· It is anticipated that each award in Area of Interest A will be approximately $3,000,000 to $7,000,000 in DOE funding plus a minimum of 20% cost share. Each award in Area of Interest B will be approximately $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 in DOE funding plus a minimum of 30% cost share.
wouldn’t know where to start with this, but was just checking out what was out there…
The task:
NOTE: This descriptive area provides an overview of Area of Interest A only. YOU MUST READ THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS ON ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, EVALUATION CRITERIA AND HOW TO PREPARE AN APPLICATION UNDER AN AREA OF INTEREST. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to access the Funding Opportunity Announcement. Area of Interest A - Alternative Hydrogen Production Pathway Objective of Proposed Activity: Coal-derived ethanol has the potential to be an affordable, readily reformable hydrogen carrier that can be distributed and stored using the nation apos;s existing infrastructure. The Alternative Production Pathway area of interest solicits development of a method to produce alcohols from coal such that ethanol is the major product. Concepts which utilize biomass or any feedstock other than coal are not sought. Additionally, concepts proposed must use coal as the primary material being processed toward alcohol/ethanol production. Indirect or ancillary use of coal in any proposed concept for heat, steam or power shall not be considered responsive. Project Description: The coal-to-ethanol process entails gasifying the coal to produce synthesis gas which would be converted, with high selectivity, to ethanol. It is envisioned that the proposed process will be based on synthesis gas conversion, although novel applications that offer a different path to ethanol production are acceptable. If synthesis gas conversion is proposed, research on the gasification system is not desired, but the commercial gasifier, gas cleanup, and other components necessary to provide the required hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio and purity must be identified. It is expected that a combination of science, engineering, and computational research, as deemed necessary, will be conducted at laboratory and/or bench scales, depending on the level of technical maturity of the proposed process. Based on the research conducted, the proposed work shall include a preliminary analysis (with a block flow diagram and energy and mass balances) which encompasses the total system in which the ethanol process will be integrated, including specification of the preferred coal type(s), to help determine the commercialization potential of the concept(s). In the case of a process using gasification, the gasifier, gas cleanup, water-gas shift, CO2 capture, and catalyst and reactor technologies for the synthesis gas conversion shall be specified. For a non-synthesis gas process the reactor shall be detailed and any emissions/environmental concerns shall be addressed, including the capture of any CO2. The analysis must also address a conceptual strategy for achieving ethanol purity sufficient for mobile and stationary fuel cell applications. Any non-ethanol by-product species must be identified, including estimated amounts and their preferred disposition. The proposed research shall be structured according to the following tasks: 1. Identify the most favorable catalyst/reactor/reaction chemistry, including data and analyses to support its justification 2. Measure reaction rates and yields; determine ethanol purity; characterize by-products and evaluate reformability of the ethanol 3. Using the data from 1 and 2, provide an analysis of the process, as described above, with details sufficient to permit a preliminary economic evaluation of the process. Interested parties looking to submit an application under this area of interest can download the application package at the following link: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW oppId=8252
http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppId=8252&mode=VIEW
They only have a few ‘ethanol’ grants, but 4+ pages of bio fuel grants, i haven’t looked thru all yet but a few.
Go here and search for ‘bio fuel’ or other stuff to check it out.
http://www.grants.gov/search/basic.do
