The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) will invest up to $30 million in the research and development of carbon removal technologies. The funding announced on Sept. 30 will go toward direct air and ocean capture.
“To avoid the worst effects of climate change, gigatons of atmospheric CO2 must be removed every year by mid-century, alongside aggressive decarbonization,” said Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. “Approaches to carbon dioxide removal like direct air and ocean capture with carbon conversion or storage are a key part of our overall strategy to meet our climate goals.
The projects selected under the funding opportunity announcement will carry out conceptual design studies and field validations on cost-effective direct air and ocean capture methods to convert CO2 into valuable products such as chemicals and fuels.
The projects will aid the cost and performance goals of DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot, an initiative that calls for carbon capture and storage programs that can achieve scalable results for under $100/net metric ton of CO2 equivalent.
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The potential recipients will also need to consider social factors and impacts, and involve local communities. The projects are part of the Justice40 Initiative, which has set the goal that 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments go toward disadvantaged communities.
The funding recipients will need to explain how their projects bring environmental justice, mitigate impacts, involve stakeholders, consider diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and create new quality jobs.
DOE’s recommendations on Planning for Societal Considerations & Impacts in FECM Projects can be found here.
The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management funds decarbonization projects with a focus on carbon capture, conversion, removal, and transport and storage, as well as the production of hydrogen with CO2 management, reduction of methane emissions, and critical minerals production.
Read more: DOE To Invest $3.5 Billion In Carbon Removal
