Blue Biofuels is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Energy amounting to $1.15 million. This significant funding will support the final stages of scaling the company’s patented Cellulose-to-Sugar (CTS) process, a groundbreaking technology that efficiently converts plant-based cellulose into sugars, which are fermented into ethanol to be used as sustainable biofuels. This Phase 2 grant follows the successful completion of Phase 1, where Blue Biofuels demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of its CTS process, paving the way for this Phase 2 grant.
CEO Ben Slager expressed his enthusiasm for this milestone, stating, “We are very grateful to the Department of Energy for their continued support and confidence in our CTS technology. This grant will allow us to accelerate the commercialization of our process, bringing us closer to providing a sustainable and economically viable alternative to fossil fuels. Our goal is to play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions and promoting energy independence, and this funding is crucial in helping us achieve that vision.”
The awarded grant will be utilized to complete the scaling of the CTS process, enabling Blue Biofuels to move forward with commercial deployment. With the successful completion of the Phase 2 project, all stages of the process—from biomass collection to ethanol production—will be fully integrated, optimized, and scaled up. The project also includes the completion of the engineering design of the manufacturing plant to the FEL2 level.
All government proposals undergo a rigorous review by a panel of experts in the field, ensuring that only the most promising and innovative projects receive funding. The success of Phase 1 and the endorsement of this panel underscores the potential of Blue Biofuels’ technology to revolutionize the biofuels industry, providing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of producing renewable energy.