Six biopower projects selected for federal funding
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week the selection of six projects to receive $12.9 million in federal funding for work related to biofuels, bioproducts, biopower and/or refinery-compatible intermediates.
The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is titled Project Definition for Pilot- and Demonstration-Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower. Participants are required to share at least 50 percent of the cost and be evaluated in two phases.
Phase one will consist of designing and planning. In phase two, award recipients will construct and operate a demonstration or pilot. Participation in phase two is dependent on an evaluation of phase one progress and will likely commence in 2018. Pilot-scale projects could receive up to $15 million in additional federal funding. Demonstration-scale facilities could receive an extra $45 million.
Two award recipients, AVAPCO, LLC (Atlanta, Georgia) and LanzaTech, Inc. (Skokie, Illinois) will develop demonstration-scale integrated biorefineries. AVAPCO will produce jet fuel and other products from woody biomass. LanzaTech will convert industrial waste gases into low-carbon jet and diesel fuel.
Global Algae Innovations (San Diego, California) and ThermoChem Recovery International, Inc. (Baltimore, Maryland) will use the funds for pilot-scale integrated biorefineries. Global Algae Innovations will use algae while ThermoChem Recovery International’s project will use woody waste and/or agricultural feedstock.
Two participants will work on pilot-scale waste-to-energy projects. Rialto Bioenergy, LLC (Carlsbad, California) will convert biomass into fertilizer and biopower. Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (Alexandria, Virginia) will use wastewater treatment plant sludge to produce biocrude oil, biogas and fertilizer.
