Quicklinks

OU Research Team One of Four in the Nation Selected by DOE to Develop a Novel Biomass Conversion Process

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

10-21-13

CONTACT: Jana Smith, Director, Strategic Communications for R&D, (405) 325-1322, jana.smith@ou.edu

NORMAN – A 3-million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will allow a University of Oklahoma multi-disciplinary research team to develop a novel biomass conversion process to obtain a bio-oil compatible with refinery operations.

The OU-led team was one of four teams in the nation selected by DOE to move forward in the competition. Daniel Resasco, professor in the OU School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, and OU team members Richard Mallinson, Lance Lobban and Steven Crossley, will collaborate on the project with researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Pittsburgh.

“The challenge is to develop a commercially-viable bio-oil that is non-corrosive and can be refined in the United States,” says Resasco. “To be competitive in the marketplace, we have to have a bio-oil that is more cost effective. Right now, it is not.”

The approach proposed by OU provides significant improvement over existing commercial and previously proposed technologies. Existing processes have limitations that result in low-carbon yield or high-hydrogen consumption. A fundamental problem with these technologies is that the complex bio-oil presents different problems that cannot be solved with a single solution.

Resasco and his team have gained invaluable experience in this area through previous research and a grant from the DOE EPSCoR program, but the research focused mainly on the chemistry required to produce bio-oil. In the current grant, the chemistry will be applied in the development of a marketable product.

The project was funded by the DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Bioenergy Technology Office through its Carbon, Hydrogen and Separation Efficiencies in Bio-Oil Conversion Pathways program.

Tweets by @OUPublicAffairs

Recent News

OU Student Named Goldwater Scholar

NORMAN – University of Oklahoma honors student Matthew Peters has been named a 2018 Goldwater Scholar, placing OU in the top ranks of universities nationally with 53 Goldwater Scholars since the competition began in 1991. The prestigious scholarships are awarded on the basis of potential and intent to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering. Read more

OU to Hire Additional Clinical Psychologist

NORMAN—University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren announced Friday that adequate funding would be allocated to hire an additional psychologist at the University Counseling Center in order to further support mental health services for students and alleviate wait times. Read more

OU Radar Team Developing New Technologies for U.S. Navy Next-Generation Radar Systems

NORMAN –A University of Oklahoma Advanced Radar Research Center team is developing new antenna and related technologies for U.S. Navy next-generation radar systems with a two-year, $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research. The ARRC research and development program under way is designed to improve the agility and multi-functionality of radio frequency sensors and communication systems, while enabling future implementation on a variety of surfaces and platforms. Read more

OU Faculty Member Appointed Chair of International Astronomical Union Working Group

NORMAN –A University of Oklahoma professor, Steven Gullberg, has been appointed world chair for archeoastronomy by the International Astronomical Union. As chair, Gullberg will work with 31 nations to further the research and global advancement of archeoastronomy and astronomy in culture. Read more

OU Math Professors to Research Active Learning in Undergraduate Math Education

NORMAN –A University of Oklahoma mathematics professor, Milos Savic, has received a two-year, $93,298 grant from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities to help undergraduate students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees succeed in introductory math courses. Savic and team will use the grant to improve and assess a recently-developed active learning pre-calculus course taught to 1,000 OU students each year. Read more

Read Archived News Here