DOE Announces $12 Million in Available Funding to Support Advanced Biofuels Development

In furtherance of President Obama's stated goal to reduce America's oil imports by one-third by 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy announced yesterday that it will be accepting applications for $12 million in funding for laboratory or small pilot-scale projects that support the development of advanced biofuels. Successful projects will develop technologies that will be able to replace refinery feedstocks or directly replace gasoline, diesel, or jet fuels without requiring modifications to vehicles or fueling infrastructure. These projects will continue to accelerate innovations in the renewable biofuels industry as part of the Obama Administration's efforts to build a cleaner, safer, and more secure energy future for America that ultimately breaks our dependence on foreign oil and moves our nation toward a clean energy economy that creates jobs and boosts U.S. competitiveness.

The funding opportunity will provide up to $12 million over the next three to four years to support as many as five projects. These investments are for research and development of technologies that will support the production of gasoline, diesel, and/or jet fuels from biomass. Each selectee will utilize biomass materials such as woody biomass, and corn stover in thermochemical conversion processes known as gasification and pyrolysis. Gasification breaks down biomass using heat to produce synthesis gas, which can then be used to produce liquid fuels and chemicals. Pyrolysis also uses heat to break down biomass into liquids that may be upgraded to produce liquid fuels and chemicals. This R&D will leverage existing work and should result in commercially available technologies or processes.

A description of the solicitation, eligibility requirements, and application instructions can be found on the FedConnect website under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000467. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on May 5, 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 .