, densifying, transporting, preparing, and storing feedstocks headed for the biorefinery.

2. Recommendations on the solicitation and proposal review process
   1. The Committee recommends that the 2007 USDA-DOE joint solicitation be issued in a timely manner, by October 1, 2006.
   2. *Budgeted funding for the Initiative should be subject to fewer Congressionally directed projects, and provide a greater proportion of discretionary amounts to pursue projects that are measured by documented milestones and which reflect the Committee's Vision and Roadmap. For example, a separate targeted program and/or solicitation should be developed in consultation with appropriate Congressional staff, focusing on drawing in state research and demonstration funding in a true partnership fashion. Around the nation, governors and legislators are making decisions about increasing funding for biofuels and bioproducts research, demonstration, and infrastructure efforts. States are providing not only funding but tax incentives, education, and outreach to the public. Leveraging these public interest funds and efforts in a manner that recognizes the important role of the states would greatly expand available resources for biofuels and bioproducts development. Moreover, properly structured and communicated, it would greatly aid efforts in reducing the overall proportion of Congressionally directed funding.
   3. The Committee should support ongoing review and analysis of awards made to determine the impact of funded programs.

3. Overall recommendations to the Secretaries
   1. Opportunities for workforce development in biomass-related disciplines should be pursued.
   2. Outreach to the general public should be expanded to better communicate the benefits of biomass technologies.
   3. Fuel tax abatement has been extremely successful in promoting biofuels. Similar incentives should be developed to promote biobased products. An evaluation should be conducted to identify policy initiatives which will support the growth of biobased products.
   4. The Committee recommends that Congress provide full funding for the integrated biorefinery solicitation under section 932 of EPAct - FOA # DE-PS36-06GO96016.
   5. *The Committee encourages the agencies of the Interagency Biomass R&D Board to provide solicitations which support biomass R&D so that a greater number of university faculty members are directly involved in biomass R&D projects. This will advance the influence of the biomass community, facilitate the increase of the biomass workforce, and encourage cooperation with industry and federal scientists.
   6. *Increased support should be given for international peer exchange among policy makers and researchers on biofuels and biobased products issues. Supporting a global market for biofuels and biobased products would greatly advance U.S. efforts by facilitating the exchange of complementary cross-border policies, developing joint research projects, and increasing the understanding of the potential of biofuels and biobased products.
   7. *The Committee recommends a study and test of the existing infrastructure to identify methods in which it can be modified or improved to transport and distribute biobased fuels, products and energy.

*These are recommendations which were either submitted for the first time or significantly modified at the August 10, 2006 meeting, and approved by the Committee.

These recommendations will be submitted to the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture for review in managing the implementation of the National Biomass Initiative including the joint solicitation and the overall guidance on biomass R&D. These recommendations will be reviewed by the agencies, and the departmental responses will be included in the Secretaries' 2006 Annual Report to Congress. Previous year’s recommendations have been used to modify the direction of proposals requested under the joint solicitation and have resulted in modifications to how the joint solicitation is implemented.

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Biomass Spotlight: Kentucky

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On the Hill

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Grassroots

Md. County to Study Ways to Convert Waste to Energy
Anne Arundel County, whose farms produce 1.7 million square feet of horse manure each year, plans to study the feasibility of converting that and other waste materials into energy. The plan is to create a renewable energy source while reducing nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.
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State Approves Biofuel Plant Tax Credits
The Vermont Economic Progress Council approved tax credits Thursday that a Canadian company described as crucial to its plan for establishing a biodiesel production plant in Swanton.
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USDA Designates 20 Biobased Items for Federal Procurement
The U.S. Agriculture Department has announced two proposed rules under the Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program, designating 20 items that must receive special consideration by all federal agencies when making purchases.
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High hopes for processing fuel from plant stems and leaves
The stony, hillside fields of Thomas Stickle's farm here in Western Pennsylvania bear an unusual crop: a tall grass meant to feed not animals, but cars. Stickle, who once farmed more than 1,000 acres of corn and other row crops, and government scientists are studying how to get the most out of his switchgrass as a renewable fuel while creating wildlife habitat and conserving soil.
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Bacteria Beat the Heat
A team of scientists from the Weizmann Institute's Plant Sciences Department, led by Prof. Avigdor Scherz, has found that a switch in just two amino acids (the building blocks of protein) can make a difference between functioning best at moderate temperatures and being adapted to living in extreme heat. The results of their research, which recently appeared in Nature, might have implications for future attempts to adjust crops to differing climate conditions or improve enzyme efficiency in industrial processes.
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Marketplace

The Grain Prices graph shows the cost fluctuation of soybeans, the main biodiesel feedstock, and corn, the main ethanol feedstock. The tables show actual grain prices, indicators which may affect gasoline prices, and the production of ethanol. Fuel prices come from OPIS Ethanol and Biodiesel Report. Ethanol and RBOB Unl New York spot prices and SME Biodiesel Rack, Chicago, August 2006.

Data Sources:
U.S. DOE-Energy Information Administration, "Weekly Petroleum Status Report", "Monthly Oxygenate Report"
USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, "Agricultural Prices," "Grain Stocks"

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R&D Awards

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Solicitations