As part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, the Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO) integrates legacy efforts in the Bioenergy Technologies Office and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office under one office. AFFO enables research, development and demonstration (RD&D) to accelerate technology commercialization for the production, storage, delivery and use of alternative fuels, fertilizers, chemicals, and feedstocks. These efforts strengthen the security and reliability of domestic energy networks and lower energy costs for Americans. Through collaboration with our National Laboratories, academia, and industry, AFFO advances national energy independence by establishing a secure domestic supply chain, lowering production costs, invigorating a strong U.S. workforce, and fostering energy growth through diverse, domestic manufacturing pathways.
AFFO’s overall priorities are designed to:
Cost-effective conversion of feedstocks to affordable chemicals and strategic fuels;
Fuel-flexible fuel cells to support backup power for U.S. data centers and other growing electrical loads;
Production of performance-enhanced chemicals to advance U.S. manufacturing dominance;
Reduction of imported fertilizer by providing cost-effective domestic alternatives from hydrogen and biomass; and
Leveraging growing use of artificial intelligence to spur innovation, advance technology readiness levels, and enable commercialization.
Meeting these priorities requires significant and rapid advances in technology development and innovation across the entire biomass-to-bioenergy supply chain.
AFFO's Strategic Approach
AFFO funds work in collaboration with industry, academia, and DOE national laboratories to develop advanced technologies and innovative solutions to reduce the costs of biofuels. The R&D supported by AFFO and its partners is creating cutting-edge technologies used in the processing of biomass and waste, from harvesting and preprocessing to conversion.
AFFO is focused on technologies to efficiently convert organic materials and biomass into affordable biofuels and bioproducts. These bioenergy technologies will help lower emissions in the transportation sector while improving our energy security, reliability, and resilience.
AFFO R&D program areas enable AFFO to leverage diverse sources of biomass and waste across America and use innovative technologies to enable a thriving bioeconomy. This bioeconomy will be grounded in achieving national priorities for an energy economy that address the climate while spurring economic growth and job creation. The four AFFO program areas are:
- Feedstock Technologies R&D
- Infrastructure R&D
- Production Technologies
- Fuel Cell Technologies
- Analysis, Codes & Standards
- Systems Development & Integration
Bioenergy Industry Benefits Job Creation
A robust bioenergy industry will unlock new economic opportunities for rural and agricultural communities and generate a variety of U.S. jobs across several sectors, from farming and trucking to microbiology and chemical engineering. Bioenergy and bioproduct production has significant potential to serve as a vehicle for domestic job creation and economic opportunity for communities throughout the nation. Learn more at AFFO's Careers and Education web page.