Biomass Oil Analysis: Research Needs and Recommendations

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Technical report. -June 2004. – 116 p.Executive summary
The United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy (EERE) invests in research to achieve the following goals:
Dramatically reduce, or even end, dependence on foreign oil;
Spur the creation of a domestic bioindustry.
The Office of The Biomass Program (OBP) within EERE invests in technology research and
development (R&D) to support those goals and to achieve the following outcomes:
1. Establish commercial biorefinery technology by 2010
2. Commercialize at least four biobased products.
These outcomes can be achieved by concentrating investments in research platforms that show the highest likelihood of success and/or the largest impact. OBP faces a large portfolio of R&D options with limited resources. As a result, only those investments that offer the largest benefits can be funded. This analysis provides inputs for the decision-making process. The biomass feedstocks evaluated in this report are lipids from animal fats, fish and poultry oils, plant oils, and recycled cooking greases. These feedstocks shall be referred to as biomass oils.