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Collaborative agreements
Licensing/Patents
Facilities
Interaction with outside partners is key to moving biomass
technologies into the marketplace and the U.S. economy. There are a variety of
ways to get involved with NREL's biomass research activities:
- Work collaboratively with NREL through Cooperative Research and Development
Agreements (CRADAs) — This is the most widely used means of industrial collaboration.
- Participate in subcontracted biomass research — More than half of NREL's
budget goes to support DOE-directed research conducted by large and small private
companies, universities, research institutes, and consultants.
- Pay NREL to conduct research without your collaboration through Work for Others
(WFOs) or Sponsored Research, such as Analytical Services Agreements
(ASAs) — This is an effective way for industry to take advantage of the National
Bioenergy Center's expertise and unique research facilities.
In addition, NREL's patented biomass technologies are
available for commercialization and NREL's world-class biomass facilities
are available to industrial and university researchers. The Laboratory may provide trained
staff to conduct or direct the work, or activities can be performed entirely by the
participating organization's staff.
A number of NREL's biomass technologies have been patented and are available for licensing. Patents of likely particular interest include:
Thermotolerant Enzymes and Gene Encoding for Endoglucanase
5,712,142, 5,536,655, 5,432,075, 5,366,884, 5,275,944, 5,110,735
Photoconversion of Combustible Organic Materials into Single-Cell Protein
5,250,427
Gene that Encodes Acetyl-Coenzyme A Carboxylase from Cyclotella Cryptica
5,661,017, 5,559,220
Recombinant Zymomonas for Pentose Fermentation
6,566,107, 5,843,760, 5,726,053, 5,712,133, 5,514,583
Chemical Recycling of Plastics
5,821,553, 5,464,602, 5,386,070, 5,359,061, 5,359,099, 5,321,174, 5,300,704, 5,216,149
Recent patents include:
Method for Predicting Dry Mechanical Properties from Wet Wood and Standing Trees
A method for determining the dry mechanical strength for a green wood comprising: illuminating
a surface of the wood to be determined with light between 350-2,500 nm, the wood having a green
moisture content; analyzing the surface using a spectrometric method, the method generating a
first spectral data, and using a multivariate analysis to predict the dry mechanical strength
of green wood when dry by comparing the first spectral data with a calibration model, the
calibration model comprising a second spectrometric method of spectral data obtained from a
reference wood having a green moisture content, the second spectral data correlated with a
known mechanical strength analytical result obtained from a reference wood when dried and
having a dry moisture content. (U.S. Patent Number 6,606,568, August 12, 2003)
Method of Predicting Mechanical Properties of Decayed Wood
A method for determining the mechanical properties of decayed wood that has been exposed
to wood decay microorganisms, comprising: a) illuminating a surface of decayed wood that
has been exposed to wood decay microorganisms with wavelengths from visible and near
infrared (VIS-NIR) spectra; b) analyzing the surface of the decayed wood using a spectrometric
method, the method generating a first spectral data of wavelengths in VIS-NIR spectra region;
and c) using a multivariate analysis to predict mechanical properties of decayed wood by comparing
the first spectral data with a calibration model, the calibration model comprising a second
spectrometric method of spectral data of wavelengths in VIS-NIR spectra obtained from a reference
decay wood, the second spectral data being correlated with a known mechanical property analytical
result obtained from the reference decayed wood. (U.S. Patent Number 6,593,572, July 15, 2003)
Use of a Region of the Visible and Near Infrared Spectrum to Predict Mechanical
Properties of Wet Wood and Standing Trees
In a method for determining the dry mechanical strength for a green wood, the improvement comprising:
(a) illuminating a surface of the wood to be determined with a reduced range of wavelengths in the
VIS-NIR spectra 400 to 1150 nm, said wood having a green moisture content; (b) analyzing the surface
of the wood using a spectrometric method, the method generating a first spectral data of a reduced
range of wavelengths in VIS-NIR spectra; and (c) using a multivariate analysis technique to predict
the mechanical strength of green wood when dry by comparing the first spectral data with a calibration
model, the calibration model comprising a second spectrometric method of spectral data of a reduced
range of wavelengths in VIS-NIR spectra obtained from a reference wood having a green moisture content,
the second spectral being correlated with a known mechanical strength analytical result obtained from
the reference wood when dried and a having a dry moisture content. (U.S. Patent 6,525,319, February,
2003)
NREL, through the support of the U.S. Department of Energy, has extensive
state-of-the-art facilities for conducting biomass research, including user's facilities
for converting renewable feedstocks into a variety of products, including transportation
fuels, high-value chemicals, and electricity. These facilities, the Alternative Fuels Users Facility (AFUF) and the Thermochemical Users Facility (TCUF), can be used to test a client's
feedstock, process, or equipment and can help to reduce the time from the lab to the
marketplace for novel biomass technologies. Government agencies, universities, and a variety
of industries have taken advantage of the flexibility offered by these facilities to
evaluate and validate their process options.
The Alternative Fuels User Facility (AFUF) houses the Bioethanol Pilot Plant (PDF 355 KB), Download Acrobat Reader, a 743 m2
(8,000 ft2) facility that was designed to test bioprocessing technologies for
the production of ethanol, other fuels, and chemicals from cellulosic biomass. The
Bioethanol Pilot Plant includes five components:
- Process development unit (PDU)
The PDU is an integrated pilot plant for converting biomass to ethanol at a rate of 900 kg
(1 ton) per day of dry biomass. Unit operations include feedstock washing and milling,
pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, distillation, and solid-liquid
separation.
- Bioprocessing Pilot Plant (PDF 404 KB)
The fermentation, separation, and other sections of the PDU are also available for
collaborative research on conversion of sugars rather than cellulosic-based
feedstocks.
- Steam gun pretreatment laboratory
A batch 4-liter steam gun reactor uses high pressure and temperature for dilute acid
pretreatment. It is easy to explore a wide range of reaction conditions with the steam
gun system.
- Continuous chromatography system
This system uses commercially available ion exchange resins to remove acetic acid and
other fermentation inhibitors from liquid streams produced during biomass pretreatment
or hydrolysis.
- Countercurrent continuous hydrolysis pilot system (PDF 7.83 MB), (Download Acrobat Reader)
This patented reactor technology uses dilute acid and high temperature to achieve either
pretreatment or cellulose hydrolysis while minimizing sugar degradation.
- Fermentation mini-pilot unit (PDF 6.27 MB), (Download Acrobat Reader)
This unit offers aerobic or anaerobic batch, fed-batch, and continuous enzymatic hydrolysis and
fermentation processing with a flexible system consisting of several vessels ranging from
10 to 100 liters.
The state-of-the-art Thermochemical User's Facility (TCUF) (PDF 927 KB) consists
of several complementary unit operations that can be configured in various arrangements to accommodate the
testing and development of various reactors, filters, catalysts, and other unit operations. The
TCUF offers clients the capability to test new processes and feedstocks in a timely and cost-effective manner,
and to quickly and safely obtain extensive performance data on their processes or equipment.
- Thermochemical Process Development Unit (TCPDU)
The heart of the TCUF is a 0.5 ton-per-day ThermoChemical Process Development Unit (TCPDU),
which can be operated in either a pyrolysis or gasification mode. The main unit operations
in the TCPDU include loss-in-weight, rotary valve feeding system;8-inch diameter fluidized bed reactor;
1.5-inch diameter by 100 feet tubular catalytic tar cracking reactor; two cyclones in series; hot gas
baghouse filter; and wet scrubber system. A variety of particulate removal, secondary catalytic conversion
and condensation equipment are also available.
- Catalytic Synthesis Unit
A two-inch diameter, high-temperature fluidized bed reactor is another important operation in the TCUF.
Besides being a stand-alone operation for conducting catalyst studies, it is frequently used to upgrade
a slip stream from the TCPDU to produce high-value fuels and chemicals. Depending on research needs,
this reactor can be used for catalytic modification of pyrolysis vapors, raw syngas conditioning,
and catalytic synthesis.
- Generator Test Cell (GTC)
The TCUF's generator test cell (GTC) allows researchers to investigate and develop strategies to
overcome the challenges associated with integrating biomass gasifiers with power generation equipment.
The GTC uses clean syngas from the TCPDU to produce power in a variety of configurations.
The TCUF facility and laboratories are unique in that they have the capability to analyze
products on-line over a wide spectrum of chemical compositions. A collection of dedicated analytical instruments
has been assembled and connected to the process with special sampling methods. The analytical equipment used
throughout the TCUF include:
- Molecular beam mass spectrometer (MBMS)
- Three gas chromatographs (GC)
- Eight non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors
- Thermal conductivity detector (TCD)
- Paramagnetic O2 sensor
- Residual gas analyzer (RGA)
The TCUF's analytical capability can also be taken on the road to provide
on-line sampling at a customer's site.
Past Collaborations
- Food Products Industry
- Forest Products Industry
- Chemical & Petroleum Refining Industries
- Transportation Fuels Industry
- Biotechnology Industries
- Other DOE Laboratories
- US Department of Agriculture
- EPA and Other Federal Agencies
- Academic and Research Community
- State and Local Governments
Contact Us
Please contact us if you would like to explore collaboration opportunities
with NREL's Biomass Program.
John Ashworth (303) 384-6858
Steve Gorin (303) 384-6216
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