Bluefire Renewables, Inc. (fka BFRE)

[spidaman]

I think BFRE would be the perfect fit for this.

DOE to award up to $90M for integrated biorefinery projects

7 May 2016

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award up to $90 million in project funding focused on designing, constructing and operating integrated biorefinery facilities. (DE-FOA-0001232)

“Project Development for Pilot and Demonstration Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower” is a funding opportunity that will support efforts to improve and demonstrate processes that break down complex biomass feedstocks and convert them to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as plastics and chemicals.

The United States spends approximately $1 billion every three days on imported oil. Meanwhile, the Energy Department and the US Department of Agriculture estimate that the United States could sustainably produce more than 1 billion tons of biomass that could be converted to biofuels, bioproducts and biopower. This would spur economic development in rural communities across the nation and those products could be used to fuel vehicles, heat homes and replace everyday materials such as plastic—all while potentially displacing over 25% of US petroleum use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 550 million tons.

Prior DOE investments in biomass have helped develop a number of biofuels pathways, some of which are ready to scale up toward commercialization. The new funding opportunity announcement will advance DOE’s goal of producing at least three total pioneer commercial plants over the next twelve years.

Specifically, the FOA will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project development and execution plans for the manufacture of advanced or cellulosic biofuels, bioproducts, refinery compatible intermediates, or biopower in a domestic pilot or demonstration scale Integrated Biorefinery (IBR).

The FOA seeks applications for projects to first design, and then construct and operate IBR facilities. There will be a down-select review between the design phase (Phase 1) and the construction/operation phase (Phase 2).

The down-select decision will be made by DOE at the completion of the design phase. Project performance in Phase 1, as well as portfolio balance, availability of funds, and other factors will be considered in the down-select decision process. Only projects selected by DOE as a result of the down-select process will receive additional funding and be permitted to proceed into the construction/operation phase (Phase 2).

The FOA will include three topic areas:

Pilot scale production of biofuels from high impact cellulosic, algal, or biogas feedstocks. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 1 dry metric ton (DMT) per day or equivalent throughput of algal biomass or biogas. Bioproducts and biopower are only allowed as co-products from the facility.

Demonstration scale production of Biofuels from high impact cellulosic, algal, or biogas feedstocks. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 50 DMT per day or equivalent of algal biomass or biogas. Bioproducts and biopower are only allowed as co-products from the facility.

Production of either biopower or biofuels from biosolids and other allowable Wet Waste Feedstock streams. Bioproducts are also allowed as co-products from the facility. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 1 DMT per day.

No plant based material that is generally intended for use as food or animal feed may be employed as a feedstock. The determining factor will be the typical use of the material in commerce.

All Topic Area 1 and 2 applications must propose an advanced or cellulosic biofuel (or combination of advanced or cellulosic biofuels) as the primary product(s). The primary product stream(s) must contain at least 50% of the biogenic carbon leaving the facility as salable product. Applicants to Topic Area 3 must also show how their proposed approach will meet the FOA’s objective to produce biopower or biofuels as the primary product.

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must address the entire process, from feedstock handling through to biofuel, bio-product, or biopower distribution. Applicants who propose the production of biopower must include a discussion of the costs of combined heat and power or electricity generation in the full application.

All applicants must clearly establish that sufficient work at prior scale has been completed to justify that the proposed IBR meets either Technology Readiness Level 6 criteria for pilot scale applications or Technology Readiness Level 7 criteria for demonstration scale applications.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/05/20160507-doeibr.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+greencarcongress/TrBK+(Green+Car+Congress)