The Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) leverages National Laboratory expertise at several process development units (PDUs), field testing laboratories, and user research facilities for testing, evaluation, and scale-up of new technologies. These capabilities include:
- Testing and evaluation of processes and technologies
- Thermochemical process development
- Hydrothermal processing methods.
Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL’s) Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit (ABPDU) enables collaborations to optimize and scale technologies for the commercialization of bio-based chemicals, materials, and fuels.
ABPDU capabilities include:
- Pretreatment and extraction/catalysis at high pressures
- Saccharification and extraction/catalysis at ambient pressure
- Fermentation and biocatalysis
- Advanced recovery and purification
- Analytical chemistry
- Materials handling/solids characterization.
Learn more about LBNL’s Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit.
Biomass Feedstock National User Facility
Located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Biomass Feedstock National User Facility (BFNUF) offers technology and expertise to overcome biomass challenges during design, scale up, and integration of biomass preprocessing facilities. BFNUF researchers specialize in:
- Biomass supply and logistics
- Analysis and sustainability
- Biomass feedstock preprocessing
- Feedstock characterization.
BFNUF capabilities include the PDU, a modular, fully integrated, full-size biomass preprocessing system for design and scale-up of bioenergy facilities. The PDU offers:
- Toll processing
- Piloting
- Third-party equipment testing
- Preprocessing research and development.
Learn more about INL’s Biomass Feedstock National User Facility.
Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility (IBRF) enables researchers and industry partners to develop, test, evaluate, and demonstrate processes and technologies for the production of bio-based products and fuels.
Advanced biofuels produced in the IBRF can be tested and analyzed in NREL's fuel testing laboratories. Process performance data generated in the IBRF can be incorporated into techno-economic and life cycle analysis models to estimate:
- Market feasibility
- Cost sensitivities
- Environmental sustainability attributes of commercial-scale production.
Learn more about NREL’s Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility.
Thermal and Catalytic Process Development Unit
The Thermal and Catalytic Process Development Unit (TCPDU) at NREL has state-of-the-art equipment for thermochemical process development and testing, ranging from catalyst and feedstock characterizations to bench-scale reactors to pilot plants.
The TCPDU can be configured for fast pyrolysis, catalytic pyrolysis, or biomass gasification. Online analytical capabilities include:
- Molecular beam mass spectrometry
- Gas chromatography
- Thermal conductivity detection
- Nondispersive infrared.
Partners can use the TCPDU to test catalysts or bring in their own unit operations to attach to the TCPDU to test their technologies.
Learn more about NREL’s Thermal and Catalytic Process Development Unit.
Hydrothermal Process Development Units
Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) utilize hydrothermal liquefaction methods to convert wet waste feedstocks into biofuels. The following three complementary PDU systems are available to industry to use while accessing PNNL’s expertise:
- Modular hydrothermal liquefaction system
- Catalytic hydrothermal gasification PDU systems
- Upgrading PDU systems.
Learn more about PNNL’s hydrothermal process development units.
Contact
For more information, contact the FCIC.
Other FCIC Research and Capabilities
Learn about all of FCIC’s research areas and capabilities/facilities.