Of all the four recipients, BioProcess Algae will be the major beneficiary with a funding of about $6.4m, while the remaining funding will be distributed among Frontline Bioenergy, Cobalt Technologies and Mercurius Biorefining.
Commenting on the initiative, Energy secretary Steven Chu said that advanced biofuels are key to reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil, improve energy security and protect air and water in the nation.
"The innovative biorefinery projects announced today mark an important step toward producing fuels for our American military and the civil aviation industry from renewable resources found right here in the United States," added Chu.
The selected pilot-scale biorefinery projects will use non-food biomass feedstocks, waste-based materials, and algae in the conversion processes to produce biofuels that meet military specifications for jet fuel and diesel. Recipients must contribute a minimum of 50% matching funds for these projects.
