WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) today announced up to $30 million in funding for research and development (R&D) projects to advance carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches that will reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) pollution by capturing it directly from both the atmosphere and oceans and converting it into valuable products such as fuels and chemicals. Direct air and ocean capture of CO₂, with permanent storage of the captured CO₂ in geological formations or converted to value-added products, has a critical role in helping the United States achieve the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“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.”

Projects selected under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will perform conceptual design studies followed by field validations of cost-effective processes for ocean-based carbon capture and for direct air capture of CO₂ coupled with carbon-free hydrogen and captured CO₂ to create carbon-neutral methanol, a chemical building block for many valuable products. Selected projects will support the cost and performance goals of DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot initiative, which calls for innovation in CDR pathways that will capture CO₂ from the atmosphere and permanently store it at meaningful scales for less than $100/net metric ton of CO₂-equivalent.

In addition to advancing CO₂ removal and conversion technologies, potential award recipients must carefully address societal considerations and impacts, emphasizing active engagement of local communities and avoiding the imposition of additional burdens on disadvantaged communities. These projects are part of the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. To support these equity and justice priorities, recipients will be required to explain how their projects will deliver energy and environmental justice benefits and mitigate impacts; conduct community and stakeholder engagement; incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and promote workforce development and quality jobs.

Read the details of this FOA here, and visit our website to find resources and recommendations for project teams, project evaluators, and communities on how to include equity and justice and conduct engagement in project plans. All questions about this FOA must be submitted through FedConnect; register here for an account. The application deadline is November 30, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

FECM funds research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects to decarbonize power generation and industrial production, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and mitigate the environmental impacts of fossil fuel production and use. Priority areas of technology work include carbon capture, carbon conversion, carbon dioxide removal, carbon dioxide transport and storage, hydrogen production with carbon management, methane emissions reduction, and critical minerals production. To learn more, visit the FECM website, sign up for FECM news announcements, and visit the NETL website.