The latest pilot plant at Iowa State’s BioCentury Research Farm is a joint project with Chevron. University engineers are using the pilot plant to develop and demonstrate an advanced biorenewables technology called solvent liquefaction. The technology converts biomass such as quarter-inch wood chips into a bio-oil that can be processed into fuels or chemicals and a biochar that can enrich soils.
The project is supported by a four-year, $3.5 MM grant from the US Department of Energy’s Biomass Research and Development Initiative, obtained by Iowa State.
Image: Lysle Whitmer, Ryan Smith and Martin Haverly, left to right, led the development of a pilot plant as part of a joint biofuels project with Chevron. Photo courtesy of Iowa State University.
