The current funding opportunity announcement (FOA) aims to expand DOE FECM’s carbon management portfolio through support for R&D projects in the programmatic areas of Point Source Carbon Capture and Carbon Transport and Storage. Areas of interest include:

AOI-3. Point Source Carbon Capture Technology

The objective of AOI-3 is to solicit applications that are specifically focused on developing lower cost, highly efficient, technologies for point source carbon capture from fossil fuel power plants and industrial point sources capturing CO2 with over 95% efficiency that is suitable for secure geologic carbon storage, including in situ mineralization, or CO2 conversion into long-lasting products (e.g., synthetic aggregates, concrete, durable carbon products). Under the current FOA opening, applications are solicited in the following subtopics:

AOI-3A. Engineering-Scale Testing of Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies for Industrial Plants

The objective of AOI-3A R&D effort is to test transformational, carbon capture technologies under real flue gas conditions from process streams at an industrial facility achieving 95% or greater carbon capture efficiency and 95% CO2 purity. The industrial sectors of interest for AOI-3A include but are not limited to: (i) chemical production (e.g., petrochemicals) excluding ethanol, ammonia and hydrogen production, (ii) mineral production (e.g., cement and lime), (iii) pulp and paper production, (iv) iron and steel production, (v) glass production, and (vi) oil refining (e.g., catalytic cracker, hydrocracking), excluding steam methane reforming for hydrogen production and natural gas processing. Engineering-scale testing for AOI-3A is defined as pilot facilities with the design capacity to capture a minimum of 3 tonne CO2/day.

AOI-3B. Front-End Engineering Design Studies for Carbon Capture Systems at Existing (Retrofit) Domestic Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) Power Plants

The objective of AOI-3B is to execute and complete front-end engineering design studies of commercial-scale, advanced carbon capture systems that separate CO2 with at least 95% capture efficiency at existing NGCC power plants. Advanced carbon capture systems proposed to AOI-3B should have already attained TRL 6 or above based on previous developments. The advanced carbon capture systems should separate more than 100,000 tonne/year net CO2. The applicants must demonstrate how deployment of the proposed carbon capture system will promote creation of clean energy or manufacturing jobs located in nearby communities that are economically distressed and/or have been disproportionately harmed by the adverse environmental impacts of the power plant to which carbon capture is proposed to be applied.

AOI-3C. Engineering-Scale Testing of Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies for Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) Power Plants

The objective of AOI-3C R&D effort is to (i) test transformational, postcombustion, carbon capture technologies under real flue gas conditions achieving 95% or greater carbon capture efficiency and 95% CO2 purity and, (ii) demonstrate significant progress towards a 30% reduction in cost of capture versus a reference NGCC power plant with carbon capture for the same carbon capture efficiency (i.e., 95%). Flue gas composition should be indicative of a NGCC power plant. Engineering-scale testing for AOI-3C is defined as pilot facilities with the capacity to capture a minimum of 5 tonne CO2/day (~ 0.5 MWe).

AOI-4. Carbon Transport and Storage

The Carbon Transport and Storage Program is designed to establish the foundation for a successful carbon storage and transport industry by making key investments in RD&D, large-scale transport and storage facilities and regional hubs to support rapid deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies. The objective of AOI-4 is to support R&D that investigates the technical challenges facing widescale deployment of both CO2 transportation infrastructure and geologic CO2 storage. Projects awarded under AOI-4A will support advancements in infrastructure engineering and design needed for large-scale transport, utilization, and storage. Under the current FOA opening, applications are solicited in the following subtopics:

AOI-4A. CO2 National Network for Enhancing Carbon Transport Infrastructure

ONshore/Offshore (CO2NNECTION) Intermodal Transport Hubs AOI-4A aims to support CO2 transportation infrastructure that facilitates intermodal transfer of CO2 and multi-source integration in regional and national CO2 transportation networks. For technologies of interest to DOE’s Carbon Transport & Storage Program under this AOI, anthropogenic carbon will be transported through and temporarily stored in intermodal, multi-source integrated transportation hubs (HUB) that connect one or more CO2 transportation modes. The goal is to develop technically viable, optimized, and strategically adaptable carbon transportation infrastructure that can facilitate various quantities, qualities, and phases of CO2 to enable delivery from multiple CO2 capture sources, including Direct Air Capture (DAC), to durable permanent geologic storage or CO2 conversion facilities, and that considers both near term operational needs and longer-term future growth.