Neal A Yancey

Idaho National Laboratory | INL · Bioenergy Research Program

The efficient utilization of low-cost carbon feedstocks, such as municipal solid waste (MSW), in biorefineries has become increasingly important for reducing GHG emissions and meeting the growing demand for renewable energy sources. However, MSW as a feedstock presents several challenges, including high moisture content, compositional variability,...

Low bulk density, variable moisture content, and particle size of municipal solid waste (MSW) create feeding, handling, storage, and transportation challenges. In this study, MSW bales were size-reduced in stage-1 and stage-2 hammer mill grinders fitted with 50.8-mm and 6.35-, 12.7-, and 19.05-mm screens. Ground MSW was densified further in a pilot...

Here we report on the effects of loblolly pine residue variability on material throughput, pilot plant uptime, operator intervention, product yield, and product quality for grinding, fast pyrolysis, and hydrotreating operations. Preprocessing throughput using a hammer mill varied between 31-48% of nameplate capacity (5 tons/hr). Grinder overloads i...

Early lignocellulosic biorefineries have been plagued with numerous issues that involve feedstock handling problems and variations in conversion efficacy that stem from feedstock variability and complexity in dimensional, physical, chemical, and mechanical attributes. Feedstock ash and moisture content vary considerably in corn stover harvested fro...

Almost 36 million tons of paper and yard trimmings are not currently being recycled or composted annually and likely end up in landfills. One approach to valorize these resources would be for biofuels production. Nonrecyclable municipal solid waste (MSW) paper and yard trimmings were assessed for their suitability as feedstocks to produce biofuels...

Pelleting tests on alfalfa at different moisture content were conducted. The quality attributes like density and durability of the pellets were evaluated. Alfalfa was procured from a local company in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Tests on alfalfa were conducted using three different mills (lab scale flat die, pilot scale ring die, and commercial scale ring d...

In the present research grinding and densification characteristics of municipal solid waste were studied. Grinding tests on MSW bales were conducted using a commercial scale grinder including densification tests using a briquette press. The MSW was initially procured in bales (4x4x4 ft) and ground in the stage- 1 grinder (Vermeer horizontal grinder...

The economical and sustainable production of bioenergy depends on efficient feedstock supply systems. The development of feedstock supply systems requires balancing cost of delivered feedstock, feedstock quality, and the quantity of biomass available for feedstock production to meet the demand. Relevant quality characteristics of feedstocks depend...

To meet the Billion-Ton vision (Biomass Supply for Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply) and create a national-scale biofuel and biochemical industry, it will be necessary to consider a diverse portfolio of biomass feedstock resources. Quality and variability of feedstock characteristics becom...

Preprocessing costs, in particular grinding costs, associated with size reduction of baled herbaceous feedstocks such as corn stover make up a significant portion of the costs associated with conversion of biomass to a liquid or solid biofuel. Generally the size reduction occurs in two stages, first the breaking apart of the baled feedstock combine...

Lignocellulosic biorefineries have tonnage and throughput requirements that must be met year round, and there is no single feedstock available in any given region that is capable of meeting the price and availability demands of the biorefineries. Ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment with certain ILs is receiving significant attentions as a potential proc...

The United States has an abundant potential of biomass resources that can be used as bioenergy feedstocks; however, biomass in its raw, "as-harvested" form is not necessarily in a format (low bulk density and high moisture content) that meets the needs for the biofuel or bioenergy industry. Both high production and niche crops must be used together...

Background: Mechanical preprocessing, which includes particle size reduction and mechanical separation, is one of the primary operations in the feedstock supply system for a lignocellulosic biorefinery. It is the means by which raw biomass from the field or forest is mechanically transformed into an on-spec feedstock with characteristics better sui...

Background: Lignocellulosic biorefineries must be able to efficiently process the regional feedstocks that are available at cost-competitive prices year round. These feedstocks typically have low energy densities and vary significantly in composition. One potential solution to these issues is blending and/or densifying the feedstocks in order to cr...

Presently, around the globe, there is a significant interest in using biomass for power generation as power generation from coal continues to raise environmental concerns. Using just biomass for power generation can bring a lot of environmental benefits. However the constraints of using biomass alone can include high investments costs for biomass f...

Transportation can be a prohibitive cost in bringing biomass to a preprocessing location or biofuel refinery. One alternative to transporting biomass in baled or loose format to a preprocessing location is to utilize a mobile preprocessing system that can be relocated to the places where biomass is stored and used to preprocess and densify the biom...

Preprocessing is a critical operation in the biomass feedstock assembly system of a lignocellulosic biorefinery. Preprocessing is typically accomplished using industrial grinders to grind, chop, or otherwise size-reduce biomass materials into a suitable feedstock for conversion to biofuels and bioproducts. Various components of commercial preproces...

The long history of mineral extraction in the Coeur dAlene Basin has left a legacy of heavy metal laden mine tailings that have accumulated along the Coeur dAlene River and its tributaries (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2001; Barton, 2002). Silver, lead and zinc were the primary metals of economic interest in the area, but the ores containe...

The long-term durability of WAXFIX, a paraffin-based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting of activated beryllium wastes in the subsurface disposal area (SDA), a radioactive landfill at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The evaluation considered radiological and biological mechanisms that cou...

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective technologies for use in decontaminating and decommissioning nuclear facilities. To this end, the Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area of DOE's Office of Science and Technology sponsors Large-Scale Demonstration and Deployment Projects (LSDDP) to test...

Especially tailored transgenic plants were prepared for the purpose of phytoremediation. In the case of heavy metals, high accumulation in plants is the main requirement, particularly in the harvestable parts. Improvement in a plant's ability to tolerate heavy metals via the introduction of metallothionein (MT) genes has already been demonstrated b...

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective technologies for the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities. The Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA) of the DOE's Office of Science and Technology (OST) sponsors large-scale demonstration and deployment projects (LSDD...

In 2000, a reactive barrier was installed on the East Fork of Ninemile Creek near Wallace, Idaho to treat acid mine discharge. The barrier was filled with fishbone derived Apatite IITM4 to remove the contaminants of concern (Zn, Pb, and Cd) and raise the pH of the acidic mine discharge. Metal removal has been achieved by a combination of chemical,...

Over 100,000 cubic meters of waste is buried at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA). The waste, which is a mixture of low-level and transuranic mixed waste, is commingled with soil and buried in a manner similar to standard landfill techniques. The waste, which contains a variety of fiss...

Mining in the Coeur d'Alene Basin in Northern Idaho began as early as the 1880's. As a result, millions of tons of mine tailings are polluting the areas streams, rivers and lakes. Combinations of processes contribute to the fate and transport of the contaminants. These processes include spring runoff onto the waste, infiltration of precipitation th...

The nature of radiocesium sources is such that they often have resulted in the contamination of shallow (< 1m), vegetated soils. This surface and near-surface soil contamination by radiocesium may be susceptible to migration on vegetated sites due to plant facilitated 137Cs translocation. Once in the plant, the 137Cs will not only reposition within...

Biomass preprocessing is one of the primary operations in the feedstock assembly system of a lignocellulosic biorefinery. Preprocessing is generally accomplished using industrial grinders to format biomass materials into a suitable biorefinery feedstock for conversion to ethanol and other bioproducts. Many factors affect machine efficiency and the...

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost effective technologies for the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities. The Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA) of the DOE's Office of Science and Technology (OST) sponsored large-scale demonstration and deployment projects (LSD...