GRANT ALERT: The DOE is accepting applications for small-scale process integration projects supporting the development of advanced biofuels that will be able to replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to the vehicle or fueling infrastructure.
by Chris de Morsella, Green Economy Post. Follow Chris on Twitter @greeneconpost
As part of the Obama administration’s on-going efforts to accelerating R&D aimed at developing a more sustainable transportation system, lowering our country’s unhealthy dependence on foreign oil, and growing America’s vital clean energy economy, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has announced that the DOE is accepting applications for small-scale process integration projects supporting the development of advanced biofuels that will be able to replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to the vehicle or fueling infrastructure. The grants issue is for up to $30 million in total funding.
Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source that can help to significantly diversify transportation fuels in the United States. The DOE’s Biomass Program is helping transform the nation’s renewable and abundant biomass resources into cost-competitive, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. Hopefully the focus will be on non food crop derived biomass that is grown on marginal lands or is derived from current agricultural waste materials. Biomass offers a promising route to replace a portion of the fossil fuel we now burn with grown biomass materials in this manner both reducing our dependence on these non renewable and substantially foreign fossil energy supplies. This current round of grants is focused on proposals that are focused on ways of improving the biomass to biofuel production processes and techniques.
“Developing the next generation of American biofuels will enhance our national energy security, expand the domestic biofuels industry, and produce new clean energy jobs. It will help America’s farmers and create vast new opportunities for wealth creation in rural communities. By investing in innovative approaches and technologies, we can continue to move the biofuels industry forward and grow our economy,” said Secretary Chu.
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) released today provides up to $30 million over the next three to four years to support as many as five projects. The projects will focus on optimizing and integrating process steps that convert biomass into biofuels and bioproducts that will eventually be used to support hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. These process improvements could include pretreatment methods that alter the biomass to improve the yield of sugars in subsequent process steps, less costly and more efficient enzymes that produce sugars, and fermentation organisms and catalysts that convert the sugars into fuel and chemical intermediates. Successful applicants will demonstrate the research potential to improve the economics and efficiency of their proposed process.
A description of the solicitation, eligibility requirements, and application instructions can be found on the FedConnect Website under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000337. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by no later than 11:59pm EST on February 7, 2011.
DOE’s Biomass Program works with industry, academia, and national laboratory partners on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. For more information on DOE’s Biomass Program, please visit the Biomass Program Website.
About the Renewable Energy’s Biomass Program
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Biomass Program works with industry, academia, and our national laboratory partners on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. Through research, development, and demonstration efforts geared toward the development of integrated biorefineries, the Biomass Program is helping transform the nation’s renewable and abundant biomass resources into cost competitive, high performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.
The Biomass Program is focusing its research and development (R&D) efforts to ensure that cellulosic ethanol is cost competitive by 2012. Another major effort of the Program is to further develop infrastructure and opportunities for market penetration of biobased fuels and products.
