U.S. Department of Energy Announces $16.5 Million in Funding for Carbon Utilization Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM’s) Carbon Utilization Program announced the selection of seven projects totaling $16.5 million in federal funding.

Bioenergy Technologies Office

August 31, 2022
minute read time

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM’s) Carbon Utilization Program announced the selection of seven projects totaling $16.5 million in federal funding. This investment will advance technologies that utilize waste carbon to reduce emissions and produce reliable feedstocks and biotechnologies.

The selected projects will:

  • Increase the capability of algal systems to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and put it to productive use. Capturing this waste carbon then allows for algae to be cultivated into a variety of biofuels and bioproducts.
  • Deploy algal technologies that will help lower algal system cost, while decreasing emissions

 “It is our responsibility to lift burdens from communities and help them achieve a safer and more sustainable future while we continue to set the global standard for environmental stewardship,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “These investments in bioenergy waste and carbon conversion technologies will transform an economic and environmental hardship into a clean energy asset.”

The funding opportunity announcement (FOA), entitled “Carbon Utilization Technology: Improving Efficient Systems for Algae,” combines the complementary objectives in algal research of both funding offices (EERE and FECM). The projects selected further the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies by utilizing waste CO2. These technologies will work towards achieving the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and contribute to BETO’s goal of producing at least 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuels by 2030.

The selected projects fall into two topic areas:

  1. Carbon utilization efficiency from biomass- or atmospheric-based sources of CO2
  2. Algae-based technology to utilize anthropogenic CO2 from utility and industrial sources

Creating conventional petroleum-derived products requires significant energy and emissions. The carbon footprint of plastics alone, 2.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in 2015, shows the need for carbon neutral replacements.[1] Algae can grow on waste CO2, functioning as a carbon sink.  This algae biomass can then be used to create low or no-emissions biofuels and bioproducts which displace emissions. Biofuels and bioproducts made from algae--such as plastics, foams, and chemicals--can be direct replacements for so many different everyday products from flip flops to water bottles.

The following projects were selected:

Topic Area 1: Carbon utilization efficiency from biomass- or atmospheric-based sources of CO2

Topic Area 2: Algae-based technology to utilize anthropogenic CO2 from utility and industrial sources

SelecteeLocation (City, State)Project TitleFederal Cost Share
Topic Area 1: Carbon Utilization Efficiency
Colorado School of MinesGolden, COEfficient CO2 Use for Robust Marine Microalgae Biomass Yields (MASS)3,000,000
Colorado State University Fort Collins, COAlgal Turf Scrubbers: Improving Carbon Utilization and Productivity (ATS:CUP)2,998,499
Washington University in St. LouisSt. Louis, MOEnhancing Carbon Utilization by Algal Systems via Integrated Biogas Purification, Nitrogen Reuse, and Innovative Carbon Dioxide Delivery2,522,518
Topic Area 2: Algae Based Technology
Dioxide MaterialsBoca Raton, FLImproved Microalgal Carbon Utilization Efficiency via Integrated CO2 Electro-conversion to Formate and Microalgal Sequestration2,000,000
Global Algae InnovationsSan Diego, CASpirulina Production on Flue Gas2,000,000
University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceBaltimore, MDPhotosynthesis-driven Microalgal Systems to Mitigate Carbon Dioxide Emission from Power Plan Flue Gases2,000,000
MicroBio EngineeringSan Luis Obispo, CACultivation-Ready Improved Algae Strains (CRIAS) for Increased Carbon Utilization Efficiency1,999,938

[1] Growing environmental footprint of plastics driven by coal combustion (nature.com)