Quantifying Biomass Feedstock Variability Using the DOE Bioenergy Feedstock Library

One of the DOE Bioenergy Technology Office goals is to identify a billion tons of biomass feedstock material that meet the physical, chemical, and cost requirements for conversion to fuel by 2030. To achieve this goal, research into understanding the overall causes of compositional, physical and conversion variability for the wide number of available biomass feedstock resources is necessary.  One strategy for accomplishing this is the innovative research management system currently being developed and maintained at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) known as the Bioenergy Feedstock Library (www.bioenergylibrary.inl.gov). The library currently has harvest, storage and logistic, analytical characterization, and/or conversion data for over 35,000 samples spanning 90 different feedstock types from 38 states and 3 countries. These samples and data have been provided not only by the INL, but from over 100 collaborating universities, feedstock supplier, other national labs, and industrial partners. Of the 35,000 samples, approximately 2,300 have been characterized by one or more analytical processes, including compositional, proximate, ultimate, elemental ash, physical and conversion analyses. This presentation will demonstrate the significant research into understanding biomass feedstock variability at a national scale made possible by the continually updated contributions to the library. Historically this information has only been available in the few published review papers regarding feedstock variability and at smaller scales in other databases. Also, the benefits of contributing to this publically available database, the analytical tools available, and the future prospects as a research tool for supporting sustainable and renewable energy will be presented.