The U.S. Department of Energy will invest $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development (R&D) projects in the country, the department announced Tuesday.
According to the department's statement, this R&D will enable cost-competitive, drop-in renewable hydrocarbon fuels, bio-based products, and power from non-food biomass and waste feedstocks.
'This work supports the Department of Energy’s (DOE) goal of reducing the cost of bio-based drop-in fuels to $3/gallon by 2022 to continue to provide consumers with affordable, reliable transportation energy choices,' the statement read.
Of the 36 clean energy projects selected, four funding opportunities will be offered as follows:-
- BioEnergy Engineering for Products Synthesis (up to $28 million): 16 selectees will create highly efficient conversion processes to increase the affordability of fuels from biomass and waste feedstocks
- Efficient Carbon Utilization in Algal Systems (up to $15 million): seven selections will improve the efficiency of carbon utilization and productivity of algal systems either through improving uptake and conversion of waste CO2 emissions
- Process Development for Advanced Biofuels and Biopower (up to $22 million): 10 selections will research integrated processes for the production of biopower from biosolids and cost-competitive, renewable drop-in biofuels
- Affordable and Sustainable Energy Crops (up to $15 million): three selections will conduct early-stage R&D for the production of affordable and sustainable non-food dedicated energy crops.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr