US DOE provides $15m funding for biomass-to-hydrogen projects

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has announced up to $15 million in federal funding to make clean hydrogen a more available and affordable fuel for electricity generation, industrial decarbonization, and transportation.

Specifically, the funding opportunity will support research and development projects that convert feedstocks — such as coal, biomass, petcoke, household waste, industrial wastes, and waste plastics — into synthesis gas, also known as syngas, to enable the low-cost production of clean hydrogen.

“Increasing the use of low-carbon fuels like clean hydrogen in the industrial and power sectors will help meet our ambitious climate goals,” said Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.

“Advancing technologies that use waste and other feedstocks—coupled with the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions—will reduce the carbon footprint and costs to produce clean hydrogen.”

Hydrogen can be produced through low-carbon pathways using diverse, domestic resources — including natural gas and coal, coupled with carbon capture and storage; through splitting of water using nuclear electricity and renewable electricity sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro-electric power; and from biomass through biological and gasification processes.

Gasification of coal, biomass, plastics, common household garbage and other wastes — coupled with carbon capture and storage to address greenhouse gas emissions — is expected to be a low-cost, low-carbon route to producing clean hydrogen.

The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits applications in two areas of interest:

Research and development toward demonstration of entrained flow gasification technologies for alternative feedstocks. Feedstock preparation and slag handling are of particular importance. The prototype or near-prototype system demonstrated must include and functionally integrate all unit operations that pertain to feedstock preparation, gasification, syngas cleanup, and slag handling.

Research and development toward demonstration of fluidised bed gasification technologies for alternative feedstocks. Feedstock preparation, tar mitigation for clean syngas production, and ash handling are of particular importance. The prototype or near-prototype system demonstrated must include and functionally integrate all unit operations pertaining to feedstock preparation, gasification, syngas cleanup, and ash handling.