Funding Notice: U.S. Department of Energy Announces $12 Million to Advance Biorefinery Technologies for Biofuels and Biochemicals

Office: Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)

FOA Number: DE-FOA-0003371

FOA Amount: $12 million

Selections to be Announced: ~April 30, 2025

Link to Apply: FY24 Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced $12 million in funding to support the advancement of integrated biorefinery technologies to decarbonize the transportation and industrial sector. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), FY24 Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries, will help reduce technology uncertainty and demonstrate bioenergy technologies that produce low carbon intensity biofuels and biochemicals, particularly sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), using biomass and waste resources.

The U.S. transportation sector, including aviation, marine, rail, off-road, and heavy-duty vehicles, depends heavily on petroleum, which in 2022 supplied over 90% of its energy needs and accounted for 37% of transportation energy use. Additionally, the U.S. chemicals industry self-reported 186 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions in 2022. Therefore, the use of renewable carbon feedstocks, such as biomass and organic waste, provides an opportunity to not only reduce our carbon footprint but also forge a path to conversion strategies that require less energy.

“Addressing the climate crisis by building a clean energy and equitable bioeconomy is a top priority of the Department of Energy,” said Dr. Valerie Sarisky-Reed, BETO Director. “This funding will be a crucial step in expanding the U.S. manufacturing base for SAFs, other low-carbon transportation fuels, and biochemicals, which will reduce our dependence on petroleum in the transportation and chemicals industry.” 

This funding opportunity supports the interagency SAF Grand Challenge to produce 3 billion gallons of SAF per year by 2030, advancing the Biden-Harris administration’s goals to achieve net-zero emissions by no later than 2050 to the benefit of all Americans. Additionally, this FOA will support DOE’s Clean Fuels & Products Shot™ goal of meeting 50% projected demand for maritime, rail, off-road, and carbon-based chemicals by 2050 by demonstrating cost-effective integrated biorefineries to de-risk technology pathways for industrial commercialization. 

The FOA aims to accelerate cost-shared research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects with partners in industry, academia, and DOE national laboratories. Selected projects will be focused on the design, construction, testing, and verification of new technology and feedstock pathways for engineering scale integrated biorefineries. By reducing cost and technical risk, BETO can help pave the way for industry to deploy commercial-scale integrated biorefineries and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these hard-to-decarbonize sectors.

Topic Areas

Seeking a phased approach to achieve the above outcomes, the FOA will include the following topic areas:

• Topic Area 1: Pilot-Scale Integrated Biorefineries: Phase 1 Preliminary Design and Phased Construction

Topic Area 1 intends to identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pre-pilot biofuel technologies to pilot scale, for the manufacturing of SAF, heavy-duty truck fuel, off-road vehicle fuel, sustainable marine fuel, and/or sustainable rail fuel. Pilot-scale facilities developed under Topic Area 1 must produce, at the plant’s rated capacity, a minimum quantity of 20,000 gallons per year of liquid or gaseous biobased hydrocarbon fuel for aviation, marine, rail, heavy-duty, or off-road.

• Topic Area 2: Demonstration-Scale Integrated Biorefineries: Phase 1 Preliminary Design and Phased Construction

Topic Area 2 intends to identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pilot biofuel technologies to demonstration scale, for the manufacturing of SAF, heavy-duty truck fuel, off-road vehicle fuel, sustainable marine fuel, and/or sustainable rail fuel. Demonstration-scale facilities developed under Topic Area 2 must produce, at the plant’s rated capacity, a minimum quantity of 1 million gallons per year of liquid or gaseous biobased hydrocarbon fuel for aviation, marine, rail, or off-road applications.

*The biofuels being produced by the proposed technology for both Topic Areas 1 and 2 must be SAF, heavy-duty truck fuel, off-road vehicle fuel, sustainable marine fuel, and/or sustainable rail fuel that achieve a minimum of 70% reduction in life cycle GHG emissions relative to the petroleum-based fuels being displaced. 

• Topic Area 3: Scale-Up of Organic Chemical Pathways: Phase 1 Preliminary Design and Phased Construction

Topic Area 3 intends to identify process technologies that have performed and validated all prior-scale experimentation and are ready to design a pilot- or demonstration-scale organic chemical production facility that converts renewable feedstocks into organic chemicals that (a) displace their incumbent fossil-derived counterparts and (b) achieve a minimum of 85% reduction in life cycle GHG emissions. Topic Area aims to address organic chemicals with a current U.S. production volume >0.5 million short tons or justify the ability for the technology to have broader decarbonization potential within the chemicals sector.

These Topic Areas contribute to BETO’s multi-year biorefinery scale-up strategy to fill the RD&D-to-industry pipeline as technologies are ready to scale, ultimately demonstrating feedstock conversion or production pathways to support commercialization of sustainable transportation fuels and renewable chemicals. BETO anticipates awarding multiple cooperative agreements as financial assistance under this FOA, lasting approximately 24 months for Phase 1 projects.

Key Dates

The FOA concept paper deadline is 5:00 p.m. ET, on November 7, 2024, and full applications are due at 5:00 p.m. ET, on January 16, 2025. More information on this funding opportunity and how to apply can be found on EERE Exchange. Additional information on the FOA and applicant eligibility is also available on Grants.gov. 

An informational webinar for potential applicants will be held on October 2, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.

Additional Information

Visit BETO’s funding announcement page for other upcoming funding opportunities.

Teaming Partner List

BETO has compiled teaming partner list guidance to encourage collaboration and facilitate the formation of project teams. The list allows organizations wishing to apply for funding to explore partnering with other prospective applicants. Partnerships can provide additional expertise and resources to successfully meet FOA goals. 

Please include the following information in your partner list submission:

• Topic Field – Please enter the Topic Area you are interested in. If you would like to be included in multiple Topic Areas, please complete separate submissions.
• Background, Interests, Capabilities Field – Please include information about your organization type/characteristics in the “Background, Interest, Capabilities” field to help other participants identify your expertise and resources. BETO also seeks applications from diverse teams of minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Business Enterprises, Minority-Owned Businesses, Woman-Owned Businesses, Veteran-Owned Businesses, and Tribal entities; workforce education and training providers; and labor organizations.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit the required information via the Teaming Partner List on EERE Exchange.

Disclaimer: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By enabling and publishing the Teaming Partner List, EERE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. EERE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

Technology Verification

All applications selected for award negotiations are required to participate in a verification process led by DOE’s identified external third-party non-conflicted verification team. This verification process provides bioenergy technology verification to both BETO and the project by providing an in-depth analysis of key technical and economic metrics to ensure transparency and increase the likelihood of project success.

Phased Down-Select

Given the high cost and complexity of demonstration projects, selected applicants will undergo a phased approach. Phase 1 will consist of a 24-month “Verification & Design Basis Definition” to verify prior-scale data and readiness to proceed. DOE will conduct a down-select review between Phase 1 and the final design/construction/operation phase (Phase 2). The down-select decision will be made by DOE at the completion of Phase 1. Project performance in Phase 1, as well as portfolio balance, availability of funds, and other factors, will be considered in the down-select process. Only projects selected by DOE as a result of the down-select process will be eligible to receive additional Phase 2 funding, subject to future appropriations and availability of funds, and will be permitted to proceed into the design/construction/operation phase (Phase 2).