Biomass
Developing Florida’s Biomass Resources
FESC Biomass Expertise and ResourcesThe State of Florida produces more biomass than any other state in the U.S. (~7% of total). Given the state’s dependence on imported oil for transportation fuels and the value of transportation to our tourism industry, developing methods to convert this resource to fuels is important. The Consortium is pursuing microbial and gasification routes to produce this carbon-neutral fuel. In addition, algae production systems promise a direct route to fuel, along with its use for bioremediation of agricultural waste water and production of products from the residual biomass. A systems approach is being pursued to optimize water and land use, biomass harvesting and transport, and refining processes. The internationally recognized SUS researchers, the biomass production potential, and significant demonstrations projects provide promise to establish a leadership position by the SUS. |
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Core Faculty
Faculty | University | Expertise | Position/Department |
Ashvini Chauhan | FAMU | Algal Biofuels. Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology; Biodegradation | Associate Professor
Environmental Biotechnology Lab., Fredric Humphries Sc. Research Center |
Norman Munroe | FIU | Biomass gasification, PEM fuel cells and micro-fuel cell power sources, SOFC, coal gasification | Professor, Mechanical & Materials Engineering |
Brenton Greska | FSU | Solar-based alternative energy sources, advanced PEM fuel cells and advanced catalysis | Associate Director of the Energy & Sustainability Center |
Eqwu Eric Kalu | FSU | Materials synthesis for applications in sustainable energy generation | Professor, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering |
Juan Ordonez | FSU | Photobioreactors, thermal management, constructal theory, solar-thermal fuel cells, biomass, hybrid power generation | Professor, Mechanical Engineering |
Subramanian Ramakrishnan | FSU | Physics and chemistry of complex fluids as applied to biomass energy conversion | Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering |
Ali T-Raissi | UCF | Hydrogen production and storage, detection and sensing, solar fuels, biomass conversion | Director, Advanced Energy Research Division |
Nazim Muradov | UCF | Hydrogen production, fuel cells, sensors, biomass derived fuels, hydrocarbon processing | Research Professor, Florida Solar Energy Center |
Alan W. Hodges | UF | Economic analysis of biomass energy resource development | Extension Scientist, Food and Resource Economics |
Ann C. Wilkie | UF | Anaerobic biotechnology and biogas production from biomass and organic residues; Bioprospecting and cultivation of algae for biofuel production, nutrient recovery and wastewater remediation. | Research Professor, Soil and Water Science Department |
Bala Rathinasabapathi | UF | Metabolic engineering of plants for increased biomass yield | Professor, Horticultural Sciences |
Ed Phlips | UF | Biology, ecology, and management of algae and aquatic microorganisms | Professor, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
Fredy Altpeter | UF | Traditional plant breeding, genetic transformation technology, functional genomics toward genetically improved biomass grasses | Professor, Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology |
Gary Peter | UF | Tree breeding genetics of wood formation, improved utilization in biobased products, bioenergy, forest carbon sequestration | Professor, Forest Resources and Conservation |
Adegbola Adesogan | UF | Anaerobic fermentation of crops and grasses | Director, Feed The Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems |
Helena Hagelin-Weaver | UF | Heterogeneous catalysis, biomass, gasification, catalytic reactions that have environmental benefits | Associate Professor Dept. of Chemical Engineering |
Herbert A. Ingley | UF | Energy systems, HVAC, indoor air quality, CHP | Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering |
Jacob Chung | UF | Fluid mechanics, boiling heat transfer in micro-gravity, biomass gasification, Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis | Progress Energy Eminent Scholar Chair Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering |
James P. Cuda | UF | Biological control of invasive plants | Professor and Fulbright Scholar, Biological Weed Control |
Jon Stewart | UF | Biomass, lignin, interdisciplinary research in chemistry, biology and nanotechnology | Professor, Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering |
K.T. Shanmugam | UF | Bacterial anaerobic metabolism, dinitrogen fixation and production by fermentative bacteria and cyanobacteria, molybdate transport and regulation | Professor, Microbiology and Cell Science |
Lonnie Ingram | UF | Metabolic Engineering; Production of ethanol and value-added chemicals from biomass and renewable cellulosic waste | Emeritus Faculty, Microbiology and Cell Science |
Lynn Sollenberger | UF | Energy crops, soil carbon sequestration, alternative nitrogen sources | Professor, Agronomy Department |
Matias Kirst | UF | Discovery of genes, metabolic and regulatory networks that control variation in wood quality, growth and other important traits for the forestry and agronomic industry | Professor, Quantitative Genetics |
Pratap Pullammanappallil | UF | Process design, modeling, optimization, and control with applications in fuel production | Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering |
Spyros Svoronos | UF | Biological Wastewater Treatment, Particle Processing | Harry and Bertha Bernstein Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Chemical Engineering |
Stephen Miller | UF | Biomass to chemicals feedstock and polymers | Associate Professor, Chemistry |
Valérie Crécy-Lagard | UF | Microbial genetics | Professor, Microbiology and Cell Science |
Wendy Graham | UF | Subsurface flow and solute transport modeling; groundwater resources evaluation and remediation; evaluation of impacts of agricultural production on surface and groundwater quality; evaluation of impacts of climate variability and climate change on water resources ; stochastic modeling and data assimilation | Swisher Eminent Scholar and Director, UF Water Institute |
William Lear | UF | Semi-closed cycle gas turbine systems, Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, fuel cells, distributed energy, refrigeration | Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering |
Zhaohui (Julene) Tong | UF | Bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels , synthesis of biodegradable nanocomposite and value-added chemicals, analysis and characterization of lignocellulosic materials, chemical and bioprocess design, colloid and surface | Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering |
Donald Rockwood | UF | Generic Improvements of Eucalyptus Species | Professor Emeritus, Forest Resources and Conservation.
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Abdul Malik | USF | Analytical separations, sample preparation techniques, hyphenation of sample preparation and separation techniques | Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry |
Aydin Sunol | USF | Systems Engineering, Supercritical fluid technology, Green Engineering, Product and Process Design | Professor, Chemical Engineering |
Babu Joseph | USF | Biomass, gasification, Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis of Synthetic Liquid Fuels, corrosion, education | Professor, Chemical Engineering |
George P. Philippidis | USF | Cellulosic and algal biofuel and bioproduct technology development and commercialization; biomass-to-power commercial projects | Director, Associate Professor at the Patel College of Global Sustainability |
John Kuhn | USF | Biofuels, hydrogen generation and purification, and electrocatalysis, materials synthesis, characterization, separations, and sustainability | Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering |
Yogi Goswami | USF | Solar thermal, thermodynamics, heat transfer, HVAC, photovoltaics, hydrogen, fuel cells | Professor, Chemical Engineering, Director, Clean Energy Research Center |
Infrastructure, Facilities, and Other
- Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC); US – India partnership.
- Bench scale reactors for converting syngas to liquid fuels using Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis
- Catalyst Synthesis and characterization equipment. (Other facilities include GC/MS, FTIR, XPS for Characterization)
- Combustion Laboratory – TVC combustor
- Engine Testing – dynamometer and gas analyzer
- Steam Power Engine
- Biodiel Processor – 40 Gallons/day
- Engines – 2 Gasoline engines and 1 Diesel Engine
- Fully Equipped biochemical R&D laboratory focused on biomass conversion, algae technology, biofuels and bioproducts
- Indoor pilot laboratory for technology testing and demonstration
- Outdoor pilot facility for algae technology deployment
- Bio-based materials laboratory (800ft) includes homogenizer (for particle disrupting) Malvern Nanosizer (nanoparticles characterization), Agilent-HPSC systems equipped with RI and UV-detectors and also be functioned as GPC with GPC software add-ons and the columns (for biomass characterization and monomer sugar analysis, molecular weight measurements of biomass and biomaterials), High Temperature Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) with DSC (for thermal properties’ measurements of biomaterials)
- Physical Properties laboratories (800ft) includes assorted instruments and apparatus for measurement and determination of physical and rheological properties such a tensile strength, and flexural strength measurements of bio-based materials