Tactical Biorefinery for Forward Fuel Production

The objective of this proposal is to fabricate a hybrid Tactical Biorefinery prototype capable of converting field waste into usable energy in the forward battle-space. The prototype will solve two problems simultaneously by providing onsite energy production for expeditionary operations while relieving field commanders of the operational and financial costs of logistics waste disposal. This opportunity is presented as a product of recent advances in biotechnology, in particular our ability to engineer organisms and molecules to specific tasks, as well as improvements from DOE sponsored research activities in biomass refinement, such as pyrolysis and gasification technologies. We anticipate our effort will results in a deployable system capable of supporting the Force Provider Module with waste disposal, heat, fuel and electricity that is economically and operationally attractive. Further, laboratory testing and actual performance data indicate the final device will meet all environmental standards.