Department of Energy – Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0001526: Biofuels & Bioproducts Process Pilot Verification Capabilities Extension

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to PilotVerificationRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on March 11, 2016. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

The mission of DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is to develop and transform the country’s biomass resources into commercially-viable high performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower through targeted research, development, demonstration and deployment (RD&D) supported through public and private partnerships. In this regard, BETO has a 2017 goal to verify a conversion pathway to a hydrocarbon biofuel modeled at $3/gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE). To facilitate this goal, BETO supports RD&D efforts which advance technologies to produce both drop-in biofuels which can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuel and biomass-based products/chemicals which can compete with their petroleum-derived counterparts and enable biofuels deployment.

In the past, BETO has gathered process performance data used in its design cases and State of Technology evaluations by conducting pilot-scale runs at national laboratory facilities such as the Integrated Biorefinery Facility (IBRF) or the Thermochemical User Facility (TCUF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). BETO is interested in assessing what other capabilities may exist to perform such process verifications at other domestic locations that have different or additional capabilities than those currently used. In addition, as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill of 2016, Congress has directed DOE to “develop a comprehensive list of existing demonstration and pilot-scale multi-user facilities for bio-based products, chemicals, and intermediates…and report to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.”

The purpose of this RFI is to develop a comprehensive list of locations which exist as (or are willing to act as) pilot or process development scale multi-user facilities for biofuels and bio-based products, chemicals, and intermediates, including synthesis gas, cellulosic sugars, bio-oil, hydrogen, biogas and methane. We are exclusively requesting information on capabilities which are on the scale of approximately 0.5 tons of dry biomass input per day or greater. This information will be used to assess existing capabilities which could be leveraged to perform process verifications and determine the gaps of such an inventory. This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). EERE is not accepting applications.

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, EERE is not accepting applications at this time. EERE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, EERE may also elect not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if EERE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of EERE funded awards, will be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction.

Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. EERE will review and consider all responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified materials of interest that are the subject of this request. EERE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that EERE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind EERE to any further actions related to this topic.