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| | Southwest Research Institute | Eloy Flores III |
Non-Profit
|
Sustainability
| Topic 2: Strategic Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemical Industry Through Biocatalysts | SwRI operates as an established, independent, not-for-profit R&D organization through single-client or multi-client contracts, task order contracts, and basic ordering agreements. We can effectively become your company’s off-site research and development department and work with your team as best fits the solicitation. In short, we can function as a prime, subcontractor, or team member, and we can participate in the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program and team with 8A set-aside contractors among other contract types. We offer a variety of contractual options for commercial and government clients.
Our current and past work alongside potential interests with respect to decarbonization include but are not limited to:
- Batch and continuous fermentations, purification, and separations
- Thermochemical upgrading of fermentation effluents and lignin conversion
- Process development scale-up and pilot plants for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentations
- Renewable and unconventional feedstock conversion to fuels and chemicals
- Holocellulose conversion to fuels and chemicals with integrated lignin refining to BTX moeities
- CO2 capture, sequestration, and reuse
- Utilization testing for most all product categories.
- Process development scale-up and pilot plants for fuel and chemical production technologies. Utilization testing for most/all product categories. This includes all the design services needed, certified welders, automation, and operators for the pilot plant.
We have experience in specialty chemical and fuel production from multiple feedstocks using enzymatic and microbial methods. In addition, we also offer process design and development, specialized analytical testing, pilot plant design, build/operation/training/safety HAZOP and more. Not all organizations can both create AND operate the new equipment.
If you have a process that requires integrated scaling-up or technological advancements through a productive collaboration, feel free to contact us: Eloy Flores at SwRI – eloy.flores@swri.org and 210-522-2547. |
| TX |
| | GE Research | Joanne Morello |
Large Business
|
Infrastructure
| Topic 2: Strategic opportunities for decarbonization of the chemicals industry through biocatalysts | GE Research (GER) is a world-renowned research center that develops energy technologies and is the innovation engine of GE. In coordination with GE Aerospace (GEA), the world-leading supplier of commercial and military aviation propulsion, GER is developing advanced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technologies as part of our commitment to sustainability and net-zero carbon aviation.
GER/GEA are specifically interested in developing technologies that achieve cost reduction and performance improvement in the production of SAF, including an interest in developing state of the art syngas conversion catalysts and processes. Current GER projects related to SAF include the development of a low cost and highly scalable solid-oxide electrolysis platform, and value-added uses for Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems such as butanol production from CO2 in microbial bioreactors (funded by ARPA-e).
GER works in multiple technology domains including materials and mechanical systems, thermosciences, digital science and engineering, electrical systems, biology and applied physics, and controls and optimization; and impactfully applies these across all GE products. GER is interested in expanding its teaming with other organizations and small and large business that have complementary capabilities to enable cost-effective SAF production at scale. Relevant capabilities include:
• Fuel combustion test cells with current and advanced sustainable fuel capability
• Deep understanding of jet engine technology, application, manufacturing, certification, and life-cycle operation
• Experience in imaging characterization (CT, MRI, Ultrasound), bioreactors and bioprocessing for bioproduct manufacturing
• Experience in machine learning and manufacturing automation in mechanics and design, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, materials, topology and shape optimization, and computer vision
• Probabilistic and uncertainty quantification expertise
• Development of new materials for point source carbon capture and DAC. Ability to test powders and structured supports under a variety of conditions for CO2 uptake efficiency. Ability to fabricate solid-oxide electrolysis systems.
• Development and maturation of new sensor technologies. Utilization of these sensors as part of new control approaches.
• Extensive analytical labs for characterizing organic and inorganic materials
• Designing/manufacturing coatings and surface technologies to improve chemical reactor efficiencies |
| NY |
| | GE Research | Joanne Morello |
Large Business
|
Infrastructure
| Topic 1: Overcoming Barriers to Syngas Conversion | GE Research (GER) is a world-renowned research center that develops energy technologies and is the innovation engine of GE. In coordination with GE Aerospace (GEA), the world-leading supplier of commercial and military aviation propulsion, GER is developing advanced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technologies as part of our commitment to sustainability and net-zero carbon aviation.
GER/GEA are specifically interested in developing technologies that achieve cost reduction and performance improvement in the production of SAF, including an interest in developing state of the art syngas conversion catalysts and processes. Current GER projects related to SAF include the development of a low cost and highly scalable solid-oxide electrolysis platform, and value-added uses for Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems such as butanol production from CO2 in microbial bioreactors (funded by ARPA-e).
GER works in multiple technology domains including materials and mechanical systems, thermosciences, digital science and engineering, electrical systems, biology and applied physics, and controls and optimization; and impactfully applies these across all GE products. GER is interested in expanding its teaming with other organizations and small and large business that have complementary capabilities to enable cost-effective SAF production at scale. Relevant capabilities include:
• Fuel combustion test cells with current and advanced sustainable fuel capability
• Deep understanding of jet engine technology, application, manufacturing, certification, and life-cycle operation
• Experience in imaging characterization (CT, MRI, Ultrasound), bioreactors and bioprocessing for bioproduct manufacturing
• Experience in machine learning and manufacturing automation in mechanics and design, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, materials, topology and shape optimization, and computer vision
• Probabilistic and uncertainty quantification expertise
• Development of new materials for point source carbon capture and DAC. Ability to test powders and structured supports under a variety of conditions for CO2 uptake efficiency. Ability to fabricate solid-oxide electrolysis systems.
• Development and maturation of new sensor technologies. Utilization of these sensors as part of new control approaches.
• Extensive analytical labs for characterizing organic and inorganic materials
• Designing/manufacturing coatings and surface technologies to improve chemical reactor efficiencies |
| NY |
| | Universal Fuel Technologies, Inc. | Denys Pchelintsev |
Small Business
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Biomass Processing
| | Our technology is capable of converting a range of various bio-derived feeds (e.g. any alcohol, many kinds of ethers, renewable naphthas, light olefins, etc.) into sustainable aviation fuels, aromatics, or renewable gasoline. We would be interested to cooperate with someone in developing a specific application of our technology to their unique feeds. |
| CA |
| | ReVolt Battery Technology Corporation | Jan Naidu |
Small Business
|
Infrastructure
| 2023 CONVERSION R&D FOA | Background: ReVolt is a Transit Tech software company based in the University of Houston's Innovation Center. We enable transit agencies transition, adopt and evaluate fleet electrification technologies via a SaaS platform designed for electric bus energy sizing and yard management.
Interests: Paired with its optional Charging-as-a-Service model, ReVolt's vehicle and charger agnostic approach allows transit agencies to handle all the details of charging an EV fleet, guaranteeing performance and dramatically reducing upfront capital expenditures. As fleets continue to work to meet sustainability goals, ReVolt’s digital twin solution is a cost effective and service-focused approach, reducing fuel costs by as much as 85 percent and making electrification easy for organizations of all sizes
Our capabilities include: Software development, digital twin development, Charger sizing, Fleet management, Bus scheduling, Fleet routing, Electric fleet simulation, Lithium ion battery degradation/ decay, Energy estimation for EV fleets, public transit. |
| TX |
| | Northeastern University | Prof. Benjamin Woolston |
Academic
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Integrated Biorefineries
| A Co-Culture Approach to Overcome Limitations in Syngas Fermentation | My lab's primary expertise is in metabolic engineering of acetogenic microbes for syngas fermentation, including genetic tool development, metabolic flux analysis, systems biology, metabolic modeling and anaerobic fermentation.
Gas fermentation using acetogenic bacteria has shown great potential for renewable bioproduct and biochemical production from CO2. However, the widespread adoption of this technology in industry is hindered by significant technological challenges: 1) As acetogenic bacteria are strict anaerobes, costly gas pre-treatment is required to remove trace O2 before fermentation. 2) Acetogens are energy-limited and can only produce low-margin compounds like acetate and ethanol at industrially relevant levels.
To overcome these challenges and target higher-value fuel molecules such as SAF, my lab has pioneered a novel syntrophic co-culture approach, in which gas fermentation and product formation are split between two different microbes in the same reactor using an untreated gas mixture containing oxygen. The acetogen converts CO, H2, and CO2 to acetate at high yield, while a partner aerobic organism is responsible for converting the acetate to a higher-value product, and for rapidly consuming the O2 in the reactor to establish the low-oxygen conditions necessary for acetogen growth/production. Modeling results suggest that an optimized aerobic/anaerobic syngas-fermenting co-culture could provide best-in-class yield and productivity metrics for a wide range of target compounds. Strong preliminary experimental data support the feasibility of the approach, and key IP has been filed (https://patents.google.com/patent/US20220403322A1/en).
We are now seeking teaming partners to help further develop, scale and deploy this co-culture technology. Particularly of interest would be partners with syngas fermentation scale-up and high-throughput fermentation screening capabilities, but all interested parties should contact b.woolston@northeastern.edu. I would also be interested to contribute my lab's expertise to other projects involving syngas fermentation. |
| MA |
| | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Paul Wolski |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
|
Biomass Processing
| Lignin Degrading Enzymes | I, as well as my colleagues at LBNL and the joint bioenergy institute, which comprises several national labs and universities, have extensive experience in producing, engineering, and assaying a variety of biomass degrading enzymes, including especially in the area of lignin. We have a lot of experience taking feedstocks all the way to fuels and also have a technoeconomics team that can assist in modeling the most commercially viable solutions for both individual and broad situations.
Please reach out for collaborations on this grant and others! |
| CA |
| | CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society | Chia-Wei Hsu |
Non-Profit
|
Sustainability
| Strategic opportunities for decarbonization of the chemicals industry through biocatalysts | CAS is a non-profit scientific information organization specializing in scientific information. We offer a comprehensive scientific knowledge base that includes more than 50,000 journals, 64 patent offices, and various other sources. Our team curates, connects, and analyzes this vast collection to provide valuable quantitative insights into the global scientific publication landscape. Based on the CAS Content Collection, our analysis offers researchers valuable quantitative analysis across various variables, such as time, research area, formulation, application, and chemical composition. With the amount of connected scientific data, expertise knowlege, and big data analysis skills, we are capable to survey the entire landscape of patented technologies in the areas of interest and identify the key players and most promising technologies. |
| OH |
| | LanzaTech | John Holladay |
Small Business
|
Integrated Biorefineries
| Gas fermentation and Separations | LanzaTech, Inc. is the world leader in developing carbon recycling technologies to convert gases containing carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) into ethanol and other products, providing industries an economical, sustainable, and flexible means of creating value from residues and off-gas through conversion into products. LanzaTech brings in-depth experience in gas conditioning, fermentation, alcohol recovery, and alcohol conversion. Its expertise includes reactor design, fermentation modelling, kinetic and economic process modelling, and development and application of process systems engineering tools for Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA). The team also brings experience in process scale up, commercial start-up, and multi-partner project management.
LanzaTech’s partners launched the world’s first commercial carbon refining plant in 2018 in China. Since then, LanzaTech’s partners have launched an additional two commercial plants operating in China, one in April 2021 and the other in September 2022. LanzaTech has numerous projects in construction, under development and in the pipeline globally. LanzaTech’s technology platform is designed to use a variety of waste feedstocks, from waste industrial gases to biomass residues and municipal solid waste. |
| IL |
| | University of Delaware | Dr. Dionisios (Dion) Vlachos |
Academic
|
Biomass Processing
| Topic 1 | Lignocellulose conversion to fuels, chemicals, and new products. Catalyst synthesis, characterization, evaluation. Electrified and intensified process development. Multiscale and AI modeling. Aqueous phase reforming of biomass. Electrified syngas technology development. |
| DE |
| | Corumat, Inc. | Michael Waggoner |
Small Business
|
Integrated Biorefineries
| Overcoming barrier to syngas conversion and also use of biocatalysts | We produce high performance packaging from polylactic acid, and have performed demonstrations of generating lactic acid from food waste. We have also made our products from PLA made from lactic acid, which was generated from post consumer food waste. We're seeking to be a commercialization/industrialization partner, and potential off-taker of materials and technologies once technologies are demonstrated.
We are working to generate pretreatment systems that create lactic acid from a variety of feedstocks. This lactic acid generation tends to only slightly decrease the generation of other biochemicals (by 10%) while creating equivalent economic value to generating biogas. This may enable more cost effective generation of biogas (by creating more economic value at a single site), or may drive the need for biocatalysts. We have 1 full and preliminary LCA indicating that the value chain we propose is highly carbon negative compared to alternative solutions for packaging and/or waste.
Our hope is to collaborate on research to enable the circular economy, and also to develop a viable value chain with additional credible industrial partners. We have performed pilots for a top-10 fast food chain and one of the world's largest private companies that are interested in waste-based, high performance packaging.
Ways we might work with labs:
1) A research group generates syngas from biogas made from food and/or cellulosic waste, and there may be an opportunity to generate lactic acid as a co-product. We can perform research to help generate lactic acid and also provide an economically viable path to utilize that lactic acid.
2) A research group has a biocatalyst that can produce lactic acid, or has a catalyst that could utilize most of a feedstock but not a portion that could then be used to generate lactic acid. We can perform research to help generate lactic acid and also provide an economically viable path to utilize that lactic acid. |
| WA |
| | University of Delaware | Dionisios (Dion) Vlachos |
Academic
|
Biomass Processing
| Topic 1 | Lignocellulose conversion to fuels, chemicals, and new products. Catalyst synthesis, characterization, evaluation. Electrified and intensified process development. Multiscale and AI modeling. Aqueous phase reforming of biomass. Electrified syngas technology development. |
| DE |
| | Southwest Research Institute | Eloy Flores III |
Non-Profit
|
Sustainability
| Topic 1: Overcoming Barriers to Syngas Conversion | SwRI operates as an established, independent, not-for-profit R&D organization through single-client or multi-client contracts, task order contracts, and basic ordering agreements. We can effectively become your company’s off-site research and development department and work with your team as best fits the solicitation. In short, we can function as a prime, subcontractor, or team member, and we can participate in the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program and team with 8A set-aside contractors among other contract types. We offer a variety of contractual options for commercial and government clients.
Our current and past work alongside potential interests with respect to Syngas Conversion include but are not limited to:
- Circulating/fixed fluidized bed reactors for efficient thermochemical conversions, pyrolysis, gasification and catalyst recycling.
- Catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, hydrodeoxygenation, selective hydrogenation and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for synfuel production with conditions of 3250 psig+ and 1500 °F+ with a 250 SCHF hydrogen flow.
- Pertinent separation and purification methods including scaled-up continuous distillations.
- Renewable and unconventional feedstock conversion to fuels and chemicals.
- Direct decarbonization, CO2 capture, sequestration, and reuse.
- Process development scale-up and pilot plants for fuel and chemical production technologies.
- Utilization testing for most/all product categories. This includes all the design services needed, certified welders, automation, and operators for the pilot plant.
We currently design, fabricate, and operate lab- and bench- to pilot-scale units for biofuel and SAF production from multiple feedstocks. In addition, we also offer process design/development, specialized analytical testing, pilot plant design, build/operation/training/safety HAZOP and more. Not all organizations can both create AND operate the new equipment.
If you have a process that requires integrated scaling-up or technological advancements through a productive collaboration, feel free to contact us: Eloy Flores at SwRI – eloy.flores@swri.org and 210-522-2547. |
| TX |
| | Shift Energy Holdings, Inc. | Adrian Tylim |
Small Business
|
Integrated Biorefineries
| | Shift Energy is a California based company with a international profile. The company’s core objective is to design, develop, finance, build and operate environmental infrastructure projects that replace landfills with biorefineries, i.e. renewable fuels production facilities using biomass and various forms of municipal waste as feedstock, significantly reducing methane gas emissions. The strategic plan is to integrate commercially proven technologies in a proprietary design that maximizes the production of sustainable transportation fuels through a new, advanced waste management standard for the industry, proving that “Zero Waste” is possible.
The versatility of Shift Energy’s biorefineries allows taking the full municipal waste stream produced and converting it into multiple renewable products. Fundamentally, our biorefineries will produce renewable, ultra-low sulfur, drop-in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) that comply with international ASTM standards, in addition to producing byproducts such as Green Hydrogen. Shift Energy’s technology design can be adapted at each location according to the local feedstock composition and availability, thus offering a solution to eliminate landfills that can be deployed across the globe.
Shift Energy’s first biorefinery, to be built in Maceio, Brazil, will process 2,000 tons/day of municipal waste and biomass to produce over 100 million liters of SAF per year. Significant excess electricity, renewable chemicals, and construction materials will be produced as byproducts. By design, the avoidance of emissions will generate carbon credits. With an initial focus on Latin America, our pipeline of projects includes a second project in Brazil, another in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a third in Colorado, all in early stage of development, all with similar size or larger than the Maceio biorefinery.
As an entrepreneur in the renewable energy field, I am very familiar with the need to continue to invest in environmentally friendly, clean technologies which are key contributors to the economy by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the health of communities around the world. We are interested in participating and assisting in advancing the market pathway for the technology solutions developed by U.S. labs, using our pipeline of projects as a platform to deploy these technologies. |
| CA |
| | CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society | Qiongqiong Angela Zhou |
Non-Profit
|
Sustainability
| Strategic opportunities for decarbonization of the chemicals industry through biocatalysts | CAS is a non-profit scientific information organization specializing in scientific information. We offer a comprehensive scientific knowledge base that includes more than 50,000 journals, 64 patent offices, and various other sources. Our team curates, connects, and analyzes this vast collection to provide valuable quantitative insights into the global scientific publication landscape. Based on the CAS Content Collection, our analysis offers researchers valuable quantitative analysis across various variables, such as time, research area, formulation, application, and chemical composition. We are capable to survey the entire landscape of patented technologies in the areas of interest and identify the key players and most promising technologies.
A few example reports can be found here:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsenergylett.1c02602
https://www.cas.org/resources/cas-insights/sustainability/bio-based-polymers-green-alternative-traditional-plastics
https://www.cas.org/resources/cas-insights/sustainability/carbon-capture
https://www.cas.org/resources/cas-insights/sustainability/hydrogen-fuel-insights-growing-market |
| OH |
| | Climate Impact Capital, LLC | Alexander Rozenfeld |
Small Business
|
Sustainability
| Novel Technology Integration | The Climate Impact Capital's innovation platform is based on a long-view investment and risk management philosophy. CIC incorporates a system dynamics approach to develop deep industry and company-level technology pathways and product category domains.
We focus on the intersection of long-term trends and emerging disruptions from climate change and the energy transition that will cause acute and chronic losses to companies, investors, and society. Many risks are not yet well understood as they are tied to underlying changes and pivot points that will occur in our financial, social, and environmental ecosystems.
CIC's process is beneficial for long-view investors, whether the aim is corporate profitability, value defense, national security, or capital growth as reducing environmental impact and creating resiliency is a fundamental aspect of our diligence and process design.
CIC has also contributed to multiple efforts to understand and deploy distributed energy resources to and create jobs within impacted and underrepresented communities.
We use system dynamics thinking to develop industry and company-level technology pathways and product category domains. These are the backbone upon which we evaluate technology, asset, social and regulatory risks to create structured investment options for technology acceleration.
Completing the process, we bring together business, non-profit, government, and technology (e.g. start-up company) stakeholders to create long-term financial and strategic resiliency, environmental impacts, and American business growth opportunities. |
| TX |
| | Old Dominion University | Sandeep Kumar |
Academic
|
Biomass Processing
| Biomass and Algae conversion | Biomass, Algae, Biosolids, and MSW conversion, Hydrothermal process. |
| VA |
| | Michigan State University | John R Dorgan |
Academic
|
Sustainability
| Strategic opportunities for decarbonization of the chemicals industry through biocatalysts | Expansive expertise and facilities for biomass processing and characterization expected from the #7th ranked US university in the agricultural sciences
(see: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/united-states/agricultural-sciences).
Deep expertise in sustainable cropping systems, plant genetic engineering, biomass conversion, and biorefinery integration enabled through leadership in the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (https://www.glbrc.org/). World class Biochemistry expertise in Genes and Regulation, Plant Biochemistry, Protein Structure, and Molecular Biophysics (https://bmb.natsci.msu.edu/).
Pilot scale facilities at the MSU Bioeconomy Institute (https://bioeconomy.msu.edu/) for both biochemical conversion (Lansing facility) and chemical conversion (Holland facility) of wide-ranging feedstocks. MSU BI has extensive experience in the development, optimization, scale-up, and production of bio-based processes and specialty chemicals. Leveraging MSU’s world-class facilities, our experts utilize a disciplined and effective process for technology derisking. World-class expertise in biochemical refining and materials science (https://www.chems.msu.edu/), packaging materials (https://www.canr.msu.edu/packaging/) and forest products (https://www.canr.msu.edu/for/)
Issued U.S. patents in enhanced methods for lignin extraction (USP 9,303,127 B2) and lignin-based polymer composites (USP 8,993,705 B2) |
| MI |
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