The Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) at DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provides state-of-the-art facilities for advanced biofuels and bioproducts production to create efficient biorefineries. Researchers from academia, the nonprofit sector, private industry, and government are taking advantage of ABPDU's deconstruction and fermentation bioreactors (4 liters [L], 20 L, 50 L, 200 L, 400 L), centrifuges, recovery/protein purification systems, and other production and analytical equipment to evaluate, develop, and demonstrate commercially viable technologies from experimental processes to produce advanced biofuels and biochemical production from biomass and gases, as well as processing enzymes, used in deconstruction. DOE is working with JBEI, which is located in the same building as the ABPDU, to define new deconstruction methods with higher sugar yields and advanced biofuel fermentation processes; GLBRC to define novel deconstruction methods for grasses and production of thermophilic enzymes; and INL to develop deconstruction procedures suitable for mixed feedstocks located in specific geographical areas.

Positive Impact

The Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory enables researchers (public & private) to evaluate, adapt, develop, demonstrate, and transfer commercially viable processes for advanced biofuels and biochemical production from grasses, algae, wood, gases, and agricultural/industrial/municipal waste leading to efficient biorefineries.

Location

Emeryville, California

Partners

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), Idaho National Laboratories (INL)

EERE Investment

$20 million

Clean Energy Sector

Sustainable transportation

The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) works with a broad spectrum of industrial, academic, agricultural, and nonprofit partners across the United States to develop and deploy commercially viable, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower from renewable biomass resources in America to reduce our dependence on imported oil. 

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) success stories highlight the positive impact of its work with businesses, industry partners, universities, research labs, and other entities.