U.S. Department of Energy Announces $16.5 Million in Funding for Carbon Utilization Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM’s) Carbon Utilization Program announced the selection of seven projects totaling $16.5 million in federal funding. This investment will advance technologies that utilize waste carbon to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and produce reliable feedstocks and biotechnologies.

The selected projects will:

• Increase the capability of algal systems to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) and put it to productive use. Capturing this waste carbon then allows for algae to be cultivated into a variety of biofuels and bioproducts.
• Deploy algal technologies that will help lower algal system cost, while decreasing GHG emissions

 “It is our responsibility to lift burdens from communities and help them achieve a safer and more sustainable future while we continue to set the global standard for environmental stewardship,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “These investments in bioenergy waste and carbon conversion technologies will transform an economic and environmental hardship into a clean energy asset.”

The funding opportunity announcement (FOA), entitled “Carbon Utilization Technology: Improving Efficient Systems for Algae,” combines the complementary objectives in algal research of both funding offices (EERE and FECM). The projects selected further the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies by utilizing waste CO₂. These technologies will work towards achieving the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and contribute to BETO’s goal of producing at least 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuels by 2030.

The selected projects fall into two topic areas:

1. Carbon utilization efficiency from biomass- or atmospheric-based sources of CO₂
2. Algae-based technology to utilize anthropogenic CO₂ from utility and industrial sources

Creating conventional petroleum-derived products requires significant energy and emissions. The carbon footprint of plastics alone, 2.2 billion tons of CO₂ equivalent in 2015, shows the need for carbon neutral replacements.^[1] Algae can grow on waste CO₂, functioning as a carbon sink.  This algae biomass can then be used to create low or no-emissions biofuels and bioproducts which displace GHGs. Biofuels and bioproducts made from algae--such as plastics, foams, and chemicals--can be direct replacements for so many different everyday products from flip flops to water bottles.

The following projects were selected:

Topic Area 1: Carbon utilization efficiency from biomass- or atmospheric-based sources of CO₂

Topic Area 2: Algae-based technology to utilize anthropogenic CO₂ from utility and industrial sources

^{[1] Growing environmental footprint of plastics driven by coal combustion (nature.com)}