Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy...

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Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST Workshop Rio de Janeiro, September 14-15, 2006

Transcript of Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy...

Page 1: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

Measurement and Standards for Biofuels:Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular

Energy Source

Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST

Joint INMETRO-NIST WorkshopRio de Janeiro, September 14-15, 2006

Page 2: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

U.S. Advanced Energy Initiative

2001-2006

$10B R&D to develop cleaner and more reliable alternative energy sources

AEI proposes 22% increase in R&D funding to:

1. Change the way we fuel our vehicles

2. Change the way we power our homes and businesses

Page 3: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

Changing the Way We Fuel Our Vehicles

Transportation sector- Receives almost all its energy from petroleum products- This accounts for 2/3 of US petroleum consumption- At current rate, by 2030, US would be importing 62% of its total oil use

AEI Goals:1. Develop advanced battery technologies2. Foster the technologies to make cellulosic ethanol cost competitive with corn-based ethanol by 20123. Enable large number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2020

Increase biofuels use from 2% to 30% of total gasoline consumption by 2030!

Page 4: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

Breaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol

A Research Roadmap

DoE Office of Science - Office of Bio. & Env. Research

DoE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

US Dept. of Agriculture

June 2006

Page 5: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

America’s Energy Challenges

• Energy Security• Economic and Energy Growth• Climate Change

Page 6: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

Technical Strategy: Development of a Viable Cellulosic Biomass to Biofuel Industry

• Systems Biology to Overcome Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol

• Feedstocks for Biofuels• Deconstructing Feedstocks into Sugars• Sugar Fermentation to Ethanol• Crosscutting Science and Technology, and Infrastructure

for a New Generation of Biofuel Research– Analytical Tools (Genomics, Transcritomics, Proteomics,…

Enzyme Structure and Function,…– Imaging Technologies, Microbial Cultivation, Data Infrstructure,

Computational Modelling, Bioprocess Systems Eng’g and Economic Analysis

Page 7: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

Critical Decision Making

• Scientific Issues?

• Reliability of Information andAnalytical Tools?

We need better Measurements and Standards!

Page 8: Measurement and Standards for Biofuels: Enabling a Transition from Petroleum as a Vehicular Energy Source Hratch G. Semerjian, NIST Joint INMETRO-NIST.

U.S. American Competitiveness Initiative

– Announced in the State of the Union address – Doubles, over 10 years, investment in:

• NIST laboratory and construction (STRS and CRF)• National Science Foundation • DOE Office of Science

– Commits $50 billion of new funding to these key agencies

– Makes permanent and updates the R&D Tax Credit– Increases math and science education (K-12) and

increases the number of math and science teachers– Increases worker training and retraining opportunities– Reforms immigration policies to attract and retain the

best and brightest from around the world