July 16, 2009

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the availability of up to $85 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the development of algae-based biofuels and advanced, infrastructure-compatible biofuels. DOE is seeking to bring together leading scientists and engineers from universities, private industry, and government to develop new methods to bring new biofuels to market in an accelerated timeframe.

The partnerships will enable cross-fertilization between multiple disciplines and provide the breadth of expertise necessary to develop new technologies advanced biofuels that can be used in today's fueling infrastructure such as green aviation fuels, green gasoline, and green diesel from a variety of biomass feedstocks. Partnerships may include leading scientists and engineers from universities, private industry, and government, and engage end users and other field experts such as utility specialists and aquaculturists. Effective collaborations will target an accelerated timeframe to bring new biofuels to market.

DOE expects to select two to three partnerships and fund projects over three years. Today's Funding Opportunity Announcement targets two crucial areas:

• Algal Biofuels R&D - The primary objective of this topic area is to develop cost-effective algae-based biofuels that are competitive with traditional petroleum-based fuels. 


• Advanced, Infrastructure-Compatible Biofuels R&D is focused on enabling cost-effective conversion of biomass to advanced biofuels other than cellulosic ethanol, with particular focus on bio-based hydrocarbon fuels such as green gasoline and green diesel. Such fuels could be transported and sold using today's existing fueling infrastructure.