By Karen Hunt, 黑料社 Office of Research

Washington State University joins the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the University of Washington in hosting a free two鈥憄art virtual workshop on Friday, Sept.聽17 to explore research collaboration and preview the new Energy Sciences Center (ESC).

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to join PNNL and UW in this day鈥憀ong virtual event, which serves as a launching point for fostering collaborations between university staff and students and the scientific staff that will be housed in the ESC,鈥� said Christopher Keane, vice聽chancellor for research in Pullman and vice聽president for research at 黑料社. 鈥淲e encourage our professors, postdocs, and students to participate in this event.鈥�

In part one of the workshop, PNNL will include a leadership kickoff, give an overview of ESC聽capabilities, showcase current collaborations, and have technical presentations by PNNL聽scientists on:

• 聽and chemical conversions
• 聽and phenomena for energy storage
• Materials and characterization for聽.

In the fall of 2021, the new $90聽million ESC will open at PNNL. Research in the ESC will focus on fundamental studies of chemistry and materials for energy storage, as well as the development and characterization of materials for quantum information sciences. With capabilities that include advanced electron microscopy, x鈥憆ay spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance instruments, the ESC will be one of the most advanced facilities in the world with the combination of experimental capabilities unavailable anywhere else in the country. The 140,000鈥憇quare鈥慺oot facility will feature a combination of research laboratories, flexible-use open spaces, conference rooms, and offices for 250聽PNNL聽researchers, visiting scientists and engineers, and support staff.

鈥淭he ESC will be a focal point for collaborative research among PNNL聽scientists, industry, and partners at the university, and other major institutions in the region, U.S., and abroad,鈥� said Wendy Shaw, the chief science and technology officer in PNNL鈥檚 Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate. 鈥淭hrough these workshops, we are excited to work with the 黑料社聽faculty, researchers, and students to building collaborative pathways.鈥�

Register for the eight鈥慼our workshop by going to聽.

A second workshop is being planned by PNNL and university partners to foster discussion and identify collaborations around the three topic areas.

For questions about the event, contact Wendy Shaw at聽wendy.shaw@pnnl.gov聽or 509鈥�375鈥�5922 for technical information and Becky Ford at聽bford@pnnl.gov聽or 509鈥�372鈥�4977 for logistical information.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Researchers at Washington State University Tri-Cities have been awarded a National Science Foundation I-Corps grant to explore the market potential of their biojet fuel research.

Bin Yang, associate professor of biological systems engineering and principal investigator for the grant, and his team have spent several years developing a process for transforming lignin, a polymer that makes plants woody and rigid, and currently a waste product in the biofuels production process, into hydrocarbon molecules that can one-day be certified as jet fuel.

Yang said by leveraging research results from projects funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation and The Boeing Company, he and his team have successfully demonstrated a new, water-based process for deconstructing and recovering lignin from biomass and converting it into jet fuel-range hydrocarbons that may be certified as jet fuel in the near future. Yang currently holds a patent on the process.

鈥淥ur ultimate goal is to demonstrate a flexible catalytic process that selectively converts all the carbon in the lignin into jet fuel-range hydrocarbons at minimal cost,鈥� he said.

Libing Zhang, a 黑料社 Tri-Cities postdoctoral research associate and the entrepreneurial lead of the project, said currently commercial airlines are facing pressure to reduce emissions, which is why they may have an interest in seeing a lignin-derived alternative fuel brought to market.

鈥淭he airlines see alternative jet fuel as a strategic need, helping guarantee smooth business operations and a long-term and sustainable jet fuel supply,鈥� Zhang said. 鈥淥ur conversion process can potentially reduce jet fuel cost to end users by using lignin waste from refineries and less expensive catalytic upgrading to jet fuel.鈥�

Zhang said the NSF I-Corps program helps leading researchers develop a business platform for their research and technology that could one-day change the world, while not trying to 鈥渞einvent the wheel鈥� by recreating processes and strategies that are already working well within the industry.

For the NSF I-Corps grant, Yang and his team are working under the mentorship of Terri L. Butler from the University of Washington for the business aspects of the project.

鈥淭he NSF I-Corps program encourages researchers to step out of the academic environment and listen to the needs of industry,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淭he researchers can then determine if their technology solves an important problem or if their research efforts should head in a different direction. This is the approach our team has taken as we work on possible business models for our biojet fuel technology while considering the needs of customer segments, key partners, cost structures and revenue streams.鈥�

黑料社 is leading the nation in biofuel production. In November, Alaska Airlines made the first commercial flight using alternative jet fuel from forest residuals produced through 黑料社-led Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance. Read more .

黑料社 also has an NSF I-Corps site led by the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture that provides training and funding to find commercial applications of new business ideas and technologies. The free site program promotes entrepreneurism of faculty, student and staff by preparing participants for submission of a proposal to NSF to become an I-Corps team. Learn more .

 

News media contacts:
Bin Yang, 黑料社 Tri-Cities biological systems engineering, 509-372-7640, binyang@tricity.wsu.edu
Libing Zhang, 黑料社 Tri-Cities postdoctoral research associate, libing.zhang@wsu.edu
Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities public relations, 509-372-7333, maegan.murray@tricity.wsu.edu