The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy:   Transformative

Research and Development in Bioenergy

Jonathan Burbaum, PhDProgram DirectorJanuary 5, 2012

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

2006Rising Above the Gathering Storm (National Academies)

2007America COMPETES Act

President Obama launches ARPA-E at National Academies on April 27, 2009

Innovation based on science and engineering will be primary driver of our future prosperity & security

2009-2010American Recovery and Reinvestment Act($400M appropriated)

Creation & Launching of ARPA-E

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2012FY2012 Budget($275M appropriated)2011

FY2011 Anomaly($180M under CR)

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

ARPA-E’s mission is to overcome the high-risk technological barriers in the development of energy technologies

(A) promoting revolutionary advances in fundamental sciences

(B) translating scientific discoveries into technological innovations

(C) accelerating transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake

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Reduce Energy-Related Emissions

Improve Energy Efficiency

Reduce Energy Imports

To enhance the economic and energy security of the U.S.

To ensure U.S. technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

33%

37%

20%

5% 2%University

Small Business

Large Business

National Lab

Non-profit

Project Breakdown by Lead Organization Type (% based on award value)*

*Total Value of Awards = $357 million

To date ARPA-E has made 121 awards from seven FOAs to a wide variety of organizations

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*Total Value of Awards = $366 million

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

End-Use Efficiency

ARPA-E currently has 11 focused programs plus a broad portfolio of projects from its first solicitation

TransportationElectrofuels BEEST BEETIT

Stationary PowerIMPACCT ADEPT GRIDS

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HEATSPETRO

5-6¢/kWh fully installed at the MW scale by 2020

Solar ADEPT GENI REACT

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy 6

Energy Storage

Biomass EnergyFOA 1

6projects

5projects

5projects

VBR Power Systems

Carbon Capture

5projects

4projects

Solar Fuels

Vehicle Technologies

5projects

Renewable Power

3projects

Building Efficiency

2projects

Waste Heat Capture 1project

Water1project

Conventional Energy

ARPA-E FOA 1 projects can be categorized into one of ten energy technology areas

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

Macroalgae and biobutanol technology combined provide a sustainable biofuel

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Approach:• Technoeconomic Feasibility• Biocatalyst Feasibility• Commercialization via Butamax™ Advanced

Biofuels (a DuPont/BP Joint Venture)

Seaweed:• Scalable production• Potential to reduce GHG emissions by >90%

compared to petroleum based fuels• Grown at large scale today

Biobutanol:• Can be produced from a range of feedstocks• Compatible with current infrastructure• Physical properties which create value

throughout the fuels supply chain• Can be blended at 16% in gasoline

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Team Lead E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.

Project Budget $17,769,396 POP 2/26/2010 -

2/25/2012 (24)

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

“Electrofuels”, a program area for mid-to-long term solutions to many current biofuel production inefficiencies

Assimilate Reducing Equivalents: other than reduced carbon or products from Photosystems I & II (ex. direct current, H2, H2S, etc.)

Pathways for Carbon Fixation: reverse TCA, Calvin- Benson, Wood-Ljungdahl, Hydroxpropionate-hydroxybutyrate, or newly designed biochemical pathways

Butanol Alkanes

Fuel synthesis: metabolic engineering to direct flux to high energy content molecules

Etc.

“Electrofuels” targets the first application of non-photosynthetic, autotrophic microorganisms for the production of infrastructure compatible biofuels.13 projects, $45M ARPA-E, $56M Total

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Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

Direct electron transfer: UMass will leverage the ability of some microbes to make electrical contacts with electrodes

Team Lead University of Massachusetts

Project Budget $4.1 Million POP 7/01/2010 -

7/01/2013 (36)

Geobacter metallireducens can form conductive biofilms on the surface of electrodes

Acetogenes such as Sporomusa ovata have demonstrated the ability to produce acetate directly from electrons with high coulombic efficiency

Clostridium ljungdahlii will be engineered to produce butanol from electrcity

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Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

PETRO (Plants Engineered To Replace Oil): Developing dedicated biofuel crops

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PETRO will create field ready plants that have enhanced energy capture from sunlight and can convert that energy into direct fuel molecules.

10 projects, $37M ARPA-E, 36 months

Metabolic engineering: Incorporating novel biochemical pathways and optimizing flux to produce high energy molecules in planta.

Photosynthesis: Optimizing chlorophyll content and carbon fixation pathways in plants to maximize energy capture from sunlight.

CO2

sugars

pyruvate

CO2

CBB

(4.6%) (6.0%)

PETRO targets two strategies to address the inefficiency of biofuel production in plants.

CBB+

Advanced Research Projects Agency • Energy

Pine trees engineered to produce fuel molecules in addition to providing pulp for paper

Increase storage capacity for turpentine/fuel molecules

Increase the production of fuel molecules from 3% to 20%

Improve the quality of the produced fuel molecules

Loblolly pineThe Technology:

The Impact:

Tapping pine trees

“Bolt-on” to an existing industry - Loblolly pine is already a commercial crop grown on 10M acres for paper

Potential to produce100 million gallons of fuel per year from less than 25,000 acres of forestland

Team Lead University of Florida Project Budget $6.4 Million POP 01/01/2012-

12/31/2014 (36)

Thank you

Jonathan Burbaum, PhDjonathan.burbaum@hq.doe.gov

http://arpa-e.energy.gov/