The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced more than $97 million in funding for 33 projects to support high-impact technology research and development in order to accelerate the country’s bioeconomy.
These projects will improve the performance and lower the cost and risk of technologies that can be used to produce biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts from biomass and waste resources, according to the DOE.
“Advancements made in bioenergy technologies will help expand America’s energy supply, grow our economy, and enhance our energy security,” said Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes. “These projects will ensure the United States’ leadership across all segments of the growing global bioeconomy, and allow us to provide US consumers and businesses more homegrown energy choices for their fuels and products.”
The selected projects will address a variety of research and development areas, including:
- Scale-up of bench applications to reduce scale-up risks for biofuel and bioproduct processes;
- Waste to energy strategies including strategies for municipal solid waste, wet wastes, like food and manures, and municipal waste water treatment;
- Cost reduction of algal biofuels by improving carbon efficiency and by employing direct air capture technologies;
- Quantification of the economic and environmental benefits associated with growing energy crops, focusing on restoring water quality and soil health;
- Development and testing of low-emission, high-efficiency residential wood heaters;
- Innovative technologies to manage major forms of urban and suburban waste, with a focus on using plastic waste to make recycled products and using wastes to produce low-cost biopower; and
- Scalable CO2 electrocatalysis technologies.
Speaking to Bio Market Insights last year, Jay Fitzgerald, Technology Manager at the DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, he said: “There are a lot of really innovative bio-based products that are either commercialised or are coming to market shortly and they are making a tremendous impact by showing that companies can be successful focusing on sustainable, bio-based solutions.”
If you were interested in this story, you may also be interested in the ones below.
Read: 5 Minutes With…Jay Fitzgerald from U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office.
Read: Rethink Plastic Alliance et al launch policy brief on plastic-to-fuels ahead of EC meeting on revised Renewable Energy Directive
Read: Conventional plastic industry is using ‘Coronavirus as an excuse’ to revive old habits
Read: Ineos to produce bio-based PVC from pulp production by-product.
Read: Neste and Remondis link up to develop chemical recycling of plastic waste.
Read: Ineos Styrolution and Agilyx advance US chemical recycling facility.
