BETO Quarterly Newsletter: Updates on the Bioeconomy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is excited to deliver the latest edition of its newsletter.
About the Bioenergy Technologies Office
BETO supports research, development, and demonstration to enable the sustainable use of domestic biomass and waste resources for the production of biofuels and bioproducts. BETO’s overall goals are designed to:
- Lower the cost and reduce technology risks for the production of biofuels and bioproducts
- Improve the environmental benefits of bioenergy production
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation, industrial, and agricultural sectors to address the climate crisis
- Support the scale-up of sustainable, low-carbon biofuel production technologies
- Create economic opportunities and good paying jobs in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
Meeting these goals requires significant and rapid advances in technology development and innovation across the entire biomass-to-bioenergy supply chain.
Read about the impact BETO has on the bioeconomy and follow the hashtags #bioenergy, #bioeconomy, and #BioenergyCuriosity on social media.
This edition of the BETO newsletter includes:
Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
DOE Announces $19 Million for Carbon Utilization Funding Opportunity
BETO and DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Carbon Utilization Program announced up to $19 million in federal funding for the advancement of technologies that use waste carbon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce reliable feedstocks for biotechnologies.
The FOA, entitled “Carbon Utilization Technology: Improving Efficient Systems for Algae,” specifically aims to increase the capability of algal systems to capture carbon dioxide and put it to productive use.
Concept papers were due March 18, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET. Applications for this FOA were due May 27, 2022. Learn more on BETO's website.
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DOE Announces $34.5 Million for Improved Bioenergy Resource Recovery and Conversion Systems
On March 22, 2022, DOE announced a new $34.5 million funding opportunity to improve the current science and infrastructure for converting waste streams, often disproportionately located in underserved communities, into valuable biofuels and bioproducts that can benefit the local energy economy. This effort will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieving net-zero emissions economy-wide no later than 2050.
Learn more about the award winners on BETO’s website.
15 AlgaePrize Teams Advance as Finalists
 Launched in January 2022, the AlgaePrize is a new competition from BETO that encourages students to pursue innovative ideas for the development, design, and invention of technologies within the commercial algae value chain.
BETO recently announced that 15 AlgaePrize teams are advancing as finalists. Finalist teams were selected based on their 10-page research synopsis, which detailed each team’s research plan for their proposed project within the AlgaePrize’s areas of interest.
Read their abstracts and learn more about the 15 AlgaePrize finalist teams.
Learn more about the AlgaePrize: energy.gov/AlgaePrize.
National Laboratory Success Stories
Below are just a few examples of the latest national laboratory success stories housed on BETO's Bioprose: Bioenergy R&D Blog. The blog also hosts bioenergy research and scientific information demonstrating how BETO impacts the U.S. bioeconomy.
During a pond crash, algae rapidly turns from green and healthy to brown and sickly. Pictured here are example ponds (healthy and sickly) from the Algae Raceway Testbed at Sandia National Laboratories. Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories.
Not Your Average SOS: Research Methods to Respond to and Prevent Algae Crop Collapse
National laboratories discover the telltale signs of algae distress, helping target effective treatments and mitigate crop collapse. Read more about this algae research on the Bioprose: Bioenergy R&D Blog.
In Search of a Later Biomass Expiration Date
Dr. Lynn Wendt, senior scientist at Idaho National Laboratory, has dedicated much of her research toward addressing biomass decay challenges. Read more about Dr. Wendt’s biomass research on the Bioprose: Bioenergy R&D Blog.
Three Partners, Two Problems, One Bioenergy Research Article Published
Dr. Valerie Sarisky-Reed, BETO Director, wrote about how the unique capabilities of academia, DOE national laboratories, and industry were able to develop a carbon-negative platform that uses microorganisms to convert carbon captured from agricultural, industrial, and societal waste streams into useful chemicals. Read more about this partnership on the Bioprose: Bioenergy R&D Blog.
Climate Friendly Jet Fuel: 3 Strategies for Accelerating Its Production
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is striving to bring more low- and zero-net-carbon sustainable aviation fuel to the market. Read more about the these strategies on the Bioprose: Bioenergy R&D Blog.
3 Ways the Catalyst Property Database Can Accelerate Biofuels Research
NREL researchers have developed a public, online library of catalyst data. It could be fertile ground for breakthroughs in catalytic technologies needed to turn renewable biomass or waste materials into sustainable transportation fuels. Read more about this novel research on the Bioprose: Bioenergy R&D Blog.
Past BETO Events
Learn more about upcoming BETO events on the events calendar. See below for information on upcoming and past events.
Past Events
Webinars
Biomass Feedstock Supply Challenges and Solutions with Idaho National Laboratory; January 2022
AlgaePrize Competition Office Hours; February 2022
Current State of Sustainable Marine Fuels; March 2022
Agile BioFoundry Bioproduct Project Overview; April 2022
Promising Approaches for Reducing Methane Emissions in the United States; April 2022
Share this newsletter with your network and encourage them to sign up to receive regular communications about BETO webinars, workshops, Bioprose: Bioenergy R&D Blogs, funding opportunities, and technical reports
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