American Science and Technology establishes new partnership to generate chemicals from lignin

CHICAGO - July 8, 2014 - PRLog -- American Science and Technology (AST), has teamed up with the University Of Washington School Of Environmental Sciences, to develop methods to generate jet-fuel molecules and chemicals from lignin produced by AST.

Dr. Fernando Resende is leading a team of researchers and scientists at the University Of Washington School Of Environmental Sciences to study a process called hydropyrolysis, which uses hydrogen and a catalyst to generate aviation fuels and chemicals from lignin.

The partnership with the University Of Washington School Of Environmental Sciences is one of a series of collaborations that AST is involved in, with the aim to better utilize AST’s lignin to increase the profitability of AST’s organosolv process.

AST currently owns and operates an integrated pilot biorefinery plant in Wausau, WI, capable of processing up to 200 pounds of lignocellulosic biomass per day. As a result of its ongoing collaboration with the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (UWSP), AST and UWSP were awarded approximately $2.8 million in November of 2013, as part of a $22.5 million initiative by the University of Wisconsin System institutions, to scale up AST’s current facilities to process 2 tons of lignocellulosic biomass per day. The new scaled-up bio-refinery pilot plant will come on-line in 2105.

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