Energy Department Announces Funding for Design and Construction of Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biopower

(U.S. Department of Energy) Recognizing the importance of biofuels to energy and climate security, the Energy Department today announced up to $90 million in project funding focused on designing, constructing and operating integrated biorefinery facilities. The production of biofuels from sustainable, non-food, domestic biomass resources is an important strategy to meet the Administration’s goals to reduce carbon emissions and our dependence on imported oil.

Project Development for Pilot and Demonstration Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower is a funding opportunity meant to assist in the construction of bioenergy infrastructure to integrate cutting-edge pretreatment, process, and convergence technologies. Biorefineries are modeled after petroleum refineries, but use domestic biomass sources instead of crude oil, or other fossil fuels to produce biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. They convert biomass feedstocks – the plant and algal materials used to derive fuels like ethanol, butanol, biodiesel and other hydrocarbon fuels – to another form of fuel or energy product. This funding will support efforts to improve and demonstrate processes that break down complex biomass feedstocks and convert them to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as plastics and chemicals.

“The domestic bio-industry could play an important part in the growing clean energy economy and in reducing American dependence on imported oil,” said Lynn Orr, DOE’s Under Secretary for Science and Energy. “This funding opportunity will support companies that are working to advance current technologies and help them overcome existing challenges in bioenergy so the industry can meet its full potential.”

The United States spends approximately $1 billion every three days on imported oil. Meanwhile, the Energy Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate that the United States could sustainably produce more than 1 billion tons of biomass that could be converted to biofuels, bioproducts and biopower. This would spur economic development in rural communities across the nation and those products could be used to fuel vehicles, heat homes and replace everyday materials such as plastic — all while potentially displacing over 25 percent of U.S. petroleum use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 550 million tons.

Prior Energy Department investments in biomass have helped develop a number of biofuels pathways, some of which are ready to scale up toward commercialization. Today’s funding opportunity announcement will advance the Department’s goal of producing at least three total pioneer commercial plants over the next twelve years. To learn more about this funding opportunity and application requirements, visit Energy.gov. READ MORE and MORE and MORE (ExecutivGov) and MORE (Biofuels Digest)

DE-FOA-0001232: FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) NUMBER DE-FOA-0001232: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT FOR PILOT AND DEMONSTRATION SCALE MANUFACTURING OF BIOFUELS, BIOPRODUCTS AND BIOPOWER (PD2B3)

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), announces a notice of availability of funding for financial assistance from the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). DOE has funded biorefinery technology development projects since 2002 to meet two EERE performance goals: 1) dramatically reduce dependence on imported oil; and 2) spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry.

This FOA will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project development and execution plans for the manufacture of Advanced or Cellulosic Biofuels (“Biofuels”, as defined in the Energy Investment and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) §201), bioproducts, refinery compatible intermediates, or biopower in a domestic pilot or demonstration scale Integrated Biorefinery (IBR). Scale-up and validation of these process technologies is essential to enable the industry to build future pioneer- and commercial-scale facilities. The FOA seeks applications for projects to first design, and then construct and operate IBR facilities. There will be a down-select review between the design phase (Phase 1) and the construction/operation phase (Phase 2). The down-select decision will be made by DOE at the completion of the design phase. Project performance in Phase 1, as well as portfolio balance, availability of funds, and other factors will be considered in the down-select decision process. Only projects selected by DOE as a result of the down-select process will receive additional funding and be permitted to proceed into the construction/operation phase (Phase 2).

• Topic Area 1: Pilot scale production of Biofuels from high impact cellulosic, algal, or biogas feedstocks. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 1 dry metric ton (DMT) per day or equivalent throughput of algal biomass or biogas. Bioproducts and biopower are only allowed as co-products from the facility.
• Topic Area 2: Demonstration scale production of Biofuels from high impact cellulosic, algal, or biogas feedstocks. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 50 DMT per day or equivalent of algal biomass or biogas. Bioproducts and biopower are only allowed as co-products from the facility.
• Topic Area 3: Production of either biopower or Biofuels from biosolids and other allowable Wet Waste Feedstock streams. Bioproducts are also allowed as co-products from the facility. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 1 DMT per day.

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must address the entire process, from feedstock handling through to biofuel, bio-product, or biopower distribution. Applicants who propose the production of biopower must include a discussion of the costs of combined heat and power or electricity generation in the full application.

All applications must stress articulation of the project’s value proposition, target markets, competitors, and distribution channels for proposed technology, along with known or perceived barriers to market penetration, including mitigation strategies. The value proposition should include a discussion of the current and potential market share, and the economic competitiveness of the proposed process.

Applicants who intend to replicate and commercialize the technology through other than scale-up methods, such as through modular deployment or other mechanisms, must present equivalent information to sufficiently describe their envisioned commercialization strategy.
Recognizing the significant capital investments that have been made through prior BETO FOAs, BETO also encourages innovative reuse and repurposing of capital equipment purchased under prior DOE programs.

A limited amount of preparatory work to support the design of the proposed pilot scale project will be allowed within the scope of the project. Typically up to 10% of the total Phase 1 project budget (total allowable budget) may be proposed for the preparatory R&D, but the amount is subject to negotiation after notification of selection for negotiation of an award. Preparatory work may include limited research and development (R&D) including expenses for equipment, salaries, and supplies. All project costs, including any preparatory R&D work, will be subject to the 50% cost share requirement.

All applicants must clearly establish that sufficient work at prior scale has been completed to justify that the proposed IBR meets either Technology Readiness Level 6 criteria for pilot scale applications or Technology Readiness Level 7 criteria for demonstration scale applications. READ MORE