Catalyxx awarded by the National Corn Growers Association
3 de November de 2021
Catalyxx, Inc. has been chosen as one of the recipients of a funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enhance access to high-performance biofuels. The DOE has identified three projects, including Catalyxx, Inc., which will utilize the computational capabilities of the DOE’s National Laboratories to tackle key technical challenges in bioenergy production.
In collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Catalyxx, Inc., based in Chesterfield, Missouri, aims to optimize the conversion of ethanol to high alcohols by determining the ideal reaction conditions for scaling up their process. By leveraging the expertise of the Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC), a group of National Laboratory researchers specializing in bioenergy research, Catalyxx, Inc. plans to incorporate high-performance computing to streamline the conversion process and reactor design, ultimately reducing costs and time.
Two other projects were also awarded Directed Funding Opportunity (DFO) grants. Forest Concepts, LLC, located in Auburn, Washington, will collaborate with Idaho National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to model the behavior of various biomass types during Forest Concepts’ preprocessing technologies, as well as analyze the downstream conversion effects. Meanwhile, Pyran, LLC from Madison, Wisconsin, will work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop predictive models for their 1,5-pentanediol production process to facilitate scale-up efforts.
Each of the selected projects will receive assistance from the National Laboratories, ranging from $300,000 to $500,000, and they have committed to a 20% cost-share contribution. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreements between the laboratory consortia and industry and academic partners enable these advancements.
The Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC), sponsored by the DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, plays a vital role in integrating experimental and computational capabilities to overcome real-world challenges in renewable energy technologies. It consists of prominent research institutions such as Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The CCPC also provides support to the Feedstocks Conversion Interface Consortium and is an integral part of the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium.