DOE announces $25.5 million to improve biofuels, bioproducts

The U.S. Department of Energy announced $25.5 million in funding to enable the sustainable use of domestic biomass and waste resources, such as agricultural residues and algae, to produce low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts. This funding will advance the Biden-Harris administration goals of delivering an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by 2050.

The “Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops” funding opportunity will improve the production of environmentally sustainable feedstocks for bioenergy through two topic areas:

1. Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices for Low-Carbon Intensity Feedstocks, and

2. Algae Crop Protection

This opportunity builds upon previous DOE-funded R&D to reduce the cost of biomass feedstock production and supply. Recognizing that decarbonizing transportation and agriculture are inherently linked when it comes to the thoughtful production and deployment of biofuels, this funding opportunity focuses on improving climate-smart agricultural practices that reduce the carbon intensity of biomass feedstocks used for biofuel production. 

The funding will also support projects that cultivate and protect algae crops, an abundant and renewable biofuel source vulnerable to loss from predation, organic competition, and pest infestation. Both topic areas support DOE’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge goal of furthering the production of 35 billion gallons of SAF annually by 2050, enough to meet 100% of U.S. aviation fuel demand.

The concept paper is due by 5:00 pm ET on March 20, 2023, and full applications are due by 5:00 pm ET on May 16, 2023. View the full funding opportunity announcement and register to apply on EERE Exchange. The FOA synopsis is also available on Grants.gov.