Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Production Project (ADBPP) Biofuels 2 | FOA AFRL RQKM 2017 0006

Opportunity Information: Apply for FOA AFRL RQKM 2017 0006

The Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Production Project (ADBPP) Biofuels 2 is a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) funding opportunity aimed at strengthening domestic production capacity for advanced, drop-in biofuels that can realistically support defense needs at scale. The core idea is to build out additional Integrated Biofuel Production Enterprise (IBPE) capabilities inside the United States, meaning projects are expected to cover the full, end-to-end value chain rather than just one piece of it. That full chain includes dependable feedstock production, the chemical conversion and processing steps that turn feedstocks into fuel-range products, and the downstream blending, transportation, and logistics needed to move fuel into real markets. The program is structured to produce commercially relevant outcomes, not just research results, and it places emphasis on creating reliable merchant supplier capability so the resulting fuels and supply chains can serve both Department of Defense and broader civilian demand.

A central requirement is that funded efforts lead to the design, retrofit, construction, operation, validation, and qualification of one or more domestic, commercial-scale integrated biorefineries. In practice, that means applicants must demonstrate not only that they can build or modify infrastructure, but also that they can run it, prove it works consistently, and qualify the fuels for use. The biorefineries supported under this opportunity must be capable of producing bio-equivalent fuels suitable for military use, which generally implies drop-in compatibility with existing engines and fuel systems and alignment with relevant military and/or aviation fuel expectations. Another explicit threshold is production scale: the facility must have a rated capacity of at least 10 million gallons per year of neat biofuel. The emphasis on “neat” biofuel highlights that the project is targeting production of the biofuel blending component itself at meaningful volumes, not just small demonstration batches or heavily diluted blends.

The opportunity also restricts production to domestic output and requires the use of acceptable feedstocks, reflecting both supply chain security concerns and practical operability. Just as important, the fuel pathway must comply with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Section 526, which is the federal requirement that, for certain government fuel procurements, lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions cannot be higher than those of conventional petroleum-derived fuels. In other words, the program is not simply about producing any biofuel; it is about producing advanced biofuels that meet greenhouse gas compliance expectations for federal use while still being scalable and operationally suitable.

From an infrastructure standpoint, the government signals flexibility in the kinds of buildouts it will consider. Proposals can be based on “brownfield” approaches, such as expanding or modifying existing pilot-scale or commercial-scale facilities, or on “greenfield” approaches involving new construction. This allows applicants to propose the most realistic path to speed, scale, and cost control based on what assets already exist. However, regardless of the approach, the project concept is tied to building an integrated enterprise rather than a standalone technology module, which implies reviewers will pay close attention to feedstock sourcing plans, conversion technology readiness, product upgrading and blending strategy, and the practical logistics of getting fuels to users.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity offered under a cooperative agreement, which typically means the government expects substantial involvement during execution compared with a more hands-off grant. The funding activity category is science and technology and other research and development, but the described scope clearly leans into deployment and industrial capability expansion, consistent with DPA Title III goals of strengthening the domestic industrial base. The eligible applicant pool is limited to for-profit organizations other than small businesses, suggesting the government anticipated proposals from established commercial entities capable of executing large-scale capital projects and operating facilities at industrial throughput. The issuing organization is the Air Force Research Laboratory, with the opportunity identified as FOA AFRL RQKM 2017 0006 under CFDA 12.800. The original posting date is listed as January 19, 2017, and the original closing date as January 29, 2018, with an expectation of a single award indicated in the source data.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted industrial-scale push: expand U.S.-based capacity to make drop-in, military-suitable advanced biofuels through fully integrated, commercially scaled biorefinery enterprises, while meeting domestic sourcing expectations and statutory lifecycle greenhouse gas constraints.

• The Air Force -- Research Lab in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Production Project (ADBPP) Biofuels 2" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.800.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-29. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: For-profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for FOA AFRL RQKM 2017 0006

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