SAM #DARPA-PS-26-23

DARPA Fleetwood Program: Catalyst Development for Lignin Biomass Conversion

DARPA's Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is seeking proposals for the Fleetwood program to advance catalyst development for converting lignin-containing waste biomass into valuable chemicals. - Government Buyer: - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Biological Technologies Office (BTO) - Scope of Work: - Research and development services to create stable, active, and selective catalysts - Focus on atomic-level precision and feedstock-agnostic processes for lignin extraction and conversion - Catalysts must enable conversion of lignin-derived monomers into value-added chemicals (e.g., pharmaceuticals, lubricants, specialty chemicals) - Includes technoeconomic analysis, process modeling, and demonstrations at multiple production scales - Key Requirements: - Catalyst stability, maximized activity and selectivity - Ability to process various biomass feedstocks (feedstock agnosticism) - Disrupt traditional supply chains by enabling domestic production of chemicals typically imported - Program Structure: - 24-month period of performance, divided into two 12-month phases - Milestones and demonstrations required at the end of each phase - Estimated Contract Value: - Multiple awards anticipated, totaling $4M–$8M - No specific OEMs or vendors are named; the opportunity is open to all qualified research organizations and companies.

Description

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals to develop catalysts to enable atomic-level precision and control of complex systems at all scales of production. Fleetwood is seeking pathways to significantly improve the ability to valorize lignin-containing waste biomass feedstocks, both domestically and in deployed environments, by converting them into resources and precursors for value-added chemicals primed for disruption. Catalyst development focuses on identifying pathways to convert lignin into chemicals that are traditionally imported into the U.S. Efforts also focus on improving catalyst stability, maximizing activity and selectivity, and ensuring the catalysts are feedstock agnostic, capable of functioning regardless of biomass sourcing.

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