This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a new class of engineered zeolite catalysts for the petrochemical and refining industry. A looming reformulated gasoline boom is driving the development of solid-acid catalysts routes to alkylates. The intent is to… More

60108 The United States is the largest producer of refined petroleum products in the world, with 25 percent of global production and 163 operating refineries. U.S. refineries are also the largest energy consumers in manufacturing and spend $4-$6 billion annually in pollution abatement costs.… More

60108 The United States is the largest producer of refined petroleum products in the world, with 25 percent of global production and 163 operating refineries. U.S. refineries are also the largest energy consumers in manufacturing and spend $4-$6 billion annually in pollution abatement costs.… More

70092 Selective oxidations of hydrocarbons are particularly challenging due to exothermicity, flammability hazards, complex chemistry, and contacting issues. Environmental and economic factors are increasing the need for higher oxygenate selectivity and improved reactor productivity, as well… More

70071 High-octane alkylate, a major blending component of reformulated gasoline, is currently made using liquid acid catalysts. For nearly three decades, major oil companies have been active in developing solid acid catalysts as an alternative to the hazardous liquid acids. Although some… More

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project aims to develop a step-out technology for paraffin alkylation to produce high-octane clean gasoline. Conventional alkylation processes require large volumes of corrosive liquid acids, which can inflict serious injury via skin contact or… More

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project aims to develop a step-out technology for paraffin alkylation to produce high-octane clean gasoline. Conventional alkylation processes require large volumes of corrosive liquid acids, which can inflict serious injury via skin contact or… More

72039S03-I Converting natural gas to liquids will enable the economic development of stranded gas reserves, which are estimated at more than 4,000 trillion cubic feet and account for about 80% of all known gas reserves worldwide. The initial gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies, implemented in the… More

72039-Converting natural gas to liquids will enable the economic development of stranded gas reserves, which are estimated at more than 4,000 trillion cubic feet and account for about 80% of all known gas reserves worldwide. Initial gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies, implemented in the 1980s and… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a novel solid acid catalyst for paraffin alkylation in an effort to provide refiners with a cost-effective alternative for producing clean fuels without the need for corrosive liquid acids. A new family of multifunctional… More

75270-Steam methane reforming (SMR), the predominant commercial route for producing hydrogen, is a capital-intensive process ¿ capital charges represent 35-45% of product cost. In order to achieve the significant cost reductions required for the transition to a ¿hydrogen economy,¿ a meaningful… More

78794B The U.S. styrene industry (styrene and derivatives) is currently valued at $28 billion with over 6 million metric tons being consumed annually in the US. Current production routes involving dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene are energy intensive, requiring over 3 metric tons of steam per metric… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a practical, cost-effective solid-acid catalyst alkylation technology, which will be an economically viable replacement for current alkylation processes, which use toxic liquid acids such as HF and H2SO4. The new… More

Styrene is an important monomer used in a variety of plastic products. In terms of monomer production, styrene ranks fourth in the U.S. behind ethylene, vinyl chloride, and propylene. However, styrene plants use dramatically more energy compared to the production of other petrochemicals. This… More

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes a new process to revamp idled catalytic distillation-based MTBE plants to make alkylate (a clean, high-octane gasoline additive) from field butanes. Phase I of this SBIR project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of the new process… More

The removal of MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) from many gasoline blends necessitates the increased use of other high-octane components. Alkylate represents a clean high-quality alternative; however, alkylate is produced using hazardous and increasingly expensive liquid acid catalysts. A safe,… More

Hydrogen peroxide is fast becoming the oxidant, bleach, disinfectant, and biocide of choice for treating aqueous waste streams. It is a powerful oxidizer, stronger than chlorine and chlorine dioxide, and as it decomposes into only oxygen and water, it avoids many of the toxicity and persistence… More

According to the National Biodiesel Board, 86 commercial biodiesel plants currently operate in the US, with an equal number of new plants either under construction or undergoing expansion. Total US production capacity is expected to be almost 2 billion gallons per year once the current projects are… More

The phase-out of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) from the US gasoline pool has created an excess supply of isobutylene. Substituting ethanol for MTBE also has resulted in a rise in the vapor pressure of gasoline blends and has increased the need for high-octane, low vapor pressure blendstocks. … More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research provides a clean and efficient route to bio-gasoline made from cellulosic materials. This technology will reduce dependence on foreign oil and decrease net carbon emissions by converting unused agricultural wastes and grasses to… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will dramatically improve the economics of biodiesel production by efficiently converting the unrefined glycerol byproduct into a useful chemical, such as hydrogen. Biodiesel is a viable and rapidly growing addition to the nation's… More

This SBIR project proposes a new approach to making liquid fuels from cellulosic biomass sources (a Biomass-to-Liquids or "BTL" process) that would significantly reduce the cost and complexity of production. The project uses innovative chemistry and reactor designs to enhance efficiency,… More

The production of biodiesel around the world is increasing at an astonishing pace. In the U.S., total annual production capacity is expected to be almost 2 billion gallons by the end of 2008. At this production rate, over 660,000 metric tons of glycerol will be produced as a by-product each year… More

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to develop a breakthrough chemical process to convert cellulosic biomass into alcohols that can be easily blended into gasoline. This project addresses the urgent need for biomass conversion technologies that can efficiently produce motor… More

A pressing need exists for the development of technologies to produce all types of transportation fuels from renewable sources. This project will create a complete, sustainable, and cost-effective technology that converts algal-oil-derived biodiesel into jet fuel. The proposed approach goes far… More

A pressing need exists for the development alternatives to crude oil as a feedstock for producing transportation fuels such as gasoline. This project aims to create a complete, sustainable, and cost-effective catalytic technology that converts unused lignocellulosic biomass to BioGasoline. The… More

This SBIR project seeks to develop a new chemical process that will convert non-food biomass, such as agricultural or forest waste, into an environmentally friendly and sustainable replacement for gasoline. This effort will reduce the US's dependence on imported oil and decrease net carbon… More

The US has abundant coal resources, but their use is constrained by excessive carbon emissions and inefficient technologies to convert them into more useful liquid transportation fuels. Co-gasification of coal and biomass is considered as a potential solution to these problems, providing a new fuel… More

The U.S. has abundant biomass resources and with the right technology, has the potential to convert these renewable resources into valuable industrial products and bio-fuels. However, current high temperature thermochemical processes to convert renewable feedstocks to fuels or chemicals such as… More

This SBIR Phase I project addresses the long-standing need for catalytic methods to selectively oxidize light paraffins, especially methane, to commodity alcohols like methanol using air. The goal is to create a complete, sustainable, and cost-effective technology that converts abundant, low-quality… More

This SBIR Phase II project addresses the pressing need to develop technologies to produce all types of transportation fuels from renewable sources. Specifically, the goal of this project is to create a complete, sustainable, and cost-effective technology that converts algae into conventional jet… More

The recycling of CO2, primarily from flue gas, into useful materials is a major technological step towards stemming the damaging effects of burning fossil fuels. However, upgrading CO2 requires a significant input of energy, either directly through heating or indirectly by reacting it with a… More

Natural gas is a vital domestic natural resource whose recoverable reserves have been growing rapidly in recent years. As a result, natural gas costs have diverged from oil, making American chemical manufactures using natural gas as feedstock highly competitive. However, the uses for methane, the… More

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established a minimum usage volume for renewable fuels. First-generation biofuels, predominately corn-derived ethanol, served to meet the initial goals of the program. Ethanol consumption in the US reached 10.6 billion gallons last year. Ethanol has many benefits as a… More

Extensive work on developing new, high yield biologic sources of triglycerides continues around the world in an effort to diversify the worlds energy sources. Triglycerides, such as vegetable and algal oils, naturally consist of long hydrocarbon chains, making them excellent starting points for… More