US department awards $118 million to accelerate domestic biofuel production

The US Department of Energy (DoE) announced $118 million (€108 million) in funding for 17 projects to accelerate the production of sustainable biofuels for America’s transportation and manufacturing needs.
The selected projects, located at universities and private companies, will drive the domestic production of biofuels and bioproducts by advancing biorefinery development, from pre-pilot to demonstration, to create sustainable fuels that reduce emissions associated with fossil fuels.
Funding for this opportunity supports President Biden’s goals to deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the US on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.
Projects selected as part of this funding opportunity will contribute to meeting DoE’s goal to achieve cost-competitive biofuels and at least a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.
“Biofuels are a versatile tool because they have the immediate potential to power our ships, trains, airlines and heavy-duty vehicles—a huge contributor to total carbon emissions—with a significantly reduced carbon footprint,” said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “DoE investments are helping to build out a domestic bioenergy supply chain that increases America’s energy independence, creates jobs, and accelerates the adoption of cleaner fuels for our transportation needs.”
Made from widely available domestic feedstocks and advanced refining technologies, energy-dense biofuels provide a pathway for low-carbon fuels that can lower greenhouse gas emissions throughout the transportation sector and accelerate the bioeconomy. Financing for novel biorefinery process systems can be a barrier to commercialising advanced biofuels, and this funding will reduce technological uncertainties and enable industry deployment.