Department of Energy Announces 36 Projects for Bioenergy Research and Development

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September 4, 2018

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(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the selection of 36 projects totaling $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development (R&D). This R&D will enable cost-competitive, drop-in renewable hydrocarbon fuels, bio-based products, and power from non-food biomass and waste feedstocks. This work supports the Department of Energy’s (DOE) goal of reducing the cost of bio-based drop-in fuels to $3/gallon by 2022 to continue to provide consumers with affordable, reliable transportation energy choices.

“The selections announced today highlight some of the most innovative and advanced bioenergy technologies that have the potential to produce new sources of reliable and affordable energy for American families and businesses,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Perry. “Developing all of our domestic energy resources is critical to keeping our nation prosperous and secure.”

Today’s selections stem from four funding opportunities:

BioEnergy Engineering for Products Synthesis (up to $28 million): 16 selectees will create highly efficient conversion processes to increase the affordability of fuels from biomass and waste feedstocks by improving catalysts and new biological systems, identifying ways to better utilize waste streams like carbon dioxide (CO₂) and biosolids, and creating high-value co-products that can improve the economic viability of biofuels production.
Efficient Carbon Utilization in Algal Systems (up to $15 million): 7 selections will improve the efficiency of carbon utilization and productivity of algal systems either through improving uptake and conversion of waste CO₂ emissions—such as from a power plant or industrial facilities—or through the development of new, affordable technologies to capture CO₂ directly from ambient air to enhance algal growth.
Process Development for Advanced Biofuels and Biopower (up to $22 million): 10 selections will research integrated processes for the production of biopower from biosolids and cost-competitive, renewable drop-in biofuels and bioproducts from domestic biomass feedstocks and waste resources.
Affordable and Sustainable Energy Crops (up to $15 million): 3 selections will conduct early-stage R&D related to the production of affordable and sustainable non-food dedicated energy crops that can be used as feedstocks for the production of biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.

To learn more about the projects selected today and DOE’s work with industry, academia, and national laboratories, visit the Bioenergy Technologies Office website.

Topic Area 1: ChemCatBio Industry Partnerships
University of South Florida	Tampa, FL	Intensified biogas conversion to value-added fuels and chemicals	$1,836,459

Topic Area 4: Biofuels and Bioproducts from Wet Organic Waste Streams
Visolis	Berkeley, CA	Integrated Biorefinery for Chemicals and Fuels Production from Waste Biomass	$1,999,333
Xylome Corporation	Madison, WI	Biodiesel and higher value products from stillage fiber	$1,040,426
North Carolina State University	Raleigh, NC	Catalytic Upgrading of Carbohydrates in Waste Streams to Hydrocarbons	$2,475,807

Topic Area 6: Lignin Valorization
Clemson University	Clemson, SC	Lignin Fractionation and Valorization: Focusing on both Value and Quality	$1,795,216
Spero Energy, Inc.	Thousand Oaks, CA	SPERLU Selective Process for Efficient Removal of Lignin and Upgrading	$1,613,457
Efficient Carbon Utilization in Algal Systems
Topic Area 1: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Utilization Improvement
Colorado State University	Fort Collins, CO	Integrating an Industrial Source and Commercial Algae Farm with Innovative CO2 Transfer Membrane and Improved Strain Technologies	$2,145,600
Arizona State University	Tempe, AZ	Multi-pronged Approach of Improved Biological and Physicochemical Systems to Improving Carbon Utilization by Cyanobacterial Cultures	$2,500,000
Global Algae Innovations	San Diego, CA	Algae Cultivation from Flue Gas with High CO2 Utilization Efficiency	$2,500,000
Arizona State University	Tempe, AZ	Membrane Carbonation for 100% Efficient Delivery of Industrial CO2 Gases	$1,992,766
Duke University	Durham, NC	Carbon Utilization Efficiency in Marine Algae Biofuel Production Systems Through Loss Minimization and Carbonate Chemistry Modification	$1,511,515
Topic Area 2: Direct Air Capture Systems
MicroBio Engineering Inc.	San Luis Obispo, CA	Air Carbon for Algae Production – AirCAP	$2,260,880
Georgia Institute of Technology	Atlanta, GA	Direct Air Capture of CO2 and Delivery to Photobioreactors for Algal Biofuel Production	$1,983,452
Process Development for Advanced Biofuels and Biopower
Topic Area 1: Drop-in Renewable Jet Fuel Blendstocks
Technology Holding LLC	Salt Lake City, UT	Novel Method for Biomass Conversion to Renewable Jet Fuel Blend	$2,500,000
Washington State University	Pullman, WA	Hybrid HEFA-HDCJ Process for the Production of Jet Fuel Blendstocks	$2,762,484
Applied Research Associates	Panama City, FL	Drop-in Renewable Jet Fuel from Brown Grease via the Biofuels ISOCONVERSION Process	$2,360,703
Gas Technology Institute	Des Plaines, IL	Cool GTL® for the Production of Jet Fuel from Biogas	$2,986,033
Topic Area 2: Drop-in Renewable Diesel Fuel Blendstocks
Research Triangle Institute	Durham, NC	Bio-crude Production and Upgrading to Renewable Diesel	$2,500,000
LanzaTech, Inc.	Skokie, IL	Ultra-low Sulfur Winterized Diesel	$2,553,924
West Biofuels Development LLC	Woodland, CA	Agricultural and Woody Biomass to Diesel Fuel with Bio-oil Intermediate	$2,200,000

Affordable and Sustainable Energy Crops
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Champaign, IL	Next-Generation Feedstocks for the Emerging Bioeconomy	$5,000,000
Texas A&M AgriLife Research	College Station, TX	Sustainable Herbaceous Energy Crop Production in the Southeast United States	$4,999,539
North Carolina State University	Raleigh, NC	Next Generation Miscanthus: Hybrid Performance Evaluation and Enhanced, Sustainable Feedstock Production and Supply in the Southeast U.S. for Biofuels and Bioproducts	$4,627,161

DOE invests $80M to accelerate bioenergy R&D, 36 projects picked: the complete details (Biofuels Digest)

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