| Investigator | Charles Cai |
| Project Sponsor | Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy |
| Project Period | October 2020 - March 2024 |
Abstract
We propose development and scale-up of our patent-pending hybrid catalytic biorefining (HCB) technology to achieve >0.5 tons per day (TPD) capacity of continuous operation to produce gasoline and jet fuels from hardwood biomass. From our recently concluded project funded through previous EERE BETO opportunity (EE0007006; Yr 2015-2019), we have successfully achieved all project technical milestones in creating a laboratory-scale biorefinery concept using HCB that reported: 1) 60% total carbon utilization in converting hardwood poplar into methylated furan gasoline blendstock and aromatic jet-range hydrocarbons, 2) a final minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) of < $2.5/gal gasoline equivalent (GGE) using a full-scale technoeconomic model (TEA) that was developed based off of our laboratory results. Through this project, our combined project team with commercial cost-share partner MG Fuels LLC has obtained necessary technical experience, equipment specifications, and facility space at UCR to elevate HCB to a 0.5 TPD capacity and demonstrate >100 hours on-stream operation.