Bioenergy Technologies Office Overcoming Barriers to Renewable Fuel Scale-up and Demonstration Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0002615 | DE FOA 0002615

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this Department of Energy (DOE) opportunity?

This opportunity is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by DOE through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and its Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). The RFI is focused on practical, real-world challenges of scaling up U.S. renewable fuel production, especially the move from lab/bench work into pilot- and demonstration-scale operations.

2) Is this a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)?

No. DOE states that this is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

3) Does this RFI provide funding or accept project applications?

No. DOE indicates the RFI does not provide funding and does not accept project applications. It is intended to gather input, not proposals for awards.

4) What is DOE trying to learn from the RFI?

DOE is seeking practical, experience-based input on how close renewable fuel pathways are to scaling, what barriers are slowing deployment, and what actions DOE could take that would meaningfully help. DOE also plans to use the feedback to estimate how much domestic renewable fuel capacity could realistically come online by 2030.

5) Which fuels and sectors are emphasized in this RFI?

The RFI emphasizes sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel, and renewable marine fuels. The focus reflects the push to decarbonize transportation sectors that are hard to electrify and where drop-in liquid fuels are expected to remain important.

6) Who is BETO looking for input from?

DOE/BETO is looking for perspectives from a broad set of knowledgeable stakeholders, including industry, technology developers, universities, national laboratories, government agencies, and other groups with relevant experience in renewable fuels scale-up and deployment.

7) What parts of the scale-up process does DOE want respondents to address?

The RFI highlights the full chain of scale-up considerations, including process performance at larger scales, engineering and integration issues, equipment and materials constraints, financing and risk, feedstock availability and cost, permitting and siting hurdles, and the ability to meet fuel specifications and market requirements.

8) How is the RFI organized?

DOE organized the RFI into six topic categories covering scale-up forecasts, barriers, leveraging incumbent industries, biotechnology scale-up strategy, use of national laboratory process development units, and feedstock production and supply.

9) What is Category 1 about (Biofuel Pathway Scale-up Forecasts)?

Category 1 requests stakeholder estimates and projections on which renewable fuel pathways are likely to scale the fastest and what volumes might be achievable by 2030. DOE also asks respondents to explain assumptions behind projections, such as feedstock access, capital build rates, and policy conditions.

10) What is Category 2 about (Barriers to Scale-up of SAF, Marine, and Renewable Diesel Technologies)?

Category 2 asks for specific technical, operational, and commercial barriers encountered when moving into pilot and demonstration plants. Examples mentioned include catalyst durability, process yields, impurities, separations challenges, upgrading requirements, hydrogen supply, reliability under continuous operation, and meeting ASTM and other fuel qualification standards.

11) What is Category 3 about (Leveraging First Generation Ethanol and Other Incumbent Industries)?

Category 3 seeks ideas for using existing U.S. biofuel and industrial assets to speed and lower the cost of deployment. DOE is explicitly interested in how first-generation corn ethanol infrastructure, supply chains, and site assets could be adapted for new fuels or intermediate products feeding advanced pathways. This category also invites input on lowering the carbon intensity of current corn production because it can affect lifecycle emissions scores and market value where low-carbon fuels are rewarded.

12) What is Category 4 about (BETO Scale-up of Biotechnologies Strategy)?

Category 4 asks for guidance on how DOE should shape its strategy to accelerate scale-up for biotechnology-based conversion routes (such as fermentation, engineered microbes, enzyme systems, and other bioprocessing approaches). DOE is looking for where biotechnologies tend to hit bottlenecks during scale-up and what shared resources, validation efforts, or demonstration support would help most.

13) What is Category 5 about (Leveraging National Laboratory Process Development Units)?

Category 5 asks whether and how DOE national laboratory facilities (including process development units, or PDUs) could be used more effectively as intermediates between bench research and commercial plants. DOE requests input on missing capabilities, how access should be structured, and what kinds of campaigns or partnerships would be most valuable.

14) What is Category 6 about (Feedstock Production and Supply)?

Category 6 focuses on feedstock issues that can limit scale-up even when conversion technology is strong. DOE highlights topics such as production practices, logistics, preprocessing, storage, quality specifications, cost volatility, and sustainability considerations.

15) What is meant by moving from "lab and bench" to "pilot and demonstration" scale?

In the context of this RFI, DOE is focused on the transition from research-scale work (lab and bench) to larger, more realistic operational environments (pilot- and demonstration-scale) where performance, reliability, integration, and qualification requirements can reveal new challenges and risks.

16) What types of constraints does DOE cite as common during scale-up?

DOE cites a range of constraints, including equipment and materials constraints, financing and risk issues, feedstock availability and costs, permitting and siting hurdles, and challenges meeting required fuel specifications and market requirements.

17) What role do fuel specifications and standards play in this RFI?

DOE specifically calls out the need to meet ASTM and other fuel qualification standards, indicating that fuel specification compliance is a meaningful scale-up barrier and market requirement for SAF, renewable diesel, and marine fuels.

18) Why is DOE asking for 2030-related capacity and volume estimates?

DOE plans to use stakeholder feedback to help estimate how much domestic renewable fuel capacity could realistically come online by 2030 and to understand what factors and assumptions influence those projections.

19) How broad is eligibility to respond?

The RFI was open broadly. The listed eligible applicants were "unrestricted," reflecting DOE's goal of collecting wide input rather than limiting participation to a narrow group.

20) Where was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on EERE Exchange.

21) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 81.087 (energy-related assistance programs).

22) Which DOE office managed the opportunity?

The opportunity was managed by the DOE Golden Field Office.

23) How were responses required to be submitted?

Responses were required to be submitted by email to BiofuelsFY22RFI@ee.doe.gov.

24) What was the submission deadline?

Responses were due by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on January 31, 2022.

25) What file format was required for written responses?

DOE required written responses as Microsoft Word (.docx) attachments.

26) Were there page and formatting limits?

Yes. DOE limited written responses to 10 pages and specified 12-point font and 1-inch margins.

27) Was there an email attachment size consideration?

Yes. DOE noted that attachments over 25 MB should be compressed to avoid delivery problems.

28) Was there an option to provide input verbally?

Yes. In addition to written submissions, DOE offered an optional alternative or supplement: respondents could request a 30-minute one-on-one discussion with BETO staff to talk through written responses or provide feedback verbally if needed.

29) What is the overall purpose of DOE collecting this information?

DOE describes the RFI as market and technical discovery to shape future actions. The goal is to map which renewable fuel pathways are closest to commercial readiness, identify key scale-up chokepoints, explore how existing industrial infrastructure (including corn ethanol assets) could reduce cost and timeline, and determine where national labs and BETO programs could help de-risk pilot and demonstration efforts.

30) What kind of input is DOE looking for (and what is it not looking for)?

DOE is looking for practical, experience-based input about scaling renewable fuels. DOE is not looking for project proposals competing for awards under this RFI, because it does not provide funding and does not accept applications.