The U.S. Department of Energy on May 19 awarded a combined $3 million to two waste-to-energy projects, including one that focuses on the potential to convert biosolids into renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The awards are being made under a $34.5 million funding opportunity announced in March 2022 that focuses on waste feedstock and conversion research and development (R&D). The DOE in August 2022 announced an initial group of 22 awards under the funding opportunity.

The two awards announced on May 19 were made under topic area four of the funding opportunity, which focuses on community scale resources and energy recovery from organic wastes.

Virginia-based National Rural Electric Coop Association Research has been awarded $1.5 million for a project titled “Rural Energy

RecOvery from Organic Waste (REROW).” The project aims to create a series of tools and assessment software for its 900 rural co-op members to implement waste-to-energy technologies and demonstrate a regional pilot.

California-based Upper Salinas – Las Tablas Resource Conservation District will receive $1.5 million for a project titled “Nutrient and Energy Recovery from Regional Wet Wastes.” The project will explore the concept of a centralized biosolids conversion facility to produce renewable diesel and SAF.