U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Johanns and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel Bodman today announced nearly $17.5 million for 17 biomass research, development and demonstration projects.
The grants are intended to develop technologies necessary to help make bio-based fuels cost-competitive with fossil fuels in the commercial market. The projects selected will carry out research, development and demonstrations on biobased products, bioenergy, biofuels, and biopower.
Of the $17,492,466 announced today, $12,784,733 is funded by USDA (FY’06) and $4,707,733 is funded by DOE (FY’06-’08). DOE funds go to three projects developing cellulosic biomass. USDA will provide funding to address such topics as feedstock production and product diversification.
Under the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, a joint USDA-DOE effort established in 2000 and reauthorized in the comprehensive Energy Policy Act of 2005, award projects must demonstrate collaboration among experts in the field of biomass. The Initiative aims to enhance creative approaches in developing next generation advanced technologies; and promote research partnerships among colleges, universities, national laboratories, federal and state research agencies and the private sector.
The following 17 entities have been selected as grant recipients:
Edenspace Systems Corp (VA). – $ 1,926,900 Grant Purpose: Development of commercial corn hybrids engineered for enhanced, low-cost conversion of cellulosic biomass to ethanol.
Center for Technology Transfer (WI) – $1,521,800 Grant Purpose: Stabilizing value of biomass material before processing.
Lucigen Corporation (WI) $1,259,000 Grant Purpose: Novel enzyme products for the conversion of defatted soybean meal to ethanol.
Ceres, Inc. (CA) – $$1,523,530 Grant Purpose: Enhance economic competitiveness of bio-based fuels through product diversification.
Ceres, Inc. (CA) – $1,572,460 Grant Purpose: Double switchgrass yield by 2020 (cellulosic ethanol).
Western Governors’ Association (CO) – $290,246 Grant Purpose: Strategic development of bioenergy in the western states.
Southern Illinois University (IL) – $676,722 Grant Purpose: Expansion of ethanol production in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
DOE”s Argonne National Laboratory (IL) – $400,000 Grant Purpose: Enhance animal feed values in corn dry mills with bio-based solvents.
Iowa Corn Promotion Board- $1,762,157 Grant Purpose: Add value to commercial polymers through the incorporation of biomass-derived materials.
Louisiana State University Agriculture Center – $791,865 Grant Purpose: Natural fiber and commingled waste plastic project.
Michigan State University (MI) – $376,616 Grant Purpose: Develop environmental information on corn and soybean cropping systems and platform chemical production.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY) – $813,450 Grant Purpose: Willow biomass crop management.
Clarkson University (NY) – $250,001 Grant Purpose: Waste biomass feedstocks for ethanol fuel production.
North Carolina State University – $435,997 Grant Purpose: Strategic positioning of biofuels in the context of agriculture, crude oil and auto manufacturing.
The Pennsylvania State University – $579,340 Grant Purpose: Lignin conversion to value-added materials.
Drexel University – $1,312,389 Grant Purpose: Improve bio-based polymers for moisture barrier applications.
Virent Energy Systems, Inc.(WI) – $2,000,000 Grant Purpose: Co-production of propylene glycol with biodiesel production.
Loading...