On February 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced eight small business contracts through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The eight Phase II contracts provide the companies with $300,000 each to develop and commercialize innovative products that address environmental and public health issues. Phase II funding is typically made available to companies that have already been granted Phase I funding through the SBIR Program. This round of funding included two biobased businesses, Environmental Fuel Research, LLC, a company that is developing a system to produce biofuel from grease trap waste, and Sustainable Bioproducts, LLC, a company that is developing a low-cost, simple, and scalable microbial process for the conversion of organic municipal solid waste to fuels using fungus. The SBIR Program is open to for-profit U.S. businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Open solicitations for applicants are listed on the SBIR website, but applications for this specific program are currently closed.

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DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has announced the extension of the response deadline for a request for information (RFI) about public and private sector capabilities in pilot scale verification of biofuels and bioproducts processes. The RFI, originally posted on February 12, 2016, with a due date of March 4, 2016, requests information on facilities that have the "capability to perform process verifications for biomass conversion pathways to biofuels, bioproducts, or intermediates that integrate multiple unit operations on a scale of approximately 0.5 or greater tons of dry biomass input per day." Responses to the RFI can now be submitted electronically to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) no later than 5:00 p.m. (EST) on March 11, 2016. Please consult the RFI for further instructions on how to submit responses.

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On February 12, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a request for information (RFI) from biofuels and bioproducts stakeholders on existing biofuels and bioproducts plant capabilities. The facilities should have the "capability to perform process verifications for biomass conversion pathways to biofuels, bioproducts, or intermediates that integrate multiple unit operations on a scale of approximately 0.5 or greater tons of dry biomass input per day." The RFI includes questions on: Technology Pathways; Unit Operations; Integration; Accessibility; Analytical Capabilities and Staff; and Permits. DOE intends to use the information gathered during this RFI to develop a comprehensive list of pilot or process development scale multi-user facility locations to assess existing capabilities and deficits of the biofuel and bioproduct industry. Responses to the RFI must be submitted electronically to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) no later than 5:00 p.m. (ET) on March 4, 2016. Please consult the RFI for further instructions on how to submit responses.

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On Monday, October 26, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) presented “Bioproducts in the Federal Bioeconomy Portfolio Webinar,” a webinar on how the federal government is promoting sustainability through three different avenues: bioproducts research; commercialization; and market development.  The presenters on these topics were DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Technology Manager Nichole Fitzgerald; U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred Deputy Program Manager Kate Lewis; and the Ohio State University Bioproducts Innovation Center’s Director Dennis Hall.  The webinar summary stated that “the creation of a robust, next-generation domestic bioenergy industry is one of the most important pathways for providing Americans with sustainable, renewable energy alternatives,” and “through research, development, and commercialization to produce renewable fuels and products sustainable and affordable, we can provide home-grown alternatives for the transportation, energy, and bioproducts sectors.”

We summarize below some webinar highlights:

• There are substantial emissions reductions that bioproducts can provide compared to their fossil-derived counterparts (varying from 45 percent up to 86 percent).
• Renewable chemicals have many positive bioeconomy contributions and few negative aspects.  Renewable chemicals help the bioeconomy in the following important ways:
  • Bolsters the economy (e.g., knowledge from bioproduct production can be transferred to biofuels production);
  • Market entry (e.g., corporations will support the bioeconomy through the purchase and use of sustainable products); and
  • Renewable chemicals are critical for economic success of advanced biofuel production (e.g., reduces risk by allowing biorefineries to pursue a higher value product).
• National unaided awareness of biobased products has increased -- from 30 percent in 2013 up to 48 percent in 2014.
• The U.S. biobased products industry had significant contributions to the economy in 2013, including:
  • Adding four million American jobs, as well as adding 1.64 more jobs per every biobased products job; and
  • Adding $369 billion to the economy.

More information on biobased issues is available on Bergeson and Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) website under subject “Biobased Products, Biotechnology.”

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On July 9, 2015, the DOE announced a public workshop to collect information about challenges that occur during coproduction of biobased chemicals, products, and biofuels. The Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels Workshop was organized by the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and will cover the following topics:

1. Identifying and evaluating economic drivers for producing bioproducts.
    
2. Identifying and prioritizing targets for bioproducts produced from biofuel waste streams, coproduced with biofuels, or produced at standalone facilities.
    
3. Identifying research and development challenges associated with bioproducts produced from biofuel waste streams, coproduced with biofuels, or produced at standalone facilities.
    
4. Identifying environmental considerations (i.e., life-cycle analysis), carbon percentage dedicated to fuels vs. products (i.e., split stream), and ideal intermediates for bioproduct production to enable biofuels.

The workshop will be held on July 16, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (MDT) in Westminster, Colorado. Attendees must preregister online before July 15, 2014, at 4:00 p.m. (MDT) as space is limited.

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On August 19, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the Agency is investing $25 million to support 247 businesses throughout the country under the Value-Added Producer Grant program (the program). The program was reauthorized under the 2014 Farm Bill. It is designed to "[help] agricultural producers grow their businesses by turning raw commodities into value-added products, expanding marketing opportunities and developing new uses for existing products." According to USDA's press release on the announcement, the program may be used for various purposes, including helping to grow the bioeconomy.

In fact, two of the grants will directly support further development of bioproducts. In South Carolina, ATP-SC, LLC will receive $200,000 to be used to "process various bio-crops, using Torre faction and related processes, turning them into a feedstock from which various bio-products can be made." And in Tennessee, Stony Creek Colors, Inc. will receive $199,987 to "be used as working capital for the recipient's bio-based textile colorants from farm-grown natural dye crops business."

A copy of USDA's press release, which includes a link to the full list of program recipients, is available online.
 

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Georgia Tech has announced that it is renaming its Institute of Paper Science and Technology the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI). According to the announcement, the school has committed to doing the following to further the Institute:

* Recruit at least one new tenure track professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry with relevant bioproducts experience to join more than 40 Georgia Tech faculty now working with RBI.

* Recruit a new tenure track professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering to contribute to the educational and research mission of the RBI.

* Recruit a professor of the practice with relevant industrial experience to work at the academic and research interface between industry and the RBI.

* Invest significant capital funds to expand and repurpose core lab facilities in the existing IPST building to better align with the expanded research focus areas of biorefining, biopolymers, and new materials.

* Draw on the full range of Georgia Tech's many industrial and political relationships to help promote and capture the opportunities in the bioproducts area.

A copy of Georgia Tech's press release on the announcement is available online.
 

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On April 15, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it would provide up to $10 million to promote the production of "advanced biofuels, substitutes for petroleum-based feedstocks, and bioproducts made from renewable, non-food-based biomass, such as agricultural residues and woody biomass." For more information, and to apply for this opportunity, please visit DOE's Funding Opportunity Exchange website. A copy of the press release is available online.

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