SBIR Phase II:Cost- and Energy-Efficient Conversion of Cellulosic Biomass to Bio-Fuel Feedstock of Consistent and Preferred Geometry

This SBIR Phase II project will develop and commercialize a new energy efficient long-lifed cutting attachment for chipping cellulosic biomass into bio-fuel feedstock while achieving reduced specific energy, significantly longer knife-change intervals, and controllably-fine chips needed by various bio-fuel applications. The innovation involves an adaptation of advanced metal-cutting technology to replace traditional chipper knives. The broader impact/commercial potential of the project will derive from creating technology to use inexpensive and readily accessible local feedstock for the production of bio-fuels, reducing the cost of feedstock processing upstream of enzymatic hydrolysis. Energy independence and sustainability along with environmental issues strongly motivate the inclusion of biomass to diversify the national and global energy portfolios. Cellulosic bio-fuels applications are poised to grow, but exhibit technical and economic challenges, one of which relates to the need for finer feedstock particles and the inefficiencies of increased chipping energy and knife wear that come with finer chipping.