WASHINGTON, DC – Today the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announced that 33 breakthrough energy projects throughout America will receive approximately $66 million under two new programs that provide options for a more sustainable and secure American future. One of those grants, valued at $1.5 million, was awarded to the University of California at Davis for research into the biosynthetic conversion of ethylene to butanol. As described in the grant announcement:
“The University of California at Davis is easily the greatest agricultural research university and one of the greatest energy research universities on the planet. I thank ARPA-E for recognizing the potential for discovery at UC Davis,” Congressman Garamendi said. “If this biofuel research is successful, the result will be a cleaner and healthier planet, a more sustainable economy for the United States, and a competitive advantage for energy and agricultural companies throughout Northern California. This is a big win for the Sacramento Valley."
More About the New Programs
One program, Modern Electro/Thermochemical Advancements for Light-metal Systems (METALS), provides $32 million to find cost-effective and energy-efficient manufacturing techniques to process and recycle metals for lightweight vehicles. The other program, Reducing Emissions using Methanotrophic Organisms for Transportation Energy (REMOTE), provides $34 million to find advanced biocatalyst technologies that can convert natural gas to liquid fuel for transportation.
More information on the grants announced today is available here.