The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $3 million in funding for two projects to improve local community waste-to-energy processes and infrastructure. These projects will explore new approaches to beneficially reuse the waste streams as energy, nutrients, and other resources. In addition to several other projects selected in FY22 from the Waste Feedstocks and Conversion R&D funding opportunity, these projects will further support communities with solutions to address their organic waste management challenges, as well as developing novel technologies for the conversion of these wastes into fuels.
Organic waste streams are among the largest sources of fugitive methane and avoiding the landfilling of these waste streams can also aid towards the U.S. goals of 30% reduction of methane emissions by 2030. This investment will enable waste feedstock use and conversion processes to produce low-carbon biofuels that reduce emissions from hard to decarbonize sectors such as aviation, supporting the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge. Funding these projects will also advance the Biden-Harris administration’s goals to deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.
Waste streams, including municipal solid waste, animal manure, wastewater residuals, fats/oils/greases, and other organic wastes, are a key feedstock for producing biofuels and bioproducts. The two projects selected will help support local communities develop strategies to sustainably manage their waste feedstocks use and create unique processes to produce low-carbon biofuels that reduce emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as aviation.
The following projects were selected under Topic Area 4 – Community Scale Resource and Energy Recovery from Organic Waste:
| SELECTEE | LOCATION (CITY, STATE) | PROJECT TITLE/DESCRIPTION | FEDERAL COST SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic Area 4: Community Scale Resource and Energy Recovery from Organic Wastes | |||
| National Rural Electric Coop Association Research | Arlington, Virginia (22203-1867) | Rural Energy RecOvery from Organic Waste (REROW)This project will create a series of tools and assessment software for its 900 rural co-op members to implement waste-to-energy technologies and demonstrate a regional pilot. | $1,499,064 |
| Upper Salinas – Las Tablas Resource Conservation District | Atascadero, California (93422-5513) | Nutrient and Energy Recovery from Regional Wet WastesThis project will explore the concept of a centralized biosolids conversion facility to produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. | $1,499,323 |
The projects are funded and administered by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), which is focused on developing technologies that convert domestic biomass and other waste resources into low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts.