Byproducts and biomass fuel new opportunities

Potato peelings in your fuel? Paper mill sludge in cosmetics? It might not be as far fetched as you think.

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working to transform low-value biomass such as corn fiber, mill feed and livestock waste into specialty chemicals, or high value bioproducts, such as plastics, fibers, adhesives and solvents. These bioproducts often can be made less expensively than the same products made from petroleum using processes that are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

Biomass refers to organic materials made by living things. Examples of biomass include food processing byproducts, farm residues and waste, and byproducts from the pulp and paper industry.

"Development of bio-based products has very real economic impacts," explained Theresa Bergsman, program manager at PNNL. "It can lead to new and more profitable markets for the agricultural industry, increase the value of low-value byproducts currently used for animal feed and turn wastes such as pulp mill sludge into assets like high-value chemicals, fuels and energy. Using a renewable feedstock can help reduce our nation's dependency on foreign oil."

PNNL has been conducting bio-based products research since the mid-1970s. The hallmark of PNNL's research has been novel catalytic processes that convert sugars and organic acids to higher value commodity and specialty chemicals. PNNL also is developing a specialized capability in fungal bioprocessing.

Now the Laboratory is pulling its suite of capabilities and technologies together under a new Bio-based Products Initiative to provide a more strategic focus to addressing these issues. "Our goal is to develop a portfolio of bio-based products technology and facilitate the commercialization of this technology," explains Bill Farris in PNNL's technology commercialization group. "We need to quickly move these innovative processes from the laboratory into the marketplace." Several collaborative partnerships already have been formed with organizations such as the National Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Pendleton Flour Mills and Mennel Milling.

In support of this endeavor, PNNL is looking to establish a Bioproducts Processing Laboratory. This multi-user facility will include a "biorefinery" test system; extensive analytical capabilities; and biological science, chemical processing science and engineering development laboratories. When established, the Bioproducts Processing Laboratory would be capable of swiftly turning scientific discoveries into commercial technologies.