Making Biofuels from Biomass

Roger Ruan, Professor
David Kittelson, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Paul Chen, Senior Research Associate
Ken Bickle, Research Associate, Center for Diesel Research, Mechanical Engineering
Fei Yu, Research Assistant
Rong Fu, Research Assistant
Yuhuan Liu, Research Fellow
Xiangyang Lin, Research Fellow
Yuhong Li, Visiting Scholar

Funding Source

University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE)

Objective

The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of converting solid crop residues (e.g., corn stover) to biopolyols and making biopolyols into biofuels.

Need or Impact

Currently, biofuels are produced from vegetable oils (biodiesel) and starch (ethanol). There is no viable technique to convert lignocellulosis to biofuels. This research explores the feasibility of making biofuels from low cost non-oil and non-starch biomass such as crop residues, byproducts, and processing wastes. The project will result in technologies for converting Minnesota biomass to high value biofuels, which will in turn enhance economic development in rural Minnesota and improve our environment.

Project Status

In Progress.