Governors' Biofuels Coalition

The Department of Energy said Friday that it would provide $10 million to seven advanced biofuel projects.

The research projects all seek to develop biofuels from plant-based materials that are not used for food. DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will administer the awards, according to a statement from the department.

“These projects will support BETO’s work to develop renewable and cost-competitive biofuels from non-food biomass feedstocks by reducing the risk associated with potentially breakthrough approaches and technologies,” DOE said.

The recipients:

• Massachusetts-based Metabolix Inc. will receive up to $2 million to develop non-genetically-modified Camelina sativa with a high yield and oil content.

• Colorado-based OPX Biotechnologies Inc. will receive up to $2 million to develop cost-competitive fatty acid derivatives for biofuels production.

• California-based Kiverdi Inc., in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will receive an additional $2 million to develop previously unengineered bacteria for synthetic gas production.

• The Illinois-based Gas Technology Institute, in conjunction with W.R. Grace and Co. and Michigan Technological University, will receive up to $1.4 million for converting biomass and methane into hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals.

• Ohio State University, collaborating with the University of Alabama and Green Biologics Inc., will receive up to $1.2 million for developing isobutanol from cellulosic feedstocks.

• The University of California, Riverside, in collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and CogniTek, will receive up to $1 million to develop a pretreatment for advanced biofuels.

• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in collaboration with MicroBio Engineering Inc., will receive up to $900,000 to produce algae directly from carbon dioxide in the air.

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