The Biden Administration announced a plan to help decarbonize the industrial manufacturing sector through a new $6 billion investment it says will eventually help lower emissions while signaling a newfound demand in the “marketplace for clean products.”

As part of the government’s largest-ever investment into industrial decarbonization, manufacturers of things like concrete, cement, and steel that are known to be heavy polluters will be bolstered by support through the new Industrial Demonstrations Program, which in turn advances grants to early-stage projects in line with the administration’s broader 2050 carbon economy goals.

The White House says grants will cover up to half of the costs for qualifying projects. The funding was made possible as part of the new Inflation Reduction Act and previous Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Roughly one-third of all domestic carbon emissions come from the industries included in the decarbonization package, according to the Department of Energy (DOE), and so the goal is to help spur follow-on in addition to helping accelerate “deep decarbonization” in each at a critical time.

According to the agency, eligible processes and programs are ones that can:

• Achieve emissions reduction in high-emissions industrial materials production processes, including production processes for iron, steel, steel mill products, aluminum, cement, concrete, glass, pulp, paper, and industrial ceramics;
• Achieve emissions reduction in medium- and high-temperature heat generation;
• Achieve emissions reduction in chemical production processes, including by incorporating, if appropriate and practicable, principles, practices, and methodologies of sustainable chemistry and engineering;
• Leverage smart manufacturing technologies and principles, digital manufacturing technologies, and advanced data analytics to develop advanced technologies and practices in information, automation, monitoring, computation, sensing, modeling, and networking;
• Leverage the principles of sustainable manufacturing to minimize the potential negative environmental impacts of manufacturing while conserving energy and resources; and,
• Increase the energy efficiency of industrial processes.

The program will also help boost the manufacturing sector in corresponding areas. The DOE says concept submissions are due by April 21, 2023, with full applications due by August 4, 2023. Applicants are also required to submit a Community Benefits Plan. More information about the DOE's requirements can be found here.