Next Generation Bio Fuels

The Department of Energy has announced the award of $7.7 million for research on new bio energy technologies. This influx of research capitol will continue the push to move beyond corn derived ethanol. The research funded here will examine the thermochemical conversion process of turning grasses, stover, the non-edible portion of crops and other materials into biofuel. These projects will be looking at processes to remove contaminants from the synthetic gas produced from biomass feedstock as well as reducing the amount of pollutants produced in these processes. There will also be research conducted on converting this syngas to a liquid fuel for possible use as a transportation fuel.