The Energy Department will invest a total of $78 million to fund early-stage bioenergy research and development projects.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement released Thursday that DOE seeks to improve the conversion of algae, energy crops and various waste streams into biofuels, biopower and bioproducts through the four new funding opportunities.
DOE will award up to $28 million under the BioEnergy Engineering for Products Synthesis funding opportunity that looks to identify conversion processes for fuel and other products from biomass or waste streams.
The department also seeks proposals in the algae-based biofuel and bioproduct areas under the potential $15 million Efficient Carbon Utilization in Algal Systems FOA.
The Affordable and Sustainable Energy Crops research funding opportunity offers up to $15 million and seeks to produce energy crops for use as bioproduct feedstocks.
DOE added the Process Development for Advanced Biofuels and Biopower FOA will provide up to $20 million to studies that aim to develop production processes to help improve biofuel cost-competitiveness and biosolid-to-power
Interested parties can submit letters of intent through May 30.
