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Publications

NREL publishes biomass journal articles, technical reports, conference papers, and outreach documents. Explore a sampling of our most recent or often-cited publications in:

For the complete collection of NREL's biomass publications, search the NREL Publications Database. For information on biomass policy, read congressional testimony of NREL managers.

Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Biomass Characterization

Assessing Corn Stover Composition and Sources of Variability via NIRS. Templeton, D. W.; Sluiter, A. D.; Hayward, T. K.; Hames, B. R.; Thomas, S. R. Cellulose. Vol. 16(4), 2009; pp. 621-639. NREL Report No. JA-510-44100 (June 2009).

The Promise and Challenges of Microalgal-Derived Biofuels. Pienkos, P. T.; Darzins, A. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. Vol. 3(4), 2009; pp. 431-440. NREL Report No. JA-510-45439 (May 2009).

Life-Cycle Assessment of the Use of Jatropha Biodiesel in Indian Locomotives (Revised) (PDF 1.6 MB). Whitaker, M.; Heath, G. 102 pp. NREL Report No. SR-6A2-44428 (March 2009).

Characterization, Genetic Variation, and Combining Ability of Maize Traits Relevant to the Production of Cellulosic Ethanol. Lorenz, A. J.; Coors, J. G.; de Leon, N.; Wolfrum, E. J.; Hames, B. R.; Sluiter, A. D.; Weimer, P. J. Crop Science. Vol. 49(1), 2009; pp. 85-98. NREL Report No. JA-510-45347 (January 2009).

Clean Fractionation: Technology Available for Licensing (PDF 499 KB). 1 pp. NREL Report No. FS-7A1-43959 (October 2008).

Biochemical Conversion

Biochemical Production of Ethanol from Corn Stover: 2008 State of Technology Model (PDF 522 KB). Humbird, D.; Aden, A. 16 pp. NREL Report No. TP-510-46214 (August 2009).

Role of Pretreatment and Conditioning Processes on Toxicity of Lignocellulosic Biomass Hydrolysates. Pienkos, P. T.; Zhang, M. Cellulose. Vol. 16(4), 2009; pp. 743-762. NREL Report No. JA-510-45438 (June 2009).

Summary of Findings from the Biomass Refining Consortium for Applied Fundamentals and Innovation (CAFI): Corn Stover Pretreatment. Elander, R. T.; Dale, B. E.; Holtzapple, M.; Ladisch, M. R.; Lee, Y. Y.; Mitchinson, C.; Saddler, J. N.; Wyman, C. E. Cellulose. Vol. 16(4), 2009; pp. 649-659. NREL Report No. JA-510-46027 (June 2009).

Material and Rheological Properties of Biomass Slurries During Enzymatic Hydrolysis at High-Solids Loadings. Roche, C. M.; Dibble, C. J.; Knutsen, J. S.; Stickel, J. J.; Liberatore, M. W. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. Vol. 104(2), 2009; pp. 290-300. NREL Report No. JA-510-45440 (April 2009).

Research Advances Cellulosic Ethanol, NREL Leads the Way (PDF 1.8 MB) 8 pp. NREL Report No. BR-510-40742 (March 2007).

Biomass Recalcitrance: Engineering Plants and Enzymes for Biofuels Production. Himmel, M. E.; Ding, S. Y.; Johnson, D. K.; Adney, W. S.; Nimlos, M. R.; Brady, J. W.; Foust, T. D. Science. Vol. 315(5813), 2007; pp. 804-807. NREL Report No. JA-270-40965 (February 2007).

Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Corn Stover (PDF 3.1 MB). Aden, A.; Ruth, M.; Ibsen, K.; Jechura, J.; Neeves, K.; Sheehan, J.; Wallace, B.; Montague, L.; Slayton, A.; Lukas, J. 154 pp. NREL Report No. TP-510-32438 (June 2002).

Thermochemical Conversion

Thermochemical Ethanol via Direct Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthesis of Lignocellulosic Biomass (PDF 17 MB). Dutta, A.; Phillips, S. D. 144 pp. NREL Report No. TP-510-45913 (July 2009).

Parametric Gasification of Oak and Pine Feedstocks Using the TCPDU and Slipstream Water-Gas Shift Catalysis (PDF 3.1 MB). Hrdlicka, J.; Feik, C.; Carpenter, D.; Pomeroy, M. 45 pp. NREL Report No. TP-510-44557 (December 2008).

Technoeconomic Analysis of a Lignocellulosic Biomass Indirect Gasification Process to Make Ethanol via Mixed Alcohols Synthesis. Phillips, S. D. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. Vol. 46(26), 2007; pp. 8887-8897. NREL Report No. JA-510-42274 (November 2007).

Thermochemical Ethanol via Indirect Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthesis of Lignocellulosic Biomass (PDF 3.3 MB). Phillips, S.; Aden, A.; Jechura, J.; Dayton, D.; Eggeman, T. 132 pp. NREL Report No. TP-510-41168 (April 2007).

Chemical and Catalyst Science

Improved Multivariate Calibration Models for Corn Stover Feedstock and Dilute-Acid Pretreated Corn Stover. Wolfrum, E. J.; Sluiter, A. D. Cellulose. Vol. 16(4), 2009; pp. 567-576. NREL Report No. JA-510-44240 (June 2009).

Building a Foundation for Structure-Based Cellulosome Design for Cellulosic Ethanol: Insight into Cohesion-Dockerin Complexation from Computer Simulation. Xu, J.; Crowley, M. F.; Smith, J. C. Protein Science. Vol. 18(5), 2009; pp. 949-959. NREL Report No. JA-270-46148 (March 2009).

Review of Catalytic Conditioning of Biomass-Derived Syngas. Yung, M. M.; Jablonski, W. S.; Magrini-Bair, K. A. Energy and Fuels. Vol. 23, 2009; pp. 1874-1887. NREL Report No. JA-510-44310 (March 2009).

Integrated Biorefinery Processes

Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility: Advancing Biofuels Technology (PDF 519 KB). 2 pp. NREL Report No. FS-510-44997 (March 2009).

Modeling Tomorrow's Biorefinery—the NREL Biochemical Pilot Plant (PDF 908 KB). 4 pp. NREL Report No. BR-510-41334 (March 2008).

Microalgal Biofuels

Theoretical Maximum Algal Oil Production. Weyer, K.M.; Bush, D.R.; Darzins, A.; Willson, B.D. BioEnergy Research. Published online: 08 October 2009. NREL Report No. JA-510-46124 (October 2009).

Aquatic Species Program: Lessons Learned (PDF 764 KB). Jarvis, E.E. 29 pp. NREL Report No. PR-510-43232 (February 2008).

Jet Fuel from Microalgal Lipids (PDF 599 KB). 2 pp. NREL Report No. FS-840-40352 (July 2006).

Environmental Implications of Power Generation via Coal-Microalgae Cofiring. Kadam, K. L. Energy. Vol. 27(10), 2002; pp. 905-922. NREL Report No. JA-510-29645 (August 2002).

A Look Back at the U.S. Department of Energy's Aquatic Species Program: Biodiesel from Algae; Close-Out Report (PDF 3.7 MB). Sheehan, J.; Dunahay, T.; Benemann, J.; Roessler, P. 325 pp. NREL Report No. TP-580-24190 (July 1998).

Biomass Process and Sustainability Analyses

Economic and Environmental Comparison of a Biochemical and a Thermochemical Lignocellulosic Ethanol Conversion Process. Foust, T. D.; Aden, A.; Dutta, A.; Phillips, S. Cellulose. Vol. 16(4), 2009; pp. 547-565. NREL Report No. JA-510-45976 (June 2009).

Technoeconomic Analysis of the Dilute Sulfuric Acid and Enzymatic Hydrolysis Process for the Conversion of Corn Stover to Ethanol. Aden, A.; Foust, T. Cellulose. Vol. 16(4), 2009; pp. 535-545. NREL Report No. JA-510-45977 (June 2009).

Economics of Current and Future Biofuels. Tao, L.; Aden, A. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Plant. Vol. 45(3), 2009; pp. 199-217. NREL Report No. JA-510-46175 (May 2009).

Environmental and Sustainability Factors Associated With Next-Generation Biofuels: What Do We Really Know? Williams, P. R. D.; Inman, D.; Aden, A.; Heath, G. A. Environmental Science and Technology. Vol. 43(13), 2009; pp. 4763-4775. NREL Report No. JA-510-44922 (May 2009).

Understanding the Growth of the Cellulosic Ethanol Industry (PDF 1.5 MB). Sandor, D.; Wallace, R.; Peterson, S. 49 pp. NREL Report No. TP-150-42120 (April 2008).