Bioenergy Progress in Europe and the US

In Europe, Air Liquide is progressing in its biomass-to-liquid fuel (BTL) process, building on its successful first stage biomass pyrolysis project and moving to the second stage.

The Bioliq process (PDF), being co-developed by Lurgi and FZK with support from Fachagentur für Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR), is a three-stage process. Biomass is pyrolized to a pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil is mixed with pyrolysis coke from the process to create a biocrude slurry for subsequent gasification to syngas and conversion to chemicals and/or fuels.

The partners envision the pyrolysis stage as being decentralized, in locations close to the source of biomass. The gasification and synthesis stages will be in large centralized locations, preferably existing refineries. _GCC

In the US, the US DOE is announcing up to $200 million in financing for advanced biomass to biofuels projects.

All projects must be located within the US, use feedstock from domestic biomass resources, and demonstrate greenhouse gas reductions on a lifecycle basis. Advanced biofuels produced from these projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 50%, as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. _GCC

The emphasis on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a misplaced effort of the DOE to appear trendy and in tune with the carbon hysteria of the EU and the incoming administration of the narcissist-elect, Barak Obama. Long after the scientific basis of green house climate catastrophe has been undermined by real science and real world data, political sycophants will continue to use "climate change" as a selling point for new government programs.

As long as the resulting product is economically profitable above and beyond its "greenhouse" effects, that should be no problem, other than a monumental waste of time, energy, and taxpayer resources in chasing the "greenhouse demons".