UW-Madison Research Center to Receive Funds for Developing Sustainable Fuels

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023 -- 9:01 AM

(By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) Efforts to develop sustainable fuels as an alternative to gasoline, diesel and other petroleum-derived products are receiving renewed federal support at a University of Wisconsin-based research center.

According to Danielle Kaeding with Wisconsin PUblic Radio, The U.S. Department of Energy renewed federal funding for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at UW-Madison for another five years.

On Friday, the federal agency announced the four bioenergy research centers it supports, including Madison, will receive $590 million during that time span. The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center could receive up to $147.5 million over five years depending on the availability of funding from Congress.

It is receiving $27.5 million out of $110 million awarded this year. With the award, the center has received more than $410 million. That makes it the university’s largest federally-funded project, according to the center.

"This funding is going to go towards moving society closer to being able to make lower-carbon transportation fuels and chemicals using non-food crop material," said Tim Donohue, the center's director.

Donohue said they’re working with a renewable resource from plants known as lignocellulosic biomass. Lignocellulose is considered the most abundant biological plant material on the planet, with trees and grasses like poplar and switchgrass the major sources of the material.

It contains large amounts of sugars and aromatic compounds, such as benzene, that can be used to make biofuels. The transition to cleaner fuel sources is a key strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector by 2050 under a national plan released in January.

Transportation accounts for the largest share of the heat-trapping emissions that contribute to climate change.

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