DOE requests information on renewable propane

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office released a Request for Information (RFI) on Renewable Propane Production Technologies and Uses to better understand the supply chains for production and uses of renewable propane and other renewable gaseous intermediates.

This RFI (DE-FOA-0003389) seeks input from industry and other stakeholders who produce, or are considering producing, renewable propane on the potential to increase its viability to pursue new production pathways to sustainable aviation fuels and other high-impact products.

In the U.S., propane consumption averages about 1 million barrels per day and accounts for about 1 percent of total energy consumption, according to the DOE. Propane is primarily used for residential and commercial heating; industrial purposes, including chemical and plastics manufacturing; and agricultural applications. Traditionally originating as a natural gas processing byproduct or crude oil refining by-product, renewable propane has become a new by-product or product in the biofuels sector where production uses municipal waste, agricultural residue, forest resources, fats, oils and greases.

This RFI also aims to collect information on the costs and benefits to a refinery that hydroprocesses biogenic fats, oils and greases by using renewable propane produced on-site as process energy compared to the separation recovery of renewable propane for sale externally in the propane market.

RFI questions fall into two categories:

• Production of propane and other gaseous intermediates from the hydroprocessing of biogenic fats, oils and greases; and
• Production of propane and other gaseous intermediates from municipal waste, agricultural residue and forest residues.

The RFI is posted on the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Exchange and grants.gov. Responses to the RFI must be submitted electronically as Microsoft Word (.docx) attachments to RenewablePropaneRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5 p.m. EST on Aug. 5.

The DOE requests that respondents identify their answers by responding to a specific question or topic if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish and are requested to provide the following information at the start of their feedback: company/institution name, contact, address, phone number and email address.

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The EERE may or may not issue a FOA based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

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