As the United States continues attempting to wean itself off of foreign oil, the Department of Energy has been increasingly supporting alternative technologies.
Among the efforts has been the DOE’s support of ClearFuels-Rentech’s pilot-scale biorefinery in Commerce City, Colorado.
Funded by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy–which has provided Recovery Act funds to biofuel technology and integrated biorefineries across the country–the facility will thermochemically convert 20 tons of wood and agricultural waste a day into renewable diesel and jet fuel in a special chemical-heat process developed by ClearFuels.
The technology “will allow commercial and military planes to transition to a clean, domestic fuel source that not only reduces their environmental impact but also boosts national security by providing them with a domestic alternative supply,” the DOE wrote on the project.
As global population rises, biofuel–as a way of both reusing food waste and maximizing use of energy resources–has become a growing trend.
If the pilot is successful, ClearFuels will be able to duplicate the plant for large commercial-scale use. Read more on the DOE website.
