(275f) Exxonmobil Biofuels Research

Global demand for transportation fuels is projected to rise by nearly 30 percent through 2040, and accelerating the reduction in emissions from the transportation sector will play a critical role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Advanced biofuels have the potential to increase energy supplies and reduce emissions.

The partnership between ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics was first announced in 2009 and since that time we have been researching and developing oil from algae to be used as a renewable, lower-emission alternative to traditional transportation fuels. Over the past ten years, we have worked toward developing strains of algae that demonstrate significantly improved photosynthetic efficiency and oil production through selection and genetic engineering of higher-performance algae strains. In 2018, ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics Inc. announced a new phase in their joint algae biofuel research program that includes an outdoor field study in several contained ponds in California. This work focuses on the engineering and regulatory aspects of algae biofuels in parallel with the genetic engineering work in the lab. The results of these research projects will be important to understand how to scale the technology to advance larger-scale production.

We are also working to progress cellulosic biofuels and have been working with the life science division of the Renewable Energy Group since 2016 on bio-conversion of cellulosic sugars to biodiesel. Challenges in converting these sugars include the mixed sugar streams present in cellulosic hydrolysate (e.g. xylose, glucose, and other C5/C6 sugars) and the presence of inhibitory compounds created as a byproduct of biomass deconstruction. Genetic engineering is a promising pathway to enable conversion of cellulosic sugars just as easily as first generation feedstocks. Recently, we have also partnered with Clariant to further optimize REG’s bio-conversion process using already previously tested and benchmarked cellulosic sugars created through Clariant’s sunliquid® process.