Bioenergy R&D Powers a Sustainable Bioeconomy

Fuels and Chemicals, Materials, and Carbon Management and Utilization Research

NREL research develops industrially relevant, cost-competitive, and performance-advantaged fuels, chemicals, and materials from renewable and waste carbon sources. We innovate strategies and technologies for carbon management and utilization to support the bio-based economy of the future.

Discover how these NREL R&D capabilities enable new pathways and processes for bio-based products and technologies:

Fuels and chemicals

Materials

Carbon management and utilization.

Analysis, Characterization, Modeling, and Simulation Research

We support low-carbon technologies with near- to long-term market opportunities by developing and leveraging:

• Techno-economic, sustainability, and market analyses
• Analytical characterization tools and techniques
• Computational modeling/simulation and machine learning/artificial intelligence approaches.

Science of Biological Energy Conversion Research

NREL creates scientific understanding that enables control over chemical, biochemical, and biophysical pathways and processes in living organisms, cell-free, biohybrid, and catalytic systems.

Knowledge of matter and energy flows—from molecular to multicellular and organismal scales—is fundamental to technological innovation and disruption in the bioeconomy.

Leverage NREL's fundamental science R&D capabilities to elucidate electronic and atomic pathways in biotechnology-relevant pathways.

Scale-Up and Piloting Research

We deliver technologies and solutions to market by implementing pilot projects and developing technical value and supply chain networks for commercialization and deployment.

Explore how NREL's scale-up and piloting R&D capabilities test-drive and de-risk marketable bioenergy technologies.