(FOA)-Solicitation
on Topics Informing New Program Areas (DE-FOA-0001953); May 13, 2019
Agency
Advanced
Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E)
Description
ARPA-E
recently added a new topic to the “Solicitation on Topics Informing New Program
Areas,” a funding opportunity that enables ARPA-E to investigate potential new
program areas. This announcement is purposely broad in scope, and will cover a
wide range of topics to encourage the submission of the most innovative and
unconventional ideas in energy technology. The objective of this solicitation
is to support high-risk R&D leading to the development of potentially
disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications.
Topics under this FOA will explore new areas of technology development that, if
successful, could establish new program areas for ARPA-E, or complement the
current portfolio of ARPA-E programs. Cost sharing will not be required
for any project submitted by aneducational institution or domestic
nonprofit applying as a Standalone Applicant. The new targeted topic
is:
E.
Quantification of Effectiveness of Nutrient Bioextraction by Seaweed
Nitrogen
migration from anthropogenic sources, such as agricultural runoff or wastewater
discharge, is responsible for eutrophication of marine systems causing anoxia,
ecological disruption and reduction in productivity of natural systems and
fisheries. Eutrophication can result in widespread “dead zones” and contribute
to proliferation of toxic microalgae and/or cyanobacteria, as recently seen on
Florida’s Gulf Coast. One potential solution is the large‐scale cultivation
of nitrogen‐fixing
seaweeds
in these eutrophic marine systems. Seaweeds are non‐vascular macroalgae
plants capable of rapid growth via carbon fixation and effective uptake of
nitrogen, predominately in the form of nitrate. When deployed in eutrophic
marine systems, cultivation of seaweeds on a large scale may provide local, and
possibly regional, mitigation of excess nutrient concentration via bioextraction.
ARPA‐E’s MARINER program
targets the development and deployment of new technologies for the economically
viable production of seaweeds on a scale sufficient for bioenergy
production. The effectiveness of deploying seaweed farms for
nutrient concentration extraction will be significantly influenced by local and
regional geographic conditions. It is therefore important to identify the
geographies along US coastlines that are the most suitable candidates for
testing and deploying this eutrophication mitigation strategy. In
addition to the revenue from the harvested seaweed, seaweed farms deployed in
eutrophic marine areas could generate additional benefits – and potentially
revenue – for the ecosystem services they provide. In order to appropriately
value the nutrient mitigation services provided by seaweed cultivation,
appropriate methodologies are needed for accurate, low‐cost nitrogen
monitoring within the context of seaweed farming systems to quantify the amount
of nitrogen present and assimilated by seaweed cultivation. ARPA‐E seeks solutions that
will add value to the MARINER program and provide technology‐to‐market (T2M)
opportunities for large scale seaweed cultivation.
Announcement
Number
DE-FOA-0001953
Closing
Date
May
13, 2019
Link
to Full Announcement
https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/FileContent.aspx?FileID=2bbefd1e-ca47-48f6-a7b9-5dc2a712acd0
Contact
Information