U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY INVESTMENT IN ALGAE CULTIVATION AND BENEFITS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds research, development, and demonstration to help develop sustainable and cost-competitive biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.  A key office within the U.S. DOE which serves this role is the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO).  BETO is focused on forming cost-share partnerships with key stakeholders to develop, demonstrate, and deploy technologies for advanced biofuels production from lignocellulosic and algal biomass. 

The Advanced Algal Systems (AAS) program of BETO  is carrying out a long-term applied research and development (R&D) strategy to increase the yields and lower the costs of algal biofuels by working with partners to develop new technologies, to integrate technologies at commercially-relevant scales, and conduct crosscutting analyses to understand the potential and challenges of an algal biofuel industry that is capable of annually producing billions of gallons of renewable diesel, gasoline, and jet fuels.  

AAS R&D covers the entire pipeline from feedstock to fuel.  Activities support improvement in algal strains, c ultivation systems , logistics and preprocessing technologies (harvesting, dewatering, and concentration) , conversion of biomass, and systems integrations. Advancements in the production and conversion of algae feedstocks, achieved through BETO efforts, can be leveraged to support related industries including aquaculture.  Furthermore, the development of aquaculture feed from the nonfuel components of algae, could be a strategy for increasing the value of biomass to enable biofuels. In fact, AAS has invested in several projects that support the co-production of aquaculture feed from algal biomass.

The purpose of the paper is to present AAS program structure, strategy, and investments to conference participants, as well as share how participants can apply for AAS funding opportunities.