$140 Million Investment Aims to Revolutionize Energy-Intensive Industries Through Ultra-Efficient Processes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Friedman announced that the American Institute of Chemical Engineers will lead the tenth Manufacturing USA Institute to be stood up during the Obama Administration. This announcement represents a critical step in the Administration’s effort to double U.S. energy productivity by 2030. Acting Assistant Secretary Friedman announced the new institute at the U.S. Council on Competitiveness’ 2016 National Competitiveness Forum.

Leveraging up to $70 million in federal funding, subject to appropriations, and an additional $70 million in private cost-share commitments from over 130 partners, the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute will focus on developing breakthrough technologies to boost domestic energy productivity and energy efficiency by 20 percent in five years through manufacturing processes in industries such oil and gas, pulp and paper and various domestic chemical manufacturers.

Traditional chemical manufacturing relies on large-scale, energy-intensive processing. The new Institute will leverage approaches to modular chemical process intensification — like combining multiple, complex processes such as mixing, reaction, and separation into single steps — with the goal of improving energy productivity and efficiency, cutting operating costs, and reducing waste. In the chemical industry alone, these technologies have the potential to save more than $9 billion in process costs annually.

“Our investment in this cross-cutting technology is an investment in the future of U.S. manufacturing,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Friedman. “As we expand the Manufacturing USA network, we provide greater opportunities for businesses of all sizes to solve their toughest technology challenges and unleash major savings in energy-intensive sectors like oil and gas, pulp and paper-making and other industries.”

The RAPID Institute will serve as an American manufacturing leader convening companies, universities, industrial research organizations and national laboratories to focus on new technologies that maximize processes at the molecular level to save energy with every chemical reaction—adding up to big savings on the manufacturing floor. It is the fourth Energy Department-led institute in the multiagency network known as Manufacturing USA (also known as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation).

Collectively, the federal government’s commitment of more than $700 million to the ten awarded Manufacturing USA Institutes has been matched by more than $1.4 billion in non-federal investment from across industry, academia, and state governments. The institutes, each led by manufacturing experts renowned in their field, have attracted over 1,300 companies, universities, and non-profits as members of Manufacturing USA.

Industry partners: Local and State Organizations: Academic Partners and Research Institutions: Not for Profit and Independent Associations: Laboratories: 
  • Alloy Surfaces
  • Arkema
  • AspenTech
  • ATI Specialty Alloys
  • Automation Solutions
  • Avatar Sustainables
  • Ayers Group
  • BASF
  • BgtL
  • Biodico
  • Cantrell Capital
  • CB&I
  • Cermatec
  • CF Technologies
  • Compact Membrane Systems
  • Convergent Catalysis
  • Corning
  • Cummins
  • Domtar
  • Dow
  • Dow Water Solutions
  • DuPont
  • Earth Energy Renewables
  • Eastman Chemical
  • Easy Energy Systems
  • EcoCatalytic Technologies
  • Emerson Process Management
  • Enginuity Worldwide
  • Environmental & Fuel Research LLC
  • Environmental Engineering Solutions
  • ExxonMobil
  • Fluor
  • Franklin International
  • Full Cycle Bioplastics
  • FutureCeuticals
  • GE Water and Process Technologies
  • Greenway Energy
  • H Quest Vanguard
  • i3D MFG
  • Intellectual Assets
  • IntraMicron Inc.
  • Italmatch Chemicals
  • Kore Infrastructure
  • Lubrizol
  • Managed Technology Solutions Group
  • Matric
  • NatureWorks
  • NuScale Power
  • Onboard Dynamics
  • Pall Corp.
  • Paul Weaver Construction Equipment
  • Petron Scientech
  • Pioneer Tank & Vessel
  • Portland General Electric
  • Praxair
  • Process Systems Enterprise
  • Reliance Industries
  • RnD Consulting
  • Roeslein Alternative Energy
  • Saint Gobain NorPro
  • Secat Inc.
  • Shell
  • Sigma Innova
  • Solar Fuels & Chemicals
  • Solvay
  • Southern Company
  • Strategic Analysis
  • United Technologies Research Center
  • Vacuum Process Engineering
  • vanZoen
  • Waste Resource Recovery
  • Xcel Energy
  • Zaiput Flow
  • Zeachem
  • Zeton
  • Alabama Department of Commerce
  • Iowa Economic Development
  • Iowa Energy Center
  • State of Oregon
  • Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership
  • South Carolina Department of Commerce
  • South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership
  • Auburn University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Case Western University
  • Clemson University
  • Drexel University
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Iowa State University
  • Manhattan College
  • Michigan State University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • North Carolina State University
  • Oregon State University
  • Rutgers University
  • State University of New York
  • Texas A&M
  • Texas Tech University
  • University of Alabama
  • University of Arizona
  • University of California at Los Angeles
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Idaho
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Kentucky
  • University of Louisville
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of North Dakota
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of South Carolina
  • University of Southern California
  • University of Texas
  • University of Wyoming
  • Worchester Polytechnic Institute
  • West Virginia University.
  • American Chemistry Council
  • American Chemical Society
  • Agenda 2020
  • Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Institute
  • Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute
  • Gas Technology Institute
  • Glass Manufacturers Industry Council
  • Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation
  • National Society of Black Engineers
  • Research Triangle Institute
  • Society of Chemical Manufacturing and Affiliates
  • Southern Research Institute.
  • The Ames Laboratory
  • Idaho National Laboratory
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • National Energy Technology Laboratory
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Savannah River National Laboratory
  • The Forest Products Laboratory (U.S. Forest Service)
  • The National Risk Management Laboratory (EPA).