Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000240
Apply for DE FOA 0000240
- The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Co Production of Power, Fuels, and Chemicals via Coal/Biomass Mixtures" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089 Fossil Energy Research and Development.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 27, 2010 and posted on Apr 27, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 28, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Co Production of Power, Fuels, and Chemicals via Coal/Biomass Mixtures funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0000240) was issued by the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) under the Office of Fossil Energy Clean Coal Technology Program. Its main purpose was to push research and development that could make it practical to use domestic coal resources, blended with biomass, to produce multiple valuable outputs such as electricity, hydrogen, transportation fuels, and chemical products. The underlying policy goal was to improve U.S. energy security and economic competitiveness while also moving toward cleaner, more environmentally responsible ways of using carbon-based feedstocks.
The announcement focused on the technical and scientific barriers that show up when coal and biomass are combined as a mixed fuel or mixed feedstock. Coal and biomass behave very differently in handling, storage, feeding, and conversion processes, and those differences can create reliability issues, efficiency losses, and cost increases if they are not addressed directly. NETL framed this FOA as supporting its Fuels/Hydrogen Program Area, which aims to develop advanced technologies that can convert abundant domestic resources into affordable energy and products with improved environmental performance. In practice, the government interest here was not just in incremental improvements, but in new or significantly improved approaches that make co-utilization of coal and biomass viable at larger scale and in integrated production systems.
Applicants were invited to propose R&D projects in one of three topic areas, and each application had to clearly state which single topic it addressed. The FOA allowed multiple submissions from the same applicant as long as each application stayed within a single topic, and it also allowed teaming arrangements within an application, which typically means collaborations among universities, national labs, private companies, and other organizations with complementary expertise.
The first topic area, Pre-processing and Conditioning of Coal/Biomass Mixtures for Simultaneous Co-Feeding Systems, centered on the front-end practicalities of making a coal/biomass blend that can be reliably handled and fed into conversion equipment. This includes issues like particle size control, moisture management, bulk density differences, segregation during storage and transport, grinding or milling strategies, torrefaction or other biomass conditioning approaches, blending methods that maintain consistency, and feeder designs that can accommodate mixed physical properties. A key idea behind this topic is that even the best downstream reactor or gasifier design can fail to perform if the feed system plugs, bridges, segregates, or delivers an inconsistent mixture.
The second topic area, Reactive Properties of Coal/Biomass Mixed Fuels, targeted the fundamental and applied science of how these blended feedstocks behave during conversion. Coal and biomass differ in volatile matter content, ash composition, char structure, alkali content, and oxygenated functional groups, all of which can change ignition behavior, burnout, gasification reactivity, slagging and fouling tendencies, corrosion risks, and overall conversion efficiency. Projects under this topic would be expected to generate data, models, and experimentally supported insights that explain how blend ratios, feedstock types, and process conditions affect reaction pathways and performance outcomes. The goal is to reduce uncertainty for designers and operators by improving predictive capability for mixed-fuel behavior.
The third topic area, Design Concepts for Co-Production of Power, Fuels, and Chemicals, moved beyond individual unit operations and into integrated system concepts. This topic focused on developing designs that can take coal/biomass mixtures and produce multiple outputs, for example combining power generation with hydrogen production, or integrating syngas production with downstream fuel synthesis or chemical manufacturing. Work here could include conceptual process designs, integration strategies, techno-economic reasoning, and identification of enabling equipment and control approaches. The emphasis is on co-production systems that could potentially improve overall economics by creating multiple revenue streams while meeting environmental goals more effectively than single-product systems.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, the FOA was categorized as discretionary funding, with awards made via cooperative agreements, which typically means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project in areas such as technical direction, milestone review, and project management oversight. The program anticipated up to 8 awards with an estimated total federal funding amount of $4.5 million, and it required cost sharing or matching, meaning recipients were expected to contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources. The opportunity was broadly open to eligible applicants (listed as unrestricted, subject to any clarifications in the full announcement).
Key dates associated with the opportunity were a posted and created date of April 27, 2010, and an original/current closing date of May 28, 2010, with an archive date of August 27, 2010. The CFDA listing associated with the program was 81.089 (Fossil Energy Research and Development). For applicants who could not access the full announcement electronically, the NETL contact listed was Jennifer L. Gaudlip, Contract Specialist, reachable at jennifer.gaudlip@netl.doe.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the "Co Production of Power, Fuels, and Chemicals via Coal/Biomass Mixtures" funding opportunity, identified as DE-FOA-0000240. It was issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) under the Office of Fossil Energy Clean Coal Technology Program.
What is the main purpose of DE-FOA-0000240?
The main purpose was to support research and development (R&D) that could make it practical to use domestic coal resources blended with biomass to produce multiple valuable outputs such as electricity, hydrogen, transportation fuels, and chemical products.
What policy goals does this FOA support?
The FOA was framed around improving U.S. energy security and economic competitiveness while moving toward cleaner, more environmentally responsible use of carbon-based feedstocks.
Which DOE/NETL program area is this FOA aligned with?
NETL described this FOA as supporting its Fuels/Hydrogen Program Area, which focuses on developing advanced technologies to convert abundant domestic resources into affordable energy and products with improved environmental performance.
Why does the FOA emphasize coal/biomass mixtures specifically?
The announcement highlighted that coal and biomass behave very differently during handling, storage, feeding, and conversion. Those differences can create reliability issues, efficiency losses, and cost increases unless they are addressed directly, so the FOA targeted barriers unique to mixed fuels or mixed feedstocks.
How many topic areas were offered under this FOA?
The FOA invited R&D proposals in one of three topic areas: (1) pre-processing and conditioning for co-feeding systems, (2) reactive properties of mixed fuels, and (3) design concepts for co-production systems.
Do applicants have to choose a single topic area?
Yes. Each application had to clearly state which single topic it addressed.
Can an applicant submit more than one application?
Yes. The FOA allowed multiple submissions from the same applicant, as long as each application stayed within a single topic area.
Are team or partnership applications allowed?
Yes. The FOA allowed teaming arrangements within an application, which typically includes collaborations among universities, national labs, private companies, and other organizations with complementary expertise.
What is Topic Area 1 about?
Topic Area 1 is "Pre-processing and Conditioning of Coal/Biomass Mixtures for Simultaneous Co-Feeding Systems." It focuses on front-end steps needed to create a coal/biomass blend that can be reliably handled and fed into conversion equipment.
What kinds of challenges are included in Topic Area 1?
This topic includes issues such as particle size control, moisture management, bulk density differences, segregation during storage and transport, grinding or milling strategies, torrefaction or other biomass conditioning approaches, blending methods that maintain consistency, and feeder designs that can accommodate mixed physical properties.
Why does pre-processing and conditioning matter for co-feeding systems?
The FOA emphasized that even an excellent downstream reactor or gasifier can fail if the feed system plugs, bridges, segregates, or delivers an inconsistent mixture. Reliable feeding is a critical prerequisite for successful conversion.
What is Topic Area 2 about?
Topic Area 2 is "Reactive Properties of Coal/Biomass Mixed Fuels." It targets the fundamental and applied science of how blended feedstocks behave during conversion processes.
What fuel properties and conversion issues are highlighted under Topic Area 2?
The FOA highlighted differences between coal and biomass such as volatile matter content, ash composition, char structure, alkali content, and oxygenated functional groups. These differences can affect ignition behavior, burnout, gasification reactivity, slagging and fouling tendencies, corrosion risks, and overall conversion efficiency.
What kinds of outputs are expected from Topic Area 2 projects?
Projects in Topic Area 2 would be expected to generate data, models, and experimentally supported insights that explain how blend ratios, feedstock types, and process conditions affect reaction pathways and performance outcomes.
What is the goal of improving knowledge about reactive properties?
The goal is to reduce uncertainty for designers and operators by improving predictive capability for mixed-fuel behavior, enabling better design and operational decisions for coal/biomass co-utilization.
What is Topic Area 3 about?
Topic Area 3 is "Design Concepts for Co-Production of Power, Fuels, and Chemicals." It focuses on integrated system concepts that convert coal/biomass mixtures into multiple outputs rather than a single product stream.
What are examples of co-production concepts mentioned in the FOA?
Examples include combining power generation with hydrogen production, or integrating syngas production with downstream fuel synthesis or chemical manufacturing.
What types of work are included in Topic Area 3?
This topic may include conceptual process designs, integration strategies, techno-economic reasoning, and identification of enabling equipment and control approaches, with an emphasis on systems that can improve economics through multiple revenue streams while meeting environmental goals more effectively than single-product systems.
What type of funding instrument was used for awards?
Awards were to be made via cooperative agreements.
What does it mean that awards are cooperative agreements?
In this FOA, cooperative agreements were described as involving substantial DOE involvement during the project, including areas such as technical direction, milestone review, and project management oversight.
Is this discretionary or mandatory funding?
The FOA was categorized as discretionary funding.
How many awards were anticipated?
The program anticipated up to 8 awards.
What was the estimated total federal funding amount?
The estimated total federal funding amount was $4.5 million.
Was cost sharing required?
Yes. The FOA required cost sharing or matching, meaning recipients were expected to contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources.
Who was eligible to apply?
The opportunity was listed as broadly open to eligible applicants (described as unrestricted), subject to any clarifications in the full announcement.
What are the key dates for this opportunity?
The posted/created date was April 27, 2010. The original/current closing date was May 28, 2010. The archive date was August 27, 2010.
What CFDA number is associated with this program?
The CFDA listing associated with the program was 81.089 (Fossil Energy Research and Development).
Who is the NETL contact for applicants who could not access the full announcement electronically?
The NETL contact listed was Jennifer L. Gaudlip, Contract Specialist. The email provided was jennifer.gaudlip@netl.doe.gov.
What kinds of end products does the FOA envision from coal/biomass co-utilization?
The FOA specifically described potential outputs including electricity, hydrogen, transportation fuels, and chemical products, with an emphasis on co-production approaches that can deliver multiple outputs from integrated systems.
Is the FOA focused on incremental improvements or major advances?
NETL indicated interest in new or significantly improved approaches that make coal and biomass co-utilization viable at larger scale and within integrated production systems, not just incremental improvements.
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