Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman joined Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Secretary Ray Mabus of the U.S. Department of Navy, on September 19, 2014, to announce awards for three commercial-scale biorefinery projects that ...
September 25, 2014
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Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy
Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman joined Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Secretary Ray Mabus of the U.S. Department of Navy, on September 19, 2014, to announce awards for three commercial-scale biorefinery projects that will help meet the transportation needs of the U.S. military and private sector.
Together these three projects will produce more than 100 million gallons of military-grade biofuel annually beginning in 2016 and 2017 at a price competitive with their petroleum counterparts. This fuel can be blended up to 50% with traditional fuels and emits less than half the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than their petroleum counterparts.
The following companies are receiving federal funding for the construction and commissioning of biorefineries:
- Emerald Biofuels: To build and operate an 82 million gallon per year refinery on the Gulf Coast to hydro-treat and upgrade waste fats, oils, and greases to create military-grade jet fuel and diesel.
- Fulcrum BioEnergy: To build and operate a refinery in McCarran, Nevada, to convert municipal solid waste, using gasification and Fischer-Tröpsch conversion technology, into more than 10 million gallons of renewable jet and diesel fuel a year.
- Red Rock Biofuels: To build and operate a 12 million gallon per year refinery in Lakeview, Oregon, using gasification and Fischer-Tröpsch conversion technology to turn forest biomass and wood wastes into renewable fuels for the military.
Fossil-fuel based petroleum is a finite resource and is unevenly distributed across the world. Advanced biomass-based fuels that use a domestic, renewable feedstock can provide a reliable alternative that reduces the risks associated with petroleum dependence. The Energy Department is committed to supporting the advanced energy technologies needed to produce renewable biofuels capable of meeting military specifications.
Learn more about renewable jet and diesel fuels for the military and this critical collaboration.