UOP and partners to develop 2nd-generation biofeedstock technology under U.S. DOE award

UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com), a Honeywell company, announced that it was awarded a $1.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop economically viable technology to stabilize pyrolysis oil from second-generation biomass feedstocks for use as a renewable fuel source. Biomass pyrolysis oil is made from second-generation feedstocks like the residuals from agricultural and forestry industries or wood-based construction and demolition materials. The oil can be combusted in industrial burners and furnaces for power and heating or further refined into transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. However, the oil is corrosive and unstable, making it difficult to store and transport. UOP and its partners, using funding from the DOE’s National Biofuels Action Plan, will work to modify the composition of biomass pyrolysis oil to solve those issues. “The development of second-generation biofeedstock conversion technology is critical for biofuels to support our growing energy needs,” said Jennifer Holmgren, general manager for UOP’s Renewable Energy and Chemicals business. “Finding a cost-effective solution will ensure that pyrolysis oil is a viable renewable source…