The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has announced up to $6 million available (DE-FOA-0002620) for research and development (R&D) projects that will repurpose domestic coal resources for products that can be employed in clean energy technologies such as batteries and advanced manufacturing.

Potential projects selected under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support FECM’s Carbon Ore Processing Program, which focuses on converting coal and coal wastes into products such as graphite and carbon metal composites and alloys.

Coal’s unique structure and composition also make it well suited as a raw material for producing various high-value carbon products such as carbon nano-materials, activated carbons, and graphite, which may be used for computer memory devices, LED lighting, solar photovoltaic cells, batteries, capacitors, sorbents, catalysts, membranes, and medical imaging.

Carbon ore-derived products can possess unique electrical and mechanical properties through processing, making these materials well suited to electrochemical, electromechanical, sorbent, catalyst, separation, and mechanical applications.

Eligible applicants include companies, academic institutions, and research coalitions with expertise in the following areas of interest:

• R&D of high-value graphitic products such as graphene, quantum dots, graphitizable foams, and more.

• R&D of carbon metal composites that offer the potential for superior technical and economic performance, particularly in electromechanical applications.