The PI (Dr. Adhikari) plans to advance the state-of-the-art in biomass gasification and pyrolysis research and education by developing novel and efficient technologies for converting biomass into hydrocarbons. Within the next five years, the PI plans to: (1) achieve a leading role in the biomass gasification and pyrolysis community based on the research and education excellence in the area of thermochemical conversion of biomass, (ii) publish more than 15 peer-reviewed articles, and (iii) sustain more than $150,000/year in federal and industrial research support. Within the next ten years, the PI plans to (i) direct and sustain internationally recognized research and education program with impacts reaching far beyond the biomass pyrolysis and gasification community, (ii) publish more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, and (iii) have graduated multiple Ph.D. and MS students where they can utilize their expertise to make significant impact in biofuels community. Within a career, it is the PI’s plan to advance the knowledge in biomass pyrolysis and gasification to make it a sustainable biofuels production technique and enhance the scientific community by training a diverse group of Ph.D., MS and BS students in professional and sustainable practice of Biosystems Engineering.

The bioenergy laboratory (under Dr. Adhikari) is located in Donahue Laboratory (old Pesticide State Laboratory building) at Auburn University. This laboratory has ~2500 square feet. Within the department and the PI’s laboratory, following instruments are available for students for their research. Oxygen bomb calorimeter, drying oven, muffle furnace, automated particle size analyzer, pycnometer (for density measurement), thermogravimetric analyzer, CHNS/O analyzer, differential scanning calorimeter, pH meter, Karl-Fisher titrator, reheometer, Agilent gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS), Agilent 490 micro GC, SRI GC/TCD, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, Autosorb-iQ with TCD/TPR/TPO with Mass Spec, CDS pyroprobe, shimadzu high pressure liquid chromatograph (HPLC) with refractive index detector, hammer mill, knife mill and vibratory separator. Further, two HPLC systems with refractive index detector and photodiode array detector are available in a newly established the Center for Bioproducts and Bioenergy at Auburn University for the project investigators. The PI’s laboratory also has a high pressure Parr reactor (450 mL), an auger reactor (1 kg/h), and a bench-top fluidized-bed reactor (2 kg/h) for pyrolysis process.