Request for Information (RFI): Understanding Catalyst Production and Development Needs at National Laboratories | DE FOA 0001951

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001951

This Request for Information (RFI), issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), is a market and stakeholder listening exercise focused on the United States' ability to produce custom catalysts at small scale and to use them effectively in process development settings at National Laboratories. The core topic is "custom catalyst production capability for biochemical and thermochemical processes" that support the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass, waste-derived feedstocks, and algae into biofuels and bioproducts. BETO is looking for practical input that can help it understand what capabilities exist today, what gaps remain, and what problems continue to limit reliable catalyst supply and performance when technologies move from early lab work toward engineering-scale demonstrations.

A central emphasis is small-scale catalyst production, typically in multi-kilogram quantities, which is a scale that sits between gram-scale lab synthesis and true commercial manufacturing. BETO is trying to learn where this intermediate scale breaks down in real life: what makes custom catalysts difficult to produce consistently; what drives batch-to-batch variability; what quality control, formulation, scale-up, and handling issues show up when catalysts are produced for bench-scale and pilot/engineering-scale trials; and what kinds of research or infrastructure could reduce those issues. The RFI is intentionally broad about catalyst types and includes enzymes and immobilized enzymes as well as inorganic and organic catalysts, spanning both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. It also spans conversion pathways, including biological, thermochemical, and hybrid processes, reflecting BETO's interest in the full set of biomass-to-fuels/chemicals options that rely on catalytic steps.

In parallel, BETO is asking about the equipment and operational capabilities needed inside National Laboratory process development units (PDUs). The goal here is to understand what unit operations, reactor systems, ancillary equipment, and supporting functionality are missing or need upgrades so researchers can properly test reactive processes and generate engineering-relevant data. In practical terms, BETO is seeking input on how PDUs can better support the transition from early-stage research (often proof-of-concept) to engineering-scale research (where throughput, integration, operability, and reliability begin to matter), especially when the performance of a process depends heavily on catalyst behavior and consistency.

The intended respondents include a wide range of stakeholders: industry (explicitly including contract research organizations, contract manufacturing organizations, catalyst manufacturers, and catalyst research consortia), universities, National Laboratories, government agencies, and other participants in the biofuels and bioproducts ecosystem. BETO is essentially asking these groups to describe the state of the practice and state of the pain points: what is currently feasible for custom catalyst production at small scale, what technical or logistical bottlenecks exist (for example, reproducibility, supply chain limitations, specialized equipment needs, safety and handling constraints, or characterization and qualification challenges), and what kinds of new capabilities or partnerships would make PDU testing and scale transition smoother and more credible.

Administratively, this notice is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and it is not accepting applications for funding or financial incentives. DOE makes clear that responding will not give any competitive advantage or disadvantage if a future FOA is issued, and there is no commitment that a FOA will happen at all. Responses are for government planning and strategy development and are intended to be used on a non-attribution basis, meaning DOE plans to use the information to shape its thinking rather than to publicly credit specific respondents. DOE also cautions that responses may influence future programs and may become public in some form, so respondents are strongly advised not to include proprietary, business-sensitive, or confidential information unless it is clearly marked as such.

Key submission details are straightforward and structured. Responses had to be submitted electronically by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on September 14, 2018, sent to CustomCatalystRFI@ee.doe.gov as email attachments in Microsoft Word (.docx) format. The response length limit was 15 pages using 12-point font and one-inch margins, with a suggestion to compress files larger than 25 MB to avoid delivery issues. Respondents were encouraged to answer the specific questions/topics listed in the full RFI (posted on EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), and they could respond to as many or as few questions as they wished. DOE stated it would not reimburse costs for preparing responses, would not necessarily acknowledge receipt, would not provide individual feedback, and would not publish a public compendium of submissions.

For reference and tracking, the opportunity is identified as DE FOA 0001951, administered by the DOE Golden Field Office, associated with CFDA number 81.087 (Energy). Although the listing includes standard funding fields such as "Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement, Other," the substance of the announcement is strictly an information request with no awards expected and no projects funded as a result of the RFI. The practical takeaway is that BETO is collecting detailed, real-world input to map the current landscape and unmet needs around custom catalyst production and National Lab PDU capabilities, with the possibility (but not the promise) that future funding opportunities could be designed based on what stakeholders report.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI): Understanding Catalyst Production and Development Needs at National Laboratories" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 02, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 14, 2018 Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to CustomCatalystRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 500pm (ET) on September 14, 2018. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.. (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 $2.00 in funding.
• 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.

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