The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced up to $30 million in funding (DE-FOA-0002614) for research and development (R&D) projects to advance carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches that will reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide by capturing it directly from both the atmosphere and oceans and converting it into valuable products such as fuels and chemicals.

Projects selected under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will perform conceptual design studies followed by field validations of cost-effective processes for ocean-based carbon capture and for direct air capture of CO₂ coupled with carbon-free hydrogen and captured CO₂ to create carbon-neutral methanol.

Selected projects will support the cost and performance goals of DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot initiative, which calls for innovation in CDR pathways that will capture CO₂ from the atmosphere and permanently store it at meaningful scales for less than $100/net metric ton of CO₂-equivalent.

In addition to advancing CO₂ removal and conversion technologies, potential award recipients must address societal considerations and impacts, emphasizing active engagement of local communities and avoiding the imposition of additional burdens on disadvantaged communities. These projects are part of the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities.