Colorado Corn Cultivating Opportunities

OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) –- United States Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said that the agency will invest up to $7.7 million in four biofuels research and development projects, bringing the agency's total investment this calendar year to over $1 billion in funding for biofuels R&D projects.

"We are committed to expanding the sustainable production and use of biofuels and these projects will help develop cleaner methods for turning a wide variety of feedstocks into fuel," Bodman said. "Successful completion of these projects stands to redefine the way we produce America's fuels and follows the President's call to end our dependence on oil."

Combined with the industry cost share, more than $15.7 million is slated for investment in the four projects. Negotiations between the selected companies and DOE will begin immediately to determine final project plans and precise funding levels. DOE funding will begin in fiscal year 2008 and will run through FY 2010, subject to Congressional appropriations.

Salt Lake City-based Emergy Energy will head up one of the projects, in which it and Ceramtec, Inc. and the Western Research Institute will develop technologies to remove tars and oils in biomass synthesis gas while also managing other impurities.

Iowa State University, in partnership with ConocoPhillips, will test an integrated biomass to liquids system that uses gas cooling through oil scrubbing rather than water scrubbing to minimize waste water treatment. ConocoPhillips' proprietary sulfur removal technology will also be incorporated into the gas cleanup.

Additionally, the agency will invest in syngas projects that North Carolina's Research Triangle Institute and Alabama's Southern Research Institute will operate.