Department of Energy announces $44 million in grants for carbon capture technologies

The Department of Energy (DoE) announced $44 million in federal funding for seven projects on Friday to support research and development that aims to reduce the cost and risk of advanced carbon capture technologies.

The seven projects undertake engineering-scale testing of solvent- or membrane-based carbon dioxide capture technologies, or the design of commercial scale, post-combustion capture systems for existing coal-fueled generators. The overall goal is to reduce capital costs and energy consumption.

Membrane Technology and Research (MTR) of Newark, California, was awarded $7.4 million to scale membranes and modules to final form for commercial use. The project has also secured $2.4 million in non-DoE funding commitments.

RTI Research of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, was awarded $10 million in DoE funding to conduct engineering-scale testing of a transformational non-aqueous, solvent-based carbon capture process. It’ll be conducted at Technology Centre Mongstad in Norway. The project has also secured $13 million in non-DoE funding commitments.

SRI International of Menlo Park, California, has been awarded $8.2 million in DoE funding for engineering-scale demonstration of a mixed-salt process for carbon capture at Technology Centre Mongstad. The project has secured $2.1 million in non-DoE funding commitments.

TDA Research of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, has been awarded $8 million to design, construct and operate an engineering-scale, 1 megawatt, post-combustion, hybrid capture system. The project has secured $2 million in non-DoE funding commitments.

Electric Power Research Institute of Palo Alto, California, has been awarded $1.6 million for initial design and engineering of a post-combustion, membrane-based carbon capture system for Duke Energy’s East Bend Station in Kentucky. The project has $406,485 in non-DoE funding commitments.

ION Engineering of Boulder, Colorado, has been awarded $2.7 million in DoE funding to conduct detailed design and cost estimates for retrofitted, 300 megawatt-equivalent, commercial-scale carbon capture facility. The project has $699,500 in non-DoE funding commitments.

Finally, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks has been awarded $6 million in DoE funding for initial engineering, testing, and design of a commercial-scale, post-combustion carbon capture system for existing coal-fired unit at the Milton R. Young Station owned by Minnkota Power Cooperative. The project has $1.5 million in non-DoE funding commitments.