Open Call: Identification and Valuation of Innovative Wastewater Residual Products Beyond Conventional Biosolids

Deadline Date: November 21, 2024

 Donor Name: Water Research Foundation

 Grant Size: $100,000 to $500,000

The Water Research Foundation is seeking applications for its project called Identification and Valuation of Innovative Wastewater Residual Products Beyond Conventional Biosolids.

Objectives

• Identify various end products that can be generated from residuals or biosolids, focusing on emerging and non-conventional products—beyond cake and dried material that stem from technologies or processes that have been demonstrated at full-scale in trial or recent permanent installations.
• Create tools for utilities to assess the costs and benefits and business case considerations of end products that help inform decision-making, including (1) quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from various uses of these products, (2) identification of potential markets for end products, (3) identification of obstacles for product entry into specific potential markets, and (4) prospective valuation of end products.

Research Approach

• This RFP is intentionally flexible in the research approach and choice of analytical methods to account for the fact that many of these emerging technologies are not thoroughly documented in published literature. Researchers may use a wide variety of research techniques including literature review, site visits and interviews at existing demonstration sites or installations, discussions with regulators and impartial industry experts, etc. Researchers should propose methods for analyzing the costs and benefits that they believe will best serve the WRF community within the constraints of the budget.
• A successful proposal will examine innovative biosolids management technologies with a focus on the value of the end products in comparison to their costs, and evaluate mechanisms by which new and emerging end products could be utilized by utilities. At minimum, technologies and products should be demonstrated at the full-scale level (permanent or trial), but this can include installations outside the U.S. or applied to other wastes sludges. The proposal should clearly define additional criteria which will be used for selection of eligible end products included in the analysis (for example, a minimum technology readiness level, number of years in operation, etc.).
  • Technologies and end products assessed could include:
    • Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and associated oils for energy production
    • Hydrothermal carbonization and associated hydrochar production
    • Gasification (including hydrothermal gasification) and associated syngas, ash, and biochar products
    • Pyrolysis and associated oil, syngas and biochar products
    • Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) and associated heat and phosphorus products End products from technologies not mentioned above may also be considered at the discretion of the research proposal team. 
• The end product evaluation should result in a detailed characterization of the respective products or by-products, including but not limited to solids, liquids, or gaseous products (e.g. syngas, biochar, py-liquid, biofuel, minerals, etc.)
• The project should also develop one or more tools to help utilities fully understand the costs and benefits associated with the end products, which will assist in selection of the most suitable technology for their needs. The design of these tools is also flexible. The key requirements are:
  • Usability by utilities across the WRF subscriber base, which encompass a broad range of:
    • Sizes, from very small (50,000 gallons per day) to very large (500 million gallons per day) installations
    • Existing solids processing and handling equipment (e.g., digestion, dewatering, storage, loadout)
    • Geography and climate (taking into account variables such as energy costs, proximity from potential product end-users, local costs and availability of traditional biosolids management techniques, and local state regulations such as prohibitions on land application or prohibitions on PFAS)
  • Helping utilities holistically assess and compare the identified end products based on at least the following criteria:
    • Quantification of GHG emissions from various uses of the end products
    • Identification of potential markets for end products or steps toward developing such markets
    • Identification of obstacles for product entry into specific potential markets
    • Development of a value proposition for the end products

Funding Information

• The maximum funding available from WRF for this project is $180,000. The applicant must contribute additional resources equivalent to at least 33% of the project award. For example, if an applicant requests $100,000 from WRF, an additional $33,000 or more must be contributed by the applicant. Acceptable forms of applicant contribution include cost share, applicant inkind, or third-party in-kind that comply with 2 CFR Part 200.306 cost sharing or matching. The applicant may elect to contribute more than 33% to the project, but the maximum WRF funding available remains fixed at $180,000.
• The anticipated period of performance for this project is 18 months from the contract start date.

Expected Deliverables

• Research report 
• One or more tools guides for utility users
• One or more conference presentations 
• One or more webcasts

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals will be accepted from both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, and consultants or other for-profit entities.
• WRF’s Board of Directors has established a Timeliness Policy that addresses researcher adherence to the project schedule. Researchers who are late on any ongoing WRF-sponsored studies without approved no-cost extensions are not eligible to be named participants in any proposals.

Evaluation Criteria

• The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:
  • Understanding the Problem and Responsiveness to RFP (maximum 20 points)
  • Technical and Scientific Merit (maximum 30 points)
  • Qualifications, Capabilities, and Management (maximum 15 points)
  • Communication Plan, Deliverables, and Applicability (maximum 20 points)
  • Budget and Schedule (maximum 15 points)

For more information, visit WRF.