2016 Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy, Volume 1: Economic Availability of Feedstocks

Consumption of renewable energy in the United States is the highest in history, contributing to energy security, greenhouse gas reductions, and other social, economic, and environmental benefits. The largest single source of renewable energy is biomass, representing 3.9 quadrillion of 9.6 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2015 (EIA 2016). Biomass includes agricultural and forestry resources, municipal solid waste (MSW), and algae. For more than a decade, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been quantifying the potential of U.S. biomass resources, under biophysical and economic constraints, for production of renewable energy and bioproducts. The 2016 Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy (BT16) evaluates the most recent estimates of potential biomass that could be available for new industrial uses in the future. BT16 consists of two volumes: Volume 1 (this volume) focuses on resource analysis—projecting biomass potentially available at specified prices. Volume 2 evaluates changes in environmental sustainability indicators— water quality and quantity, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, soil organic carbon, and biodiversity—associated with select production scenarios in volume 1. The following is a summary of BT16, volume 1.