Brazil to Acquire Equipment for Biomass Pretreatment Research

By CnAgri2012-08-16 20:05:20 Print

AdvanceBio Systems, LLC, Milford, Ohio, announced that CTBE, the Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory in Campinas, SP, selected AdvanceBio Systems' SuPR2G Laboratory Scale Pretreatment Reactor to conduct basic research and development work related to the production of fermentable sugars, biofuels and chemicals from lignocellulose rich biomass feedstocks.

"CTBE and AdvanceBio Systems intend to collaborate in CTBE's R&D effort, not only in pretreatment, but also with other interrelated technologies. The equipment will be used for research, development and demonstration of technology related to the production of biomass-based fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic feedstocks in our Pilot Plant for Process Development (PPDP)," said Carlos Eduardo Vaz Rossell, industrial program director - CTBE.

The SuPR2G reactor will incorporate AdvanceBio Systems' latest developments, including the "zero hold-up discharger," capable of operating in either slurry or pneumatic product removal modes. Core technologies integrated into the unit being purchased by CTBE were most recently demonstrated in reactor systems delivered to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Penn State University.

Years of research by groups developing next-generation cellulose hydrolyzing enzymes, xylose fermenting organisms and biomass crops have reinforced that pretreatment is a core process. The AdvanceBio Systems' business model, based upon decades of experience in the renewable fuels industry, resulted in the development of equipment designs and fabrication techniques focused on supplying scalable yet cost-effective biomass pretreatment reactor equipment. The SuPR2G system is designed to hydrolyze a range of agricultural feedstocks such as sugarcane, bagasse, corn stover and switchgrass. The skid-mounted package system includes an integrated PLC with a touch-screen HMI and capabilities of Ethernet connection to existing data acquisition systems.

"By partnering with CTBE, we are contributing to the development of technology to produce cellulosic ethanol from sugarcane biomass and increasing the bioethanol yield from sugarcane in excess of 30-40%," said Dale Monceaux, a principal of AdvanceBio Systems.