Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility
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.
In addition to the facility itself, NREL's world-renowned expert staff works with IBRF partners at every stage of process development, from exploratory process R&D through to pilot-scale process runs.
Capabilities
- Versatility in handling a wide range of biomass feedstocks and pretreatment processes
- Ability to accommodate and incorporate equipment from partners or third-parties into end-to-end process integration and evaluation tests
- High-quality process performance data generation supported by automated data acquisition and process control systems along with world-class chemical analysis
- Expertise to integrate multiple technologies for pilot-scale testing and process validation
- Experience developing intellectual property and helping industrial partners commercialize technologies.
Testing Facilities and Laboratories
Biochemical Conversion Pilot Plant
The IBRF's 27,000-ft2, high-bay biochemical conversion pilot plant accommodates bench-to-pilot-scale processes for converting cellulosic biomass into a variety of fuels and chemicals at process throughputs of up to one ton of dry biomass per day.
Compositional Analysis Laboratories
Experienced analytical chemists and chemical technicians staff the IBRF's compositional analysis labs. In addition to producing comprehensive biomass analysis results and standard biomass laboratory procedures, they can also customize analytical methods for new sample types.
Fuel Testing Laboratories
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, and environmental sustainability attributes of commercial-scale production.
Facility and Laboratory Equipment
The IBRF features the following testing systems and lab equipment:
Dynamic impregnator reactor system
Continuous horizontal screw-type reactors
Tangential flow membrane filtration system
Contact
For contacts, see Work With Us.
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