RTI International
October 17, 2012
BY RTI International
RTI International has begun construction on a new 3,000-square-foot energy technology development facility on RTI’s main campus in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
The facility will house a biomass pyrolysis reactor to further extend RTI’s biofuels research efforts. Using RTI’s technology, the goal is to produce a suitable pyrolysis oil from locally-available biomass resources, such as pine trees, that can be substituted for petroleum in existing oil refineries.
“The new facility will allow us to take the next step along the path to commercialization of this technology,” said Dave Dayton, biofuels director in RTI's Center for Energy Technology. “If we’re successful, this could be an important new industry for North Carolina. Commercialization of this technology will help the nation meet the renewable fuels standard targets and will support North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership.”
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The facility is designed to support $7.1 million of research sponsored by the U.S. DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and from the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy over the next three years.
RTI’s work in the new facility will focus on developing a process for the catalytic pyrolysis of biomass, supported by lab scale testing of catalysts and the design, construction and operation of a demonstration unit that produces pyrolysis oil from biomass materials such as woods chips. Once operational, the demonstration unit will process 1 ton a day of biomass to produce up to 60 gallons of pyrolysis oil per day in the new facility.
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A second, follow-on project is planned that will include integrated biofuels process development.
The first phase of facility development will include the construction of a metal building, with completion expected in December 2012. The second phase of construction will include installation of the biomass catalytic pyrolysis reactor, with completion expected in February 2013.
The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced up to $23 million in funding to support research and development (R&D) of domestic chemicals and fuels from biomass and waste resources.
The U.S. DOE has announced its intent to issue funding to support high-impact research and development (R&D) projects in two priority areas: sustainable propane and renewable chemicals and algal system cultivation and preprocessing.
Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., in August introduced the Renewable Chemicals Act, a bill that aims to create a tax credit to support the production of biobased chemicals.
The Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium, a consortium of the U.S. DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, has launched an effort that aims to gather community input on the development of new biomass processing facilities.
USDA on March 8 celebrated the second annual National Biobased Products Day, a celebration to raise public awareness of biobased products, their benefits and their contributions to the U.S. economy and rural communities.