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Description

PROPOSERS' DAY CONFERENCE

DARPA will host two Proposers' Day Conferences in support of the BAA08-07, BioFuels - Cellulosic and Algal Feedstocks (BioFuels) program on December 4, 2007 at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott in Los Angeles, California from 8:30am to 4:30pm, and on December 6, 2007 at the Washington Dulles Airport Marriott, Dulles, Virginia from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The purpose of these conferences is to provide information on the BioFuels - Cellulosic and Algal Feedstocks (BioFuels) program; promote additional discussion on this topic; address questions from potential proposers; and provide a forum for potential proposers to present their capabilities for teaming opportunities.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE AND DESCRIPTION: The objective of the BioFuels - Cellulosic and Algal Feedstocks (BioFuels) program is to develop affordable alternatives to petroleum-derived JP-8 from agricultural and aquacultural feedstock materials. This solicitation is focused on dramatically broadening the portfolio of feedstock materials suitable for the affordable and efficient production of alternatives to petroleum-derived JP-8.

The principal goal for this new capability is the demonstration of scaleable commercializable processes for the affordable (<$3/gallon) production of a JP-8 surrogate fuel. Proposers are encouraged to consider process paths that minimize the use of external energy sources, are adaptable to as wide as possible a range of feedstocks, and produce process by-products that have ancillary manufacturing or industrial value. It is anticipated that the key technology developments needed to obtain the program goal will result from a cross-disciplinary approach spanning the fields of process chemistry and engineering, materials engineering, biotechnology, and propulsion system engineering.

Key objective parameters include, but are not limited to two technical areas. Technical Area One: Technologies and Processes for the Conversion of Cellulosic Materials to Affordable JP-8 Surrogate. Cellulosic feedstock materials, comprised of cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin components, offer the potential of a widely available low cost feedstock material. Unlike the long-chain hydrocarbon molecules found in crop triglyceride oils, these materials feature a higher degree of contamination with non-convertible material, shorter chain lengths, and typically a higher degree of oxidation. Correspondingly, the challenge in this technical area is the development of highly efficient integrated processes that results in the target JP-8 product. (e.g. preprocess, hydrogenate, oligimerize, and isomerize the target biomolecules)

Technical Area Two: Processes for the Affordable Manufacture of Algal-Derived JP-8 Surrogate. Algae offer the potential of a significant volume feedstock with extremely large yields per acre and which can be fundamentally non-competitive with the production of feedstocks. The affordable production of JP-8 surrogate from algae crop stocks requires reducing the cost of algae triglyceride oil to the $1-2/gal level. Current large scale production of algae crops, however, is limited to product applications that support crop costs significantly greater than $20/gal. The key challenge in this area is the development of an integrated production system that combines advances in photo-bioreactor design, integrated closed-reactor and open-reactor concepts, algae nutrition management, cropstock selection, waste stream management, intermediate product extraction, and optimized conversion to JP-8.

Additional parameters will be listed in BAA08-07 and will be discussed at the Proposers' Day Conference.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Participants must register NLT November 27, 2007. Please send an email to BAA08-07@darpa.mil requesting a Proposers' Day registration form. Instructions for registering will be on the registration form. Directions to the facility and other materials will be sent via e-mail once the registration form has been received. There is no registration fee for attending this conference. Proposers' Day materials will be available on the BAA website.

Due to space limitations of the conference facility, attendance will be limited to the first 100 registrants, and no more than 3 representatives per organization. It is not necessary to attend both Proposers' Days as the agenda for both is identical. The Proposers' Day will be unclassified and open to the general public. All attendees will be required to present government issued photo identification upon entry to the event. Additionally, all US Citizens are required to submit a US Citizenship Verification form in order to attend this conference. Non-US citizens are required to submit a DARPA Form 60 "Foreign National Visit Request". The completed Citizenship Form or DARPA Form 60 must be faxed to: Amy Flynn, ManTech SRS Technologies, fax 703-741-7803, phone 703-351-7281, no later than November 27, 2007. The necessary document will be emailed, once the registration form has been received. Attendance is not required to propose to any associated BAA.

Additionally, attendees who would like to present company overviews, discuss their technology expertise, and/or discuss teaming opportunities in scheduled presentations at the conference may request to do so. Presentations may contain 2 slides and are limited to five (5) minutes each (including logistical issues). Proposers desiring to reserve a time to present at the Proposers' Day Conference should contact Amy Flynn at BAA08-07@darpa.mil or 703-351-7281 as soon as possible, but no later than 4:00pm EST, November 26, 2007.

All material to be displayed at the conference must be approved in advance by both the funding organization and the DARPA Program Manager. The DARPA Program Manager will review and approve in advance any presentations to ensure there is no material that is subject to the Department of State's International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). It is the presenter's responsibility to ensure that all material they plan to present at the Proposers' Day Conference has been approved by the funding organization in advance. An electronic copy of all material to be presented must be provided to the DARPA Program Manager for review by November 26, 2007. There will be no exceptions to this requirement.

Point of Contact

Douglas Kirkpatrick, Program Manager, STO,
Phone 703-696-4762, Fax 703-516-8788,
Email Douglas.Kirkpatrick@darpa.mil