Novel Concepts for the Utilization of Carbon Dioxide from Utility and Industrial Sources | DE FOA 0002186

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002186

The Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), issued Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002186 titled "Novel Concepts for the Utilization of Carbon Dioxide from Utility and Industrial Sources." The core purpose of this opportunity is to push beyond conventional carbon management approaches by funding early-stage concepts that use carbon dioxide (CO2) not simply as a waste stream to be stored, but as a useful feedstock to make new, saleable products. In practical terms, the FOA is aimed at encouraging technologies that can take CO2 captured from power plants or industrial facilities and turn it into something that has real market value, creating an economic incentive for emissions reduction.

A central requirement is that any proposed CO2 conversion pathway must demonstrate a net decrease in CO2 emissions when evaluated through life cycle analysis (LCA). This is an important point: it is not enough to show that CO2 is being consumed in a process. Applicants must account for the full set of emissions associated with producing the product, including energy inputs, upstream materials, processing steps, and any relevant transportation or end-of-life impacts, and then show that, overall, the approach reduces net CO2 emissions compared with a baseline. This LCA requirement is meant to screen out ideas that look good on paper but would actually increase emissions once the whole system is considered, for example due to high electricity demand from carbon-intensive grids or the use of inputs with large embedded emissions.

Beyond emissions performance, the FOA places strong emphasis on commercialization potential. The DOE is looking for concepts that can reasonably lead to a marketable product, meaning applicants need to think about who would buy the resulting product, why it would be competitive, and what the likely route to market would look like. The opportunity also explicitly asks for products that compare favorably to existing commercial products made from fossil fuel feedstocks, not just in terms of emissions but also in beneficial attributes. These benefits could include improved performance, durability, safety, reduced toxicity, lower cost potential, enhanced recyclability, or other advantages that would matter to customers and regulators. The underlying idea is that CO2-derived products should not be limited to niche demonstrations; they should be positioned to compete in real markets and deliver tangible advantages.

From an administrative standpoint, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project period compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding within the energy area (CFDA 81.089). Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is generally open to any type of entity (such as companies, universities, national laboratories, nonprofits, and potentially state or local entities), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been included in the full FOA text.

In terms of scale and timing, the FOA was created on December 19, 2019, with an original closing date of February 20, 2020. The award ceiling listed is $1,000,000 per award, and the DOE anticipated making about 10 awards. Taken together, that suggests the program was structured to support multiple parallel concepts at relatively modest project sizes, consistent with developing and validating novel utilization ideas, generating critical data, and de-risking pathways toward commercialization rather than funding full industrial deployment.

Overall, this funding opportunity is best understood as a call for innovative CO2 utilization concepts that can credibly claim climate benefits on a life cycle basis while also making a compelling product and business case. It reflects a DOE interest in solutions that can help cut emissions from utility and industrial sources by creating value from CO2, provided the approach truly reduces net emissions and produces something that can compete with or outperform fossil-derived alternatives.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Novel Concepts for the Utilization of Carbon Dioxide from Utility and Industrial Sources" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 19, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 20, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0002186

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