National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) ($44 million). Led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (St. Louis, MO), NAABB will develop a systems approach for sustainable commercialization of algal biofuel (such as renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel) and bioproducts.

NAABB will integrate resources from companies, universities, and national laboratories to overcome the critical barriers of cost, resource use and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and commercial viability.

It will develop and demonstrate the science and technology necessary to significantly increase production of algal biomass and lipids, efficiently harvest and extract algae and algal products, and establish valuable certified co-products that scale with renewable fuel production. Co-products include animal feed, industrial feedstocks, and additional energy generation. Multiple test sites will cover diverse environmental regions to facilitate broad deployment.

These activities will accelerate the ability to overcome several key barriers identified in the Algal Biofuels Roadmap, including: feedstock supply (strain development and cultivation); feedstock logistics (harvesting and extraction); and conversion (production of fuels and co-products).

NAABB partners include: The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; the Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; University of Arizona; Brooklyn College; Colorado State University; New Mexico State University; Texas AgriLife Research - Texas A&M University System; University of California Los Angeles; University of California San Diego; University of Washington; Washington University in St. Louis; Washington State University; AXI; Catilin; Diversified Energy; Eldorado Biofuels; Genifuel; HR Biopetroleum; Inventure; Kai BioEnergy; Palmer Labs; Solix Biofuels; Targeted Growth; Terrabon; and UOP.

National Advanced Biofuels Consortium (NABC) (up to $33.8 million). Led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, NABC will conduct research to develop infrastructure compatible, biomass-based hydrocarbon fuels. The result will be a sustainable, cost-effective production process that maximizes the use of existing refining and distribution infrastructure.

NABC will develop and demonstrate the science and technology necessary to enable the biofuels industry to produce infrastructure-compatible biomass-based hydrocarbon fuels. The research and development strategy includes investigating six process options:

• Fermentation;
• Catalytic conversion;
• Catalytic fast pyrolysis;
• Hydropyrolysis;
• Hydrothermal liquefaction; and
• Low-cost one-step syngas to distillates.

After techno-economic evaluation of each option in the first year, one or possibly two process strategies will be downselected, resulting in more focused development in years 2-3.

NABC partners include: National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Albemarle Corporation; Amyris Biotechnologies; Argonne National Laboratory; BP Products North America Inc.; Catchlight Energy, LLC; Colorado School of Mines; Iowa State University; Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pall Corporation; RTI International; Tesoro Companies Inc.; University of California, Davis; UOP LLC; Virent Energy Systems; and Washington State University.

Ethanol Blend Fueling. Energy Secretary Steven Chu also announced the selection of eight infrastructure projects to receive up to $1.6 million to support expanded fueling infrastructure for ethanol blends.

The projects will expand ethanol blends infrastructure at existing retail fueling locations in nine states: Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. The projects plan to install E85 pumps, retrofit existing pumps to dispense E85, and install blender pumps that offer ethanol blends up to 85% at more than 60 stations.

Collectively, the projects propose creating at least 45 E85 dispensers and 16 blender pumps along key driving corridors and areas with higher concentrations of flexible fuel vehicles.

The infrastructure projects will be matched with $3.9 million in non-federal cost-share funds, for total projects investments of $5.5 million.