On Feb. 4, University of Tennessee personnel, as well as representatives from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and officials from state and local government attended a ribbon-cutting event to inaugurate the Center for Renewable Carbon within UT’s Institute of Agriculture in Knoxville, Tenn.

According to CRC director Tim Rials, the new Bioenergy Science and Technology Laboratory will feature specialized facilities to support ongoing research involving biomass pretreatment and process measurement, biomass characterization and biomass conversion to fuels. Additionally, CRC research capabilities will include life-cycle analysis and a biomass fractionation reactor. 

 “We have quite a bit of work underway relative to the characterization of switchgrass biomass, as well as biomass from woody sources, which is another important area for us,” Rials tells Biorefining Magazine. “We’re very fortunate to have at our disposal for our R&D efforts 5,000 to 6,000 acres of switchgrass planted in the east Tennessee region. We’re interested in developing an understanding of the variability of chemical composition across that landscape.”

Another area of focus for the CRC, according to Rials, will be how to better utilize coproduct streams. “We’ve also adopted and advocated the view of the biorefinery where chemical coproducts play a key role in defining or extending the feasibility of these processes for fuel production,” he says. The UTIA is working closely with ORNL in the development of lignin as a low-cost precursor for carbon fiber production. “We have quite a bit of research that’s looking at new transformation pathways for carbohydrates and sugars to industrial chemicals.”

Additionally, the CRC’s Bioenergy Production and Carbon Cycling Program will research environmental topics, including the relationships between land use, bioenergy crops and carbon sequestration, according to Rials.

The CRC consolidates existing bioenergy and biomaterials research programs. The UT Biofuels Initiative will continue work to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of cellulosic fuels. This effort involves a collaboration between UT and Genera Energy, the State of Tennessee and DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol. The SunGrant Initiative, a federal effort that predates the Biofuels Initiative, will continue to coordinate research into the development of alternative energy from renewable carbon sources.

“To be able to develop the structure that facilitates that interdisciplinary R&D, we’re much more likely to be able to resolve some of these biofuels-related challenges,” Rials says. 

—Bryan Sims