The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Archer Daniels Midland Company a $24.8 million grant to develop and construct a facility that will convert biomass into renewable fuel. One of 19 biofuel projects to receive Department of Energy funding, the ADM Advanced Biorefinery project will produce fuel ethanol and ethyl acrylate, a compound used to make plastics, adhesives, coatings and a range of other materials. The technology used to begin breaking down the biomass—a step called pretreatment—will also be applicable in ADM's ongoing efforts to commercialize biocrude, a renewable product that can be refined into drop-in transportation fuels at existing petroleum refineries.