The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has announced up to $9.5 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development (R&D) under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001992, Maximizing the Coal Value Chain.

This FOA seeks to develop innovative uses of domestic coal for upgraded coal-based feedstocks used to produce power, make steel, and make high-value products—ultimately creating new market opportunities for coal. These projects will support FE’s Advanced Energy System Program, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will manage them.

This FOA focuses on three areas of interest (AOI):

1. Improved Domestic U.S. Coal Feedstocks for Power Production and Steel-Making – Projects under this AOI will test technologies that can produce an upgraded coal fuel from run-of-mine domestic coal to increase the value of coal as a power plant fuel or for steel production for domestic and international markets. There are two subtopics:

1a. Small-scale validation testing of innovative upgrading processes – Projects under this subtopic will test lab-scale and small pilot-scale (less than 3 tons per day throughput) technologies that can produce an upgraded solid coal feedstock for power generation or steelmaking from run-of-mine domestic coal.

1b. Coal beneficiation pilot plant testing – Projects under this subtopic will perform R&D to improve the process, diversify the feedstock and/or product slate, and/or improve the quality of the product for technologies that use coal to produce an upgraded solid coal feedstock for power generation, steelmaking, or value-added secondary products.

2. Producing High-Value Solid Products from Domestic U.S. Coal – Projects supporting this AOI will test lab-scale to small pilot-scale (less than 3 tons per day throughput) technologies that use domestic coal and/or closely related by-products (coal fines, coal pitch, coal char, etc.) as a manufacturing feedstock to produce solid carbonaceous materials and composites. There are two subtopics:

2a. Laboratory testing of technologies for making high-value solid products from coal – Projects under this subtopic will focus on technologies whose current state of development is such that testing at the laboratory scale and processes are batch or semi-batch in nature.

2b. Continuous process testing of technologies for high-value solid products from coal – Projects under this subtopic will focus on technologies whose current state of development is such that testing is at the bench or small-pilot scale and continuous processes are ready to be tested.

3. Alternative Technologies Such as Microwave or Low-Temperature Plasma to Convert Domestic U.S. Coal into High-Performance Carbon Materials – R&D under this AOI will advance the understanding of how to expand the value chain associated with domestic coal through the use of alternative technologies, such as microwave or low-temperature plasma to convert domestic coal into high-performance carbon materials.

Read more details about this FOA.

The Office of Fossil Energy funds research and development projects to reduce the risk and cost of advanced fossil energy technologies and further the sustainable use of the Nation’s fossil resources. To learn more about the programs within the Office of Fossil Energy, visit the Office of Fossil Energy website or sign up for FE news announcements. More information about the National Energy Technology Laboratory is available on the NETL website.