The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting input from industry (including but not limited to contract research organizations, contract manufacturing organizations, catalyst manufacturers, and catalyst research consortia), academia, National Laboratories, government agencies, and other biofuels and bioproducts stakeholders on “custom catalyst production capability for biochemical and thermochemical processes”. Specifically, BETO seeks information to help identify and understand additional areas of research, capabilities, and yet-to-be-addressed challenges pertinent to small-scale production (typically in multi-kilogram quantities) of custom catalysts used in technology development and engineering solutions for the efficient conversion of lignocellulosic, waste, and algal feedstocks to produce biofuels and bioproducts. The conversion technologies of interest include biological, thermochemical or hybrid processes. The class of catalysts include but are not limited to, for example, enzymes, immobilized enzymes, inorganic, and organic; and both homogeneous and heterogeneous types.

BETO, in addition, seeks information on capabilities and functionalities that need to be developed to be able to effectively research and test reactive processes with particular emphasis on unit operations and equipment comprising process development units (PDUs) located at National Laboratories that will enable successful transition of early stage research to engineering-scale research.

For purposes of potentially developing future funding opportunities, BETO is interested in understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with small-scale production of custom catalysts capable of minimizing / eliminating variations in catalyst performance while used for bench-scale and engineering-scale process development of biological, thermochemical and hybrid conversion technologies.

BETO is also interested in understanding the need for operational and capability enhancements for unit operations and equipment comprising PDUs that help to transition early stage research to engineering-scale research.