The US Department of Energy has announced $118 million in funding for 17 projects across America to develop sustainable biofuels in an effort to improve the country’s domestic carbon footprint.
The projects are being led by US universities and private firms to ‘drive the [US] domestic production of biofuels and bioproducts by advancing biorefinery development, from pre-pilot to demonstration, to create sustainable fuels that reduce emissions associated with fossil fuels’.
Each project has received an amount ranging from $500,000 to $80 million, with the US Department of Energy claiming that most received sums around the $2 million mark.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said: “Biofuels are a versatile tool because they have the immediate potential to power our ships, trains, airlines, and heavy-duty vehicles – a huge contributor to total carbon emissions – with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.”
Across the Atlantic, the UK government has also adopted a similar strategy in recent months. In August 2022, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy announced £37 million in funding for innovative biomass projects.
The logistics industry is a particular target for the uptake of biofuels as an alternative for more pollutive fossil fuels. In 2020, the transport industry was responsible for 24% of the UK’s domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, with HGVs causing 19% of domestic transport emissions, according to the latest figures from the Department for Transport.
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