Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering (AC‐PABE)

Established within Auburn University’s Department of Chemical Engineering in 1985, the Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering (AC-PABE) facilitates research programs aligned with the pulp and paper industry’s evolving research and development agenda and educates the next generation of impactful leaders.

Focused on industry research needs, the center offers a complete, controlled-condition wet-test laboratory for chemically and physically evaluating pulp, paper, and biomass, with an emphasis on advanced manufacturing technologies and value-added byproducts. Research and development activities are driven by two primary goals: achieving the highest possible sustained value from the nation’s forest-based biomass and delivering superior technical service to the paper industry.

Dedicated to providing a highly skilled training and academic program for future engineers, the center offers nationally and internationally recognized curricular and experiential education to both undergraduate and graduate students.

AC-PABE is driven to meet the growing and changing needs of the pulp and paper industry and is actively seeking to build strong public-private partnerships through the Auburn Pulp & Paper Foundation (APPF).

• Since 2017, AC-PABE has led or partnered on 31 grants totaling more than $40 million.

• Undergraduate specializations are offered for students majoring in chemical, electrical, biosystems, industrial and systems, and mechanical engineering.

• Ninety-five undergraduate students were enrolled in the specialization and awarded Auburn Pulp & Paper Foundation (APPF) scholarships for the 2024–25 academic year.

• A pulp and paper graduate certificate is available both online and in person.

• Graduate students and faculty benefit from a multidisciplinary research environment.

• The center offers approximately 5,000 square feet of laboratory space equipped with state-of-the-art M/K laboratory digesters, chip screening systems, lab-scale pulpers, lab-scale bleaching equipment, Valley beaters, PFI mills, and standard handsheet-making and testing capabilities, including mechanical, optical, surface, and barrier property analysis.