North Carolina awards $1.6M to 15 biofuels projects

April 29, 2011 |

In North Carolina, the Biofuels Center of North Carolina has awarded $1.6 million for 15 projects statewide to accelerate the commercialization of renewable liquid fuels. Awards are made through the 2011 Statewide Biofuels Development Grants Program. By 2017, 10% of North Carolina’s liquid transportation fuels is expected to come from biofuels grown and produced within the state. The Center received 58 pre-proposals totaling more than $5.2 million from 23 institutions following its December 2010 request for proposals.

The complete list of grant awards follows:

Regional woody biomass analyses:

* $50,000  ~  Assess Potential of Woody Biomass for Advanced Biofuels Production  ~  North Carolina’s Eastern Region  ~  Kinston
* $50,000  ~  Regional Site Assessment of Woody Biomass Resources for N.C.’s Northeast Region  ~  North Carolina’s NE Economic Development Commission  ~  Edenton
* $50,000  ~  Regional Analysis of Assets for Biofuels Firm  ~  Charlotte Regional Partnership  ~  Charlotte
* $50,000  ~  Extraction and Refinement of Oils from Biodiesel Feedstocks  ~ North Carolina’s Southeast Region  ~  Elizabethtown

These four regions will work with forestry consultants to assess the availability of woody biomass in their respective regions. The strategy is a three-phase approach that will provide a regional assessment suggesting the optimum two sites per region, the validated infrastructure required for a biofuels production facility, and a detailed woody biomass assessment for the selected sites.

Municipal solid waste projects:

* $145,988  ~  Assessment of Municipal Solid Wastes into Biofuels via Pyrolysis  ~  N.C. A&T State University  ~  Greensboro
This project will assess the conversion of municipal solid waste into bio-oil using pyrolysis, analyzing the technical and economic feasibilities.

* $93,119  ~  Utilizing Municipal Solid Waste as a Biofuels Feedstock  ~  Environmental Research and Education Foundation  ~  Raleigh
This project will explore the use of gasification that can be used on about 60 percent of solid municipal waste (MSW). It will also study the process of MSW into liquid fuels compared to other forms of energy from MSW.

Energy grasses projects:

* $133,776  ~  Native and Non-Native Mouse Interactions in Switchgrass – Pine Systems  ~  UNC-Greensboro  ~  Greensboro
This project will assess if there are sustainability issues with intercropping. Certain mouse species function as “canaries in the coal mine,” giving warning if there are sustainability issues.

* $85,542  ~  Suitability of N.C. Piedmont Soils for Bioenergy Crop Production  ~  N.C. State University’s Soil Science Department  ~  Mills River
This project will study the effects of perennial bioenergy grasses on soil chemistry and physical properties.

* $150,000  ~  Expanding Piedmont Perennial Grass Production Through Grower Engagement  ~  N.C. State University’s Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department  ~  Jackson Springs, Salisbury, and Reidsville.
This project will provide equipment assistance to growers; build a collaboration between growers, seed and tissue providers, and biomass consumers; and develop a comprehensive marketing plan to help link producers and potential consumers.

Production innovations:

* $149,488  ~  Sorghum Biofuels: A Route to Commercialization in North Carolina  ~  N.C. State University’s Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department  ~  Roper
This project will analyze sorghum as a source of biomass. Sorghums contain high levels of fermentable sugars and significant cellulose materials while requiring relatively low agronomic input. The grant will also study the impact of second harvests in industrial-scale production.

* $97,088  ~  Environmental Protection and Biofuels Production on Waste Application Fields  ~  N.C. State University’s Forestry and Environmental Resources Department  ~  Gibson and Jacksonville
This project will analyze the state’s potential acreage for waste application. It also will demonstrate using the fields for biocrop production and pollutant mitigation, and evaluate economic value of the strategies.

* $144,082  ~  Pilot Scale Continuous Flow Microwave Pretreatment of Grasses  ~  N.C. State University’s Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences Department  ~  Raleigh
Microwave heating technologies have been shown to be effective as a pre-treatment of feedstocks such as grasses to enhance hydrolysis and remove lignin. This project will study how continuous flow microwave using a patented technology may increase commercialization.  It will include validation of the process.

* $148,419  ~  Loblolly Pine Biomass Cropping Study  ~  N.C. State University’s Forestry and Environmental Resources Department  ~  Butner
This project will test Loblolly pine varieties for the potential use as feedstock in the Piedmont region.

* $119,675  ~  Cooking Oil Recycling Program  ~  Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County  ~  Asheville
This project will analyze increasing access to a low-cost feedstock by providing public collection sites. The grant will also study the impact of public education programs in multiple communities.

* $145,665  ~  Efficient Biodiesel Production from Inexpensive Feedstocks  ~  Wake Forest University  ~  Winston-Salem
This project will study a newly developed enzyme and technology to replace acid pre-treatment.

Category: Research

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