The US Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) intend to issue funding (DE-FOA-0003276) to support research and development projects for converting algae and other wet waste feedstocks to low-carbon fuels, chemicals and agricultural products. The intended Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity (MACRO) funding (DE-FOA-0003274) would address gaps in the use of carbon dioxide, conversion technologies, and product development that limits the use of wet algal feedstocks.

While these feedstocks are an emerging resource, they are underutilized and are difficult to convert due to their variability, unique chemical make-up, and storage instability. Overcoming conversion challenges to working with these feedstocks will help build supply chains, accelerate their demand, and ultimately enable greater volumes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the use of CO₂ to grow algae in the future.

The planned funding opportunity will meet BETO’s strategic goals for SAF, other low-carbon products, and decarbonizing communities, as well as FECM’s efforts to use CO₂ emissions to convert macroalgae and microalgae into low-carbon agricultural products such as animal feed.

The potential funding is expected to be released in March 2024 and could include up to $18.8 million for the following topic areas:

• Topic Area 1: Conversion of Seaweeds and Waste Algae to Low Carbon Fuels and Products . Topic Area 1 aims to address gaps in storage, mobilization, and conversion of seaweeds and other wet algal feedstocks to low-carbon products and enable these readily available feedstocks to access new markets. Applications are sought that will develop laboratory or bench scale technologies and/or processes for utilizing: macroalgae (seaweeds), blends of macroalgae and wet wastes, and/or wet algal wastes for conversion to fuels and products with significant, on a national scale, potential to displace fossil greenhouse gas emissions.

• Topic Area 2: Conversion of Algal Biomass for Low Carbon Agricultural Products. The goal of Topic Area 2 is to utilize carbon dioxide emissions streams from utilities or industrial sources to grow algae for source material and create value-added products. Applications are sought that use anthropogenic (e.g., fossil fuel derived) carbon dioxide emissions to be used in the algae cultivation process and then convert those macro- and/or micro algae into low-carbon agricultural applications or products such as animal feed. Applications are encouraged to focus on optimization of the technologies and processes for the conversion of cultivated algae biomass to products and clearly describe the end use products targeted.