Biofuels Pilot Plant Processing Research

Biofuels and Biomass processing research and development, using pilot plant technologies.

Intertek PARC has extensive experience and capabilities in working with biofuel and biomass feedstocks to help clients improve and enhance biofuel yields and quality.

Biomass fuel feedstocks include jatropha oil, soybean, rapeseed, algae and other materials. Chemically, biomass consists of five basic groups; cellulose, hemi-cellulose, lignin, extractives and ash, in various concentrations depending on its source. Extractives include fatty acid and triacylglycerides. Biomass can be classified into macro-crops and micro-crops. Macro-crops, which include peanut, olive, soybean, rapeseed, and jatropha, typically grow slowly over periods of months. Micro-crops which include algae, grow quickly over periods of weeks. Both macro and micro crops serve as sources of triacylglycerides, but their yields per acre are substantially different. To recover the triacylglycerides from the crops, the oilseeds or the algae walls have to be destroyed. The triacylglycerides consist of carboxylic acid esters of glycerol, and their composition depends on the oil source. Animal fats, such as chicken fat, are also composed of these triacylglycerides.  Biomass can now be processed to produce biofuels. 

Contact Intertek PARC for more information on how the Pilot Plant complex can provide process, research and development support for your biofuel or biomass production optimization project.

Contact us to see how Intertek can help your organization with Biofuels Pilot Plant Processing Research.