Biomass R&D Board releases “Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy”

An interagency collaboration among DOE, USDA, DOT, DOI, DoD, EPA, NSF, and the White House OSTP makes up the senior officials represented on the Biomass R&D Board.  The Board recently released the “Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy” in which biosolids were highlighted.

See the attached report for additional information.  Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy 2016

See the direct biosolids references below:

“. . . . EPA leads development of the renewable fuel standard for biofuels, environmental approval of biotechnologies essential to the bioeconomy, regulates emissions from mobile and stationary sources of the bioeconomy, and the management of manures, municipal solid waste and biosolids – all potential feedstocks for the bioeconomy . . . . (pg. 2)

. . . . Higher Purpose Use of Biobased Materials

. . . . Opportunities exist to develop and utilize diverse agricultural, algal, and biogenic waste (e.g. manures, biosolids, food waste, and municipal solid waste) feedstocks that, historically, have presented environmental and economic challenges. Using diverse sources of renewable biobased materials as feedstocks often reduces greenhouse gas, eliminates management costs, reduces water quality degradation, and provides revenue streams and renewable energy.

. . . . Capture, Re-use, and Market Value of Non-renewable Resources and Pollutants from Biogenic Wastes

. . . . Innovative technologies can extract non-renewable resources (such as phosphorus from manures and biosolids) and transform them from costly pollutants into marketable products. . . . (pg.6)

. . . . The Bioenergy Technologies Office is dedicated fully developing the bioeconomy, and establishes partnerships with key public and private stakeholders to develop and demonstrate technologies for producing cost-competitive advanced biofuels from non-food biomass resources, including cellulosic biomass, algae, and wet waste (e.g. biosolids).  The Office pursues innovations for and testing of crucial bioenergy technologies including pilot- and demo-scale integrated biorefineries. (pg. 15)

. . . . The SSWR program also focuses on water reuse and resource recovery. SSWR conducts research on treatment technologies for fit-for-purpose water with an emphasis on low cost/low energy treatment systems. Resource recovery from wastewater and water reuse treatment aims to maximize energy recovery from biosolids through the generation and capture of methane. (pg.35)”