Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of a direct photosynthetic production approach towards aromatic intermediate products as reactants in the production of plastics and polyurethane foams.
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
April 29, 2026
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Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of a direct photosynthetic production approach towards aromatic intermediate products as reactants in the production of plastics and polyurethane foams. Specifically, the project team will (1) test and validate growth, resilience, and production output of selected algae to meet initial performance metrics, (2) down-select viable algae for further testing and validation of growth, resilience, and production outputs to meet performance metrics, (3) refine cultivation conditions to optimize algae product outputs, and (4) select final algae for aromatic intermediate production and finalize process to meet performance standards and metrics. If successful, this project will result in the production of polymers necessary to meet chemical market demand for aromatic polymer intermediates, specifically to produce polyurethane foams and other plastics, ultimately reducing dependence on foreign petrochemical sources, thereby increasing U.S. energy security.