Gas Technology Institute Collaborates with
AU Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts
In August of 2007, Auburn University’s Center for Bioenergy
and Bioproducts signed a research agreement with
Gas Technology Institute to conduct collaborative research
on the creation of liquid fuels using wood, energy crops
such as switchgrass (photo at right), and other agricultural byproducts.
Officials with Auburn and GTI, a leading technology
development organization serving the natural gas industry
and energy markets, say a key component will be the design
and construction on campus of a process research-scale
gasification and gas-to-liquids system.
“It will give Auburn faculty and students the ability to
study gasification of biomass into a gas rich in hydrogen
and carbon monoxide that can then be catalytically converted
into liquid fuels like diesel fuel, gasoline and aviation
fuel,” said Steve Taylor, center director.
The laboratory equipment, which uses thermochemical conversion techniques, will be a unique feature of Auburn’s
bioenergy and bioproducts research program and will distinguishit from those of other universities in the Southeast,which concentrate mainly on biochemical conversion approaches.
“We focus on the entire bioenergy and bioproduct system, which includes agricultural and forestry production, harvesting, transportation, processing, energy or fuel production and final product testing,” Taylor said. “The primary emphasis of the center is to find ways to convert a wide range of forest and agricultural biomass feedstocks into a variety of products that include liquid fuels, electrical power, heat, specialty chemicals and other bio-based products.”
GTI, a not-for-profit research-and-development organization with national scope, is headquartered in Des Plaines,
Ill., and has a branch office in Birmingham, Ala. The organization is dedicated to meeting the nation’s energy and environmental challenges by developing technology-based solutions for consumers, industry and government that are reliable, affordable, safe, and clean. In its 65-plus years ofoperation, GTI has trained more than 55,000 energy professionals, has been awarded more than 1,000 patents and has introduced into the marketplace nearly 500 products incorporating GTI-developed technology.
GTI’s gasification engineer Michael Onischak, seated left, and senior environmental engineer Bill Farthing review the AU/GTI research agreement. Standing, from left, are AU’s Christopher Roberts, Uthlaut Professor and chair, Chemical Engineering; Steve Taylor, director, Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts, and professor and head, Biosystems Engineering; and Larry Fillmer, executive director, Natural Resources Management &
Development Institute.