Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001481
Apply for DE FOA 0001481
- The DOE-GFO in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI): Understanding Scale-up and Operational Challenges for Integrated Biorefinery Optimization" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 11, 2016 and posted on Mar 11, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 06, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
- 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 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), released this Request for Information (RFI) to collect practical, experience-based input on what makes integrated biorefinery plants (IBRs) difficult to scale up and operate reliably over long periods. The focus is not on basic R&D in isolation, but on the real engineering, operational, and integration problems that show up when technologies move from pilot or demonstration into continuous, commercial-style operations. BETO is trying to identify where research, development, and stakeholder collaboration could most effectively reduce risk and improve the ability of IBRs to consistently produce biofuels, biochemicals, and other bioproducts.
A key element of the RFI is its broad scope across feedstocks and conversion routes. BETO explicitly invites feedback covering systems that convert woody biomass, agricultural residues, dedicated energy crops, algae, municipal solid waste (MSW), wastewater treatment sludge, and other wet solids into finished products. The intent is to capture challenges that may be common across multiple platforms (for example, solids handling and fouling) as well as issues unique to certain feedstocks (for example, contaminants in MSW or high moisture in sludge). BETO is particularly interested in lessons learned and barriers that have already hindered continuous operation, along with credible future risks that could prevent reliable performance as plants scale.
In terms of scale, BETO highlights a throughput range of roughly 1 to 1,000 dry tonnes per day (DTPD). That range is meant to cover early pilot systems up through large demonstration and near-commercial configurations, where scale-up effects, equipment limits, and integrated plant dynamics become dominant. The RFI seeks insights into what fails or becomes unstable as throughput increases, what design margins are realistically needed, what instrumentation and controls are missing, and what methods can make scale-up more predictable and less capital-intensive.
BETO lays out several topic areas where it wants the most targeted feedback. First, it asks for approaches to better understand scale-up behavior and mitigate operational risks in integrated biorefineries, including the kinds of failure modes that disrupt continuous operation and the engineering solutions that have proven effective. Second, it calls out the challenge of handling variable solids, both dry and wet, including residual solids that remain in-process, and it specifically notes interest in reactor feed systems that operate under vacuum or positive pressure. This reflects persistent industry difficulties around feeding, plugging, inconsistent flow, wear, and maintaining stable reaction conditions when the incoming material is heterogeneous.
Third, the RFI emphasizes pre-processing improvements aimed at turning diverse feedstocks into more uniform, standardized intermediates. The underlying issue is that variability in particle size, composition, moisture, ash, and contaminants often cascades downstream into poor reactor performance, unstable separations, and off-spec product. BETO is looking for methods that increase homogeneity and predictability, which can support continuous operation and simplify plant design.
Fourth, BETO highlights process intensification with an emphasis on simplification and reliability. This includes reducing the number of process steps, improving selectivity, enabling hybrid separation strategies, lowering costs through new fabrication and construction approaches such as modularization, and improving water management. The common thread is that complex multi-step trains can be hard to control and maintain, and they often drive both CapEx and downtime. BETO is signaling interest in integrated, streamlined unit operations and plant layouts that are easier to build, commission, and run consistently.
Fifth, the RFI requests input on unique process issues that interfere with efficient conversion, such as the need to remove oxygen and lignin (often critical for upgrading biomass-derived intermediates) and the need to remove natural or chemically derived contaminants that can poison catalysts, inhibit biological systems, or create downstream separation and product-quality problems. BETO lists multiple pathway families it wants covered, including biological, thermochemical, catalytic, biochemical, algae-based, and hybrid approaches, indicating it is not prioritizing a single conversion route but instead trying to understand crosscutting operational bottlenecks and pathway-specific pain points.
Sixth, BETO asks for strategies to reduce capital expense (CapEx) by reducing technical risks and avoiding major modifications across project phases such as construction, commissioning, and operations. This reflects a common biorefinery problem: first-of-a-kind plants often require expensive redesigns, retrofits, or equipment replacements after startup because scale-up assumptions do not hold. BETO is looking for ideas that improve front-end engineering confidence, make equipment and systems more robust to variability, and reduce the likelihood of costly changes late in a project.
Administratively, this opportunity is an information-gathering request, not an active grant competition. It is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE is not accepting project applications under this notice, and submitting an RFI response does not create any advantage or disadvantage if a future FOA is later released. DOE notes that it may issue a FOA informed by the feedback, but it also may choose not to, and any future funding would depend on appropriations and program direction.
For those who chose to respond, DOE required electronic submission by email to IBRSynthesisRFI@ee.doe.gov by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on April 6, 2016. Responses had to be attached as a Microsoft Word (.docx) file, limited to five pages, using 12-point font and one-inch margins, with guidance to compress files over 25MB to avoid delivery issues. The full RFI was posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website. The listing identifies the opportunity number as DE FOA 0001481, categorizes it under discretionary energy-related activities (CFDA 81.087), and notes unrestricted eligibility because it is an RFI open to input from any stakeholder category rather than an application-based award.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is this DOE opportunity?
This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). It is a request for practical, experience-based input about the real-world barriers that make integrated biorefinery plants (IBRs) difficult to scale and operate reliably over long periods.
Is this a grant or funding opportunity I can apply to?
No. This is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and DOE is not accepting project applications under this notice. It is strictly an information-gathering effort.
Does submitting an RFI response improve my chances in a future funding competition?
No. DOE states that submitting a response does not create any advantage or disadvantage if a future FOA is later released.
What is the purpose of the RFI?
BETO is collecting input on engineering, operational, and integration problems that appear when technologies move from pilot or demonstration settings into continuous, commercial-style operations. The goal is to identify where research, development, and stakeholder collaboration could most effectively reduce risk and improve reliable production of biofuels, biochemicals, and other bioproducts.
What kinds of biorefineries does the RFI focus on?
The focus is on integrated biorefinery plants (IBRs), especially the challenges that disrupt continuous operation and long-term reliability as systems scale up.
Is the RFI limited to a specific feedstock type?
No. BETO explicitly invites feedback across a wide range of feedstocks, including woody biomass, agricultural residues, dedicated energy crops, algae, municipal solid waste (MSW), wastewater treatment sludge, and other wet solids.
Why does the RFI include both dry and wet solids feedstocks?
The intent is to capture challenges that may be common across multiple platforms (such as solids handling and fouling) as well as issues that can be unique to certain feedstocks (such as contaminants in MSW or high moisture in sludge).
What conversion routes or pathway types are included?
BETO indicates interest in multiple pathway families, including biological, thermochemical, catalytic, biochemical, algae-based, and hybrid approaches. The RFI is not limited to a single conversion route.
What scale of operations is BETO asking about?
BETO highlights a throughput range of roughly 1 to 1,000 dry tonnes per day (DTPD), spanning early pilot systems through large demonstration and near-commercial configurations.
What does BETO want to learn about scale-up?
BETO is seeking insights into what fails or becomes unstable as throughput increases, what design margins are realistically needed, what instrumentation and controls are missing, and what methods can make scale-up more predictable and less capital-intensive.
What topic areas does BETO specifically want feedback on?
The RFI lays out several targeted topic areas, including: understanding scale-up behavior and mitigating operational risks; handling variable solids (dry and wet) and residual in-process solids; feed systems operating under vacuum or positive pressure; improving pre-processing to create more uniform intermediates; process intensification focused on simplification and reliability; unique process issues such as oxygen and lignin removal; contaminant removal to protect catalysts and biological systems; and strategies to reduce capital expense by lowering technical risk and avoiding major modifications during construction, commissioning, and operations.
What kinds of operational problems is DOE trying to capture?
The RFI emphasizes real operational barriers that hinder continuous operation, including lessons learned from past experience and credible future risks that could prevent reliable performance as plants scale.
What does the RFI say about solids handling challenges?
BETO highlights persistent issues around feeding heterogeneous materials, plugging, inconsistent flow, wear, and maintaining stable reaction conditions. It also calls out interest in reactor feed systems that operate under vacuum or positive pressure.
Why is pre-processing a major focus area?
BETO notes that variability in particle size, composition, moisture, ash, and contaminants can cascade into downstream problems such as poor reactor performance, unstable separations, and off-spec product. BETO is looking for approaches that increase homogeneity and predictability by producing more uniform, standardized intermediates.
What does BETO mean by process intensification in this RFI?
In this context, BETO emphasizes simplification and reliability: reducing the number of process steps, improving selectivity, enabling hybrid separation strategies, lowering costs through fabrication and construction approaches such as modularization, and improving water management.
What kinds of “unique process issues” are mentioned?
BETO specifically mentions issues such as the need to remove oxygen and lignin for upgrading biomass-derived intermediates, and the need to remove natural or chemically derived contaminants that can poison catalysts, inhibit biological systems, or cause downstream separation and product-quality problems.
How does BETO connect reliability issues to capital expense (CapEx)?
BETO requests strategies to reduce CapEx by reducing technical risks and avoiding major modifications across project phases (construction, commissioning, and operations). The RFI notes that first-of-a-kind biorefinery plants often require expensive redesigns or retrofits after startup when scale-up assumptions do not hold.
Who is eligible to submit input?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted because this is an RFI open to input from any stakeholder category (it is not an application-based award).
What is the opportunity number and CFDA listing provided?
The listing identifies the opportunity number as DE FOA 0001481 and categorizes it under discretionary energy-related activities with CFDA 81.087.
Where was the full RFI posted?
The full RFI was posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website.
How were responses required to be submitted?
DOE required electronic submission by email to IBRSynthesisRFI@ee.doe.gov.
What was the submission deadline?
Responses were due by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on April 6, 2016.
What file format and length limits applied to the response?
Responses had to be attached as a Microsoft Word (.docx) file and were limited to five pages. Formatting guidance included 12-point font and one-inch margins.
Were there any file size or delivery considerations?
DOE advised compressing files over 25MB to avoid email delivery issues.
Will DOE definitely release a future FOA based on this RFI?
No. DOE states it may issue a FOA informed by the feedback, but it also may choose not to. Any future funding would depend on appropriations and program direction.
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