Feedstock Production Capacity on the Rise Thanks to Member Companies

Feedstock production capacity is on the rise. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy released the 2023 Billion-Ton Report, which found that the U.S. can sustainably produce more than a billion tons of biomass per year. This would meet more than 100% of the projected demand for feedstock to create Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Further, a study conducted by LMC International estimates that 68 million metric tons of feedstocks - enough to produce over 19 billion gallons of renewable diesel - will be available by next year, even after meeting global food demand.

This production capacity is in large part due to the consistent hard work of innovators in the advanced biofuels industry to sustainably expand what can be utilized as feedstock. ABFA's member companies are at the forefront of this research. Let's explore a few examples of ABFA members' innovations that are expanding the range of feedstocks available for creating sustainable, low-carbon energy.

• Global Clean Energy utilizes ultra-low carbon, nonfood feedstock for their renewable fuels production and focuses on improving crop genetics, overall yield per acre, and plant oil chemistry that enhances efficiency.
• Nuseed specializes in agricultural innovation. Their Carinata crop can be grown between harvests and not only protects the land and sequesters carbon, but the harvest can also be used as a feedstock for advanced biofuels.
• Ensyn utilizes Refinery Co-processing to create their renewable gasoline, which is a process that uses another renewable fuel, biocrude, as the feedstock for the refinery.
• Neste uses waste, residues, and innovative raw materials to create their renewable fuels. They remain very aware of the supply chain and only use raw materials that were sustainably produced.
• Virent patented the BioForming® process, a catalytic process that can convert crop 'first generation' feedstocks (beet sugar, sugar cane, corn starch) as well as cellulosic '2nd generation' feedstocks (bagasse, corn stover, grasses, sorghum and wood).

To ensure advanced biofuel companies can continue this innovative work, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must be willing to embrace approving new pathways for novel feedstock technologies to compete in the market. Currently these pathways are laid out in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which is a federal program that requires U.S. transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels. EPA has been slow to adopt new pathways for novel feedstocks under the RFS, but the Agency can rechart a course that promotes and rewards market innovation by speeding these pathway approvals.

For more information on ABFA's member companies and how they're supporting feedstock production, explore our member guidebook.