PROJECT SELECTIONS FOR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DE-FOA-0003018: CLEAN FUELS & PRODUCTS SHOT: SUPPORTING CARBON UTILIZATION PRODUCTS VIA ELECTROCHEMICAL CONVERSION AND REFINERY RETROFITTING
Scaleup of CO2 Electrolysis for the Production of CO and Chemicals — Dioxide Materials Inc. (Boca Raton, Florida) intends to scale technology for the production of low-greenhouse gas ethanol via a combination of electrolysis and bioprocessing. The technology will electrocatalytically convert carbon dioxide (CO2) that is produced from starch fermentation from a biorefinery into carbon monoxide (CO). The CO will then be sent to a gas fermenter to produce ethanol and mevalonic acid. Work will include scaling cells to an industrially relevant size, performing tests to eliminate degradation pathways, and building and testing a 10-kilowatt scale stack using an actual CO2 feed from a starch fermenter. Additionally, the project will use robust process economics and life cycle of the proposed technology to identify key cost and sustainability drivers to map a viable path to commercialization. If successful, the project would achieve a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to the incumbent process, while concurrently moving from technology readiness level 5 to technology readiness level 6.
DOE Funding: $5,939,747
Non-DOE Funding: $1,484,937
Total Value: $7,424,684
Feasibility Study for Refinery Retrofit with Molten Salt Capture System that Integrates Captured CO2 and Co-Produced Steam With Carbon Conversion to Sustainable, Low-Carbon Marine Fuels — Terraforma Carbon LLC (State College, Pennsylvania) plans to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of carbon capture and conversion to methanol by retrofitting Shell’s Norco refinery in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana using molten salt-based capture technology. Molten salt-based capture is an emerging technology that can allow for greater flexibility in captured gas temperature, composition, and contaminant levels, which vary by point source and process at refineries. The project will perform a feasibility study to address several key challenges surrounding refinery retrofitting, including integration of co-produced steam from the capture units with the methanol synthesis process to reduce cost and energy penalties. If successful, the study will lay the groundwork for decarbonizing a large petrochemical refinery while also creating a blueprint for future decarbonization and low-carbon fuel production at other U.S. refineries. The successful implementation of this retrofit could also create more than 1,000 high-paying cleantech jobs while reducing emissions and other local air pollution.
DOE Funding: $1,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $250,000
Total Value: $1,250,000
Retrofitting Refineries for Carbon Conversion through the Recovery of Low-Emission Hydrogen Gas from Hydrogen Sulfide Rich Process Streams — Thiozen Inc. (Pasadena, California) plans to perform a feasibility study to estimate the overall costs and carbon intensities for retrofitting an existing refinery for methanol production. The project will evaluate the use of a hydrogen sulfide reforming technology to derive hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide waste streams that are already present within refineries. The hydrogen will then be utilized by a carbon dioxide catalytic hydrogenation reactor to produce methanol. The chosen site is near a captured carbon dioxide source and will have the capacity for two tonnes of hydrogen per day. It is also near existing methanol supply chains, which may provide an easy off-take opportunity for the produced methanol. The technology could achieve low-cost and low-emissions methanol, which would provide a new pathway to produce low carbon chemicals. It avoids the introduction of high-cost electrolyzer technology while achieving low-emissions targets and utilizing captured CO2. If successful, the feasibility study would stand as a detailed case study for future projects, and could attract the attention of refineries, as well as gas processing plants, looking to retrofit their operations with low-emissions technology. Anticipated community benefits of the technology include reduction in local air pollution and increased job opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
DOE Funding: $721,325
Non-DOE Funding: $190,000
Total Value: $911,325
Enabling Compact and Durable Next-Generation CO2 Electrolyzers for the Production of Clean Fuels and Chemicals — Twelve Benefit Corp. (Berkeley, California) intends to accelerate the production and deployment of low-carbon chemicals and syngas through rapid research, development, and deployment of its CO2 electrolyzers. Work will include testing membrane electrode assembly parameters and modified stack hardware designs to support increased lifetimes, high current density operation, and cost parity with fossil-based products. Twelve Benefit will also engage with stakeholders from industries including blue hydrogen, ammonia, and cement to better understand the qualities of their CO2 streams and explore how the impurities in these sources will affect electrolyzer performance and durability. By project end, the electrolyzers will be demonstrated in a medium-term stack test and developmental improvements will be deployed in Twelve Benefit’s future commercial-scale plants. If successful, the resulting performance improvements would translate to a significant cost reduction of approximately 40% to produce Twelve’s E-Jet® sustainable aviation fuel, which offers a greater than 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional jet fuel.
DOE Funding: $6,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $1,500,000
Total Value: $7,500,000