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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

    Chemical Products R&D Solicitation Awards Announced

    July 6, 2004

    DOE recently selected six R&D projects to develop new technologies for saving energy in the Chemical industry.  DOE plans to contribute nearly $17 million toward the projects, which specifically address new or improved catalytic oxidation and distillation technologies to enhance productivity of chemical processes.  Technology needs in these areas have been identified in the following industry roadmaps: Reaction Engineering, New Process Chemistry, and Separations 2000.

    Development and implementation of high risk, new technology is a continuing goal of ITP.  Through open, competitive solicitations, DOE offers opportunities for industries to participate in cost-shared research and development projects that advance technologies both technically and economically, and show significant potential for successful commercialization.  Following is the key information on the selected Chemical projects:

    Velocys, Inc.
    DOE Funding Level: $2.9 million
    Heat Integrated Distillation Through Use of Microchannel Technology:  This project will develop an advanced distillation process based on the highly heat-integrated microchannel process technology (MPT).
    Technical Contact:  Thomas Hickey, 614-733-3300 

    Rohm and Haas Company
    DOE Funding Level: $5.2 million
    Millisecond Oxidation of Alkanes:  This project will develop a technology for the oxydehydrogenation of alkane feedstocks to olefins and oxygenates using a Short Contact Time Reactor (SCTR).
    Technical Contact:  Dan Bors, 215-619-5729 

    BP Chemicals Company
    DOE Funding Level: $1.9 million
    Intensification of Catalytic Propane Ammoxidation Processes:  This project will develop a highly intensified catalytic process for the direct ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile.
    Technical Contact:  Bruce Rosen, 630-420-5063

    BP Amoco Chemical Company
    DOE Funding Level: $3.4 million
    New Catalytic Transport Membrane Approach to Energy Efficient Ethylene Manufacture:  This project will develop a new way to make ethylene via ethane dehydrogenation using a novel catalytic transport membrane (CTM) reactor.
    Technical Contact:  Martin Carrera, 630-420-3153

    Solutia, Inc.
    DOE Funding Level: $1.3 million
    Gold Catalyzed Cyclohexane Oxidation:  This project will explore the use of supported gold nanoparticles as catalysts for the oxidation of cyclohexane.
    Technical Contact:  Shannon Davis, 850-968-8507

    California Institute of Technology
    DOE Funding Level: $2.6 million
    Using Ionic Liquids in Selective Hydrocarbon Conversion Processes:  The project proposes a strong integration of theoretical and experimental programs to develop a fast-screening method to identify the best ionic liquids for each catalytic system and to optimize a direct methane-to-methanol process that can be operated at low-temperature (< 300 C), that is highly product selective (> 90 %), product friendly for easier separation, and cost effective.
    Technical Contact:  William Goddard, 626-395-2731

    For more information on solicitation opportunities, see the ITP Financial opportunities Web page.