Bioenergy Feedstock Data - How Do We Learn from It?.

Idaho National Lab (INL) has developed the Bioenergy Feedstock Library (bioenergylibrary.inl.gov) to record, store, track, and analyze biomass feedstock data from the United States and internationally in a single database to provide knowledge, data, and physical samples. This talk will show biomass researchers how they can use this tool in their own research and connect them to others in the community to achieve a broader understanding of biomass feedstocks. Iowa State University has partnered with INL to provide user feedback on Library functionality and utility. The Library is designed to support industrial and academic research, provide fundamental data on biomass characterization, and house decision-making tools. We will demonstrate how users can use the Library to archive samples and data (including associated metadata) and provide a robust foundation for a data management plan in funding applications. Currently, there are approximately 50,000 samples, comprising 70 different plant species or materials, and 1 conversion process available in the Library and the Library is poised for dramatic growth as this unique platform becomes more widely used by industry and academia.  We will show how to take advantage of this data and these tools to better understand biomass qualities and variability information and improve research.