DOE Funds 11 Projects to Advance Transportation Decarbonization Technology

The Department of Energy has earmarked $34 million for 11 projects aimed at advancing feedstocks that can be used to decarbonize the transportation sector.

DOE explained that municipal solid waste streams and algae can produce biomass resources such as biofuels, biopower and bioproducts.

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said the researchers will work on technology that can convert biomass resources into low-carbon fuel and help cut costs in the transportation sector.

“The companies and universities leading these projects will ensure that our cutting-edge biofuel technologies reduce carbon emissions, create new jobs up and down the supply chain, and are made in America by American workers,” Granholm added.

The White House said in an April 22 memorandum that the United States must pursue its decarbonization goals while creating good-paying jobs. 

President Joe Biden added that he wants to halve the country’s greenhouse gas pollution from 2005 levels by 2030. He hopes to fully decarbonize the American economy by 2050.

DOE said the transportation sector is responsible for about 30 percent of the United States’ total energy consumption and is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas pollution.

Biomass resources can serve as a low-carbon alternative to petroleum and can be used to produce plastics, fertilizers, lubricants and industrial chemicals, the department added.

DOE invested $15 million across five projects for the research and development of processes that can convert municipal solid waste into biofuel energy. The effort might help divert garbage from landfills to the refinery.

Six projects will receive $18.7 million to explore new strains of algae and new ways to improve their growth. The effort is managed by the Bioenergy Technologies Office under DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.