DOE expects to select two to three partnerships and fund projects over three years. The new Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000123) identifies two separate topic areas: Algal Biofuels R&D and Advanced, Infrastructure-Compatible Biofuels R&D.

Topic Area 1: Algal Biofuels Consortium/Consortia. There are many areas where R&D is needed to fully realize the potential of algae. These R&D needs were explored at the 2008 National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop. DOE says that the contributions form that workshop, along with comments being gathered through a DOE Request for Information on the draft Roadmap, will serve as an important source of information for DOE in pursuit of mechanisms to help accelerate algal biofuels commercialization.

DOE suggests that successful Algal Biofuel Consortia will take a research and development approach to investigate the potential for algae to commercially produce a variety of biofuels, such as renewable gasoline, diesel or jet fuel. It is anticipated that the partnerships selected from this Topic Area will develop the framework for sustainable algae production that is ultimately required for this technology to reach commercialization.

DOE has identified three broad technical areas of interest under this Topic Area. Applicants may address one or more of these key areas, in whole or in part.

• Feedstock Supply - Strain Development and Cultivation. Investigate and develop a variety of algal strains from different environments, e.g., marine, freshwater, brackish/saline, wastewater, etc. Algal screening should at a minimum cover the growth physiology, metabolite production, and strain robustness. Investigate multiple designs for cultivating algal strains, whether they are closed, open, or hybrid systems in order to successfully develop a sustainable system.

• Feedstock Logistics - Harvesting and Extraction. Feedstock logistics include harvesting, dewatering and extraction of fuel producing lipids and carbohydrates from algae. Depending on the extraction methods employed, processing technologies, such as flocculation/dissolved air filtration, flocculation/sedimentation, filtration, centrifugation and others may be investigated. Current methods of lipid extraction using solvent systems, transesterification, mechanical rupture, and others may be investigated. Examining other mechanisms that bypass the need for harvesting algal biomass and the extraction of fuel intermediates is also encouraged.

• Conversion/Production - Accumulation of Intermediate and Synthesis of Fuels and Co-products. Conversion technologies capable of producing biofuels from whole algae, such as pyrolysis, enzymatic digestion followed by fermentation, and gasification, may be investigated. Conversion of oil extracts to biofuels may also include investigations of chemical transesterification, and catalytic cracking. An investigation of potential co-products from algae may be addressed and may include deriving additional energy from residual algal biomass (e.g., anaerobic digestion).

  All possible pathways, including but not limited to direct synthesis of ethanol and other advanced biofuels that bypass the need for subsequent conversion, may be investigated.

Successful partnerships will likely span many institutions, DOE says. Therefore, the management plan will be evaluated for strategic methods that maximize the exchange of information and existing capabilities (e.g. instruments, facilities, and administrations). Researchers will be required to publish their findings, share foundational research at meetings and make available unmodified algal strains with desirable properties that have been identified during this funding period.

DOE also strongly advises the adoption of a Laboratory Information Management (LIM) system, such as the ones currently in place at the Bioenergy Research Centers, as a centralized data storage and sharing platform. DOE encourages the Consortium to license non-exclusively the technologies it develops to the general research community to ensure an accelerated path towards algal biofuels nationally. Participants in the Consortium may devote time to developing educational programs and community outreach events.

Topic Area 2 - Advanced Infrastructure Compatible Biofuels Consortium. An enormous investment has been made in the liquid hydrocarbon fuel infrastructure over the last 100 plus years and DOE says that it is desirable to continue to reap the benefits of that investment.

This infrastructure is based primarily on petroleum-derived hydrocarbon fuels that have specific physicochemical properties that enable them to be distributed to, and utilized in, a wide variety of end uses. This Topic Area seeks applications to develop biomass-based alternative fuels that are capable of simply being “drop-in” replacements for the hydrocarbon-based fuels currently being used in these systems instead of trying to adapt the systems to different fuels.

This Topic Area also seeks applications to develop new and innovative approaches for the conversion of biomass to advanced biofuels that are infrastructure compatible, essentially going beyond current technical pathways for producing hydrocarbons from biomass feedstocks.

Examples of current technical approaches for production of hydrocarbons from biomass would be the Exxon-Mobil’s “Seven Step Methanol to Gasoline” process or any configuration of gasification coupled to conventional Fischer Tropsch synthesis. Applications proposing either of these two approaches, will be considered mature technologies and will not score favorably under merit review Criterion 1. Proposed Technologies are expected to be “Next Generation” and, optimally, address issues related to cost, conversion efficiencies, energy density, performance attributes, sustainability, and greenhouse gas footprint.

DOE says that it is not trying to be prescriptive in the technical approach to achieving the stated objectives of producing hydrocarbon fuels from high impact biomass feedstocks. Applicants can propose any technology(ies) they feel provides the best pathway resulting in infrastructure compatible hydrocarbon fuels starting from biomass feedstocks.

DOE does note that it is desirable to have a technology that is “feedstock ambiguous”—i.e., able to process a wide variety of biomass types without requiring significant changes to process operability. DOE envisions that a number of approaches are potentially capable of achieving this goal based on chemical, thermochemical, bioconversion or a combination or hybrid of these.

However, the best pathway(s) must take into consideration the cost competitiveness (relative to petroleum derived fuels), energy density of the resulting fuel, sustainability of the overall process, and the net greenhouse gas emissions for the technology. The conversion feedstock is intended to be cellulosic, but non-food natural oils will be considered provided the technology using this feedstock can be shown to meet the same performance criteria and high impact status stated above.

Although DOE will consider non-fuel co-products in an application technology pathways resulting in co-products, other than liquid transportation fuels, comprising more than 30% on a weight basis of the starting biomass, will be considered a non-optimal use of biomass feedstock.

DOE anticipates that a successful Consortium will investigate 4-6 strategies at the onset. From these strategies the Consortium will then develop a deeper understanding of one to three process design(s) from the down-selection process executed within the first year.

It is highly desirable that the technology proposed for development by the Advanced Biofuels Consortium be advanced to the stage where it is ready to undergo Process Development Unit (PDU) scale testing by the end of year three.

An accompanying Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) will also be published as part of the final technical report at the end of year three.

Applications are due 14 September 2009.