Benefits of Production and Use

Series—Spotlight on Congressional staff members smell different biofuel products during a tour of the Integrated Research Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Colorado (NREL). Photo credit: NREL.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bionergy Technologies Office (BETO) released 28 million metric tons of DOE funds. NREL is also developing enables the development of novel tech- carbon dioxide. On a life-cycle basis, technologies and helping prepare a advanced can reduce harmful new-generation workforce to enable the nologies that can be used to establish emissions by >50% compared commercialization of drop-in biofuels. Colorado as one of the leaders in the to petroleum—helping to reduce NREL’s algae research and development bioeconomy. Colorado can leverage its environmental impacts. (R&D) is distributed across the entire value chain, from production strain existing, abundant resources • Feedstocks to produce biofuels and high-value identification to biofuel and Colorado has 6.7 million dry tons of upgrading. products. annual biomass resources potential that can be sustainably utilized to Setting the Stage for Biofuels Renewable produce advanced biofuels and Program at NREL Colorado’s biomass resources offer a sustain- high-value products. Utilization of able strategy to stimulate economic growth, municipal solid waste, energy crops, Colorado is home to NREL, which is improve U.S. energy security, reduce harmful and algae can all contribute to the developing technologies to sustainably emissions, and create new jobs. bioeconomy and the production of convert non-food biomass resources to fuels, biofuels and products. chemicals, and materials. Its research facili- • Economy ties include the following: Colorado spent $7.4 billion on petroleum Bringing Technology to Market for transportation in 2015. Investments • Integrated Biorefinery Research Strategic policies and investments help in Colorado biofuels help keep a larger Facility enables researchers and industry bridge the gap between promising portion of those dollars within the state partners to develop and test novel research and large-scale production of to stimulate economic development and biochemical processes for producing advanced biofuels. add to jobs in the state’s bioenergy and biobased fuels and products. biobased products industries. • The Bioscience Discovery Evaluation • Thermochemical Users Facility enables • Energy Grant Program aids in the growth of the testing and development of reactors, the bioscience industry in Colorado. Colorado’s transportation sector filters, catalysts, and other thermo- Since 2007, the program has helped to consumed 75.4 million barrels of chemical conversion-unit operations at a establish 45 new Colorado companies petroleum in 2015—about 60% of its minimal industrially relevant scale. that commercialize biofuels and other total production (126 million barrels). bioscience technologies. • Energy Systems Integration Facility Colorado embodies the “all-of-the- enables high-performance computing and above” strategy by developing its • Since 2006, BETO has awarded more collaborators to accelerate the integra- abundant conventional and renewable than $556 million to national labora- tion of renewable energy and energy energy resources. Locally produced tory, university, and industrial partners efficiency technologies. biobased fuels and products support this in Colorado to research, develop, and strategy. demonstrate sustainable biobased fuels Why Colorado? • Environment and products. Of this total, the National • State Mandate Renewable Energy Laboratory In 2014, fossil fuels’ use by (NREL) received $522 million in Colorado’s Renewable Energy Colorado’s transportation sector Standard requires investor-owned electric utilities to provide 30% of the bioeconomy in Colorado. NREL • Jobs and Economy electricity sold from renewable has over 300 licensable, patented In 2013, the state’s biobased products energy sources by 2020, with 3% technologies, and in 2016, it had 259 industry contributed 11,500 direct coming from distributed generation.1 new and 749 total active technology jobs (21,800 total jobs) and $635 • Innovative Research partnership agreements. million in direct value ($1.53 billion NREL’s national leadership in inno- in total value). In 2015, Colorado’s vative research supports growth of ethanol industry generated about 140 direct jobs and 2,780 total jobs.2

DOE has supported the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Bioproducts (C2B2)—a cooperative research and educational center combining the work of Colorado universities and NREL—as well as individual projects from the University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, and Colorado State University. DOE seeks to accelerate promising biofuel and biotechnologies research towards a point where industry can take these forward to market. BETO Projects in Colorado Colorado State Colorado School University of PACE, Colorado Organization NREL University of Mines Colorado & C2B2 School of Mines3

Project Develop compu- Improve biomass Advance produc- Valorize biogas: Develop rapid Enhance overall tational models yields with tion of cost-com- develop of a solar-thermal algal biofuels to build more high-throughput petitive, high-per- biogas-to-muconic chemical reac- sustainability by efficient biomass directed evolution formance carbon acid bioprocess tor systems for maximizing carbon cookstoves of marine fiber material from the conversion of dioxide, nutrient, microalgae and non-food-based biomass and water recovery phototrophic feedstocks and recycling, as consortia well as biopower cogeneration Location Fort Collins Golden Golden Golden Boulder Multiple Stage R&D and lab R&D and lab R&D R&D R&D R&D testing testing Primary Clean biomass Process Renewable Muconic acid (a Synthesis gas Fuels and high- product cookstoves improvement carbon-fiber-based key building block value coproducts materials for producing from algae biofuel and bioproducts) Feedstock Multiple woody Algae Acrylonitrile Biogas substrates Multiple (e.g., Algae crops (e.g., fir, produced from (microorganisms grass, sorghum, coconut, wood lignocellulosic convert methane corn stalks and pellets) biomass-derived to muconic acid leaves, wood sugars waste, and algae)

1 The Eagle Valley Clean Energy (EVCE) biomass plant in Gypsum is Colorado’s first commercial-scale woody biomass plant, which burns waste gathered from surrounding forests and consumes trees culled as part of efforts to fight pine beetle infestations. 2 Based on NREL’s Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model job estimates, which are full-time equivalent employees per year. 3 Producing Algae and Co-Products for Energy (PACE) consortium, led by Colorado School of Mines, is collaborating with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Reliance Industries Limited, Genifuel Corporation, and others.

For more information on Colorado’s energy portfolio and For more information on Colorado clean energy the economic and environmental benefits of biofuels, visit: initiatives and DOE partnerships, visit: Colorado state profile and energy estimates Colorado energy policy Colorado Energy Office BETO funding opportunities U.S. petroleum consumption by sector – 2015 About DOE-BETO U.S. petroleum expenditures by sector – 2015 BETO biogas research State carbon dioxide emissions – 2014 NREL technology partnerships 2016 Billion-Ton Report state biomass resources NREL bioenergy research download tool NREL projects U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis on economic NREL Thermochemical Users Facility For more information, visit impact of U.S. biobased products industry NREL Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility energy.gov/eere/bioenergy U.S. ethanol capacity and production by states (2016) DOE/EE-1609 • May 2017