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DOE awarding $11M to advance renewable carbon fiber production from biomass

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million for two projects that aim to advance the production of cost-competitive, high-performance carbon fiber material from renewable, non-food-based feedstocks, such as agricultural residues and woody biomass. million to innovate on a multi-step catalytic process for conversion of sugars from non-food biomass to acrylonitrile.

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NREL develops novel method to produce renewable acrylonitrile; carbon fibers from renewable biomass

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Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and their colleagues have devised a novel catalytic method to produce renewable acrylonitrile (ACN) using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be biologically produced from sugars. Conceptual process diagram for renewable ACN production from biomass sugars.

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Xcel Energy wants 1.5M EVs in its service areas by 2030; 30x increase from today

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Xcel services customers in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. A residential smart charging pilot launching later this year that will reward customers in Colorado for conveniently optimizing their charging times to benefit the grid and use more renewable energy.

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Vertimass licenses ORNL ethanol-to-hydrocarbon conversion technology; overcoming the blend wall with drop-in fuels

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In a 2012 presentation, the inventors said that the direct conversion process delivers a liquid hydrocarbon fuel yield of ~54-55% at 310°C, with ~6-7% ethylene and ~39% water byproducts, making the technology more cost-effective than previous approaches. Catalytic conversion of to hydrocarbons (2012). —Chaitanya Narula.

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USDA awards nearly $10M for research on using beetle-killed trees as feedstock for on-site thermochemical conversion technologies

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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded nearly $10 million to a consortium of academic, industry and government organizations led by Colorado State University (CSU) and their partners to research using insect-killed trees in the Rockies as a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy.

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DOE awarding more than $50M to 15 projects to advance critical material innovations

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Topic 2, Area of Interest 2: Conversion to Rare Earth Metals (RE-metals). University of Wyoming; Generation of Rare Earth Metals from Rare Earth Oxides by Using Microwave Plasma Partners: Colorado School of Mines, Ames Laboratory, Eutectix, Rare Element Resources DOE share: $500,000; Cost share: $125,500; Total costs: $625,500.

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NREL-led research could lead to improved enzyme performance to break down biomass for renewable fuels

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A team led by researchers from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have gained new insights into how glycosylation—the natural attachment of sugars to proteins—affects a key cellulase enzyme. The work reported in PNAS was funded by the DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office. Knott, Nitin T.

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