PureVision Technology Announces Start-Up of New Biomass Reactor
March 13. 2009PureVision Technology, Inc., developer of a novel biomass utilization technology for producing fermentation sugars to manufacture biofuels and other biobased products, announced the start-up of their new ½-ton per day fractionation reactor.
The new equipment employs PureVision's patented process for fractionating or separating the components of biomass into usable product streams.
From 2004-2008, PureVision undertook cellulosic fractionation studies using a 100-pound/day-throughput process development unit reactor to demonstrate its cellulosic biomass fractionation technology.
PureVision ordered the primary components of a larger, 1,000-pound/day apparatus in mid-2008, which was delivered to the company headquarters last October.
The PureVision technical team has been assembling and retrofitting the new continuous fractionation pilot plant during the last four months and began shake down of various unit operations in February.
PureVision has been scaling up a new process for converting abundant biomass such as corn stalks and wood into fermentation sugars to produce bio-based products.
The PureVision approach uses biomass, contrasted with first generation biorefining technologies that utilize grain such as corn and wheat to produce biofuels.
Once biomass is fractionated in the PureVision process, each component becomes a raw material for manufacturing biofuels and biochemicals, fiber for paper products and pulps, and energy.
"We're ecstatic that our technical team has been able to achieve counterflow while reaching target pressures and temperatures during the first day of start-up," stated Ed Lehrburger, President and CEO of PureVision.
"We're now ready to begin processing biomass for clients and collaborators, with our next scale-up goal of finalizing the necessary design specifications for the 20-ton/day fractionation reactor to be deployed at a targeted site in 2010," he reported to PureVision shareholders at the 2009 annual meeting held via teleconference on Wednesday, March 4th.
The PureVision biomass fractionation technology efficiently converts cellulosic biomass such as corncobs and corn residues, other agricultural residues, woody biomass and energy crops into fiber, fermentation sugars, protein and energy.
The fiber can be converted into sugars that along with the hemicellulose-derived sugars can be converted into ethanol, butanol and other industrial biofuels and chemicals.
The lignin is a raw material for producing co-products and energy to provide steam and electricity to operate the biorefinery.
PureVision's patented technology continuously fractionates the primary constituents of cellulosic biomass in a single reactor within 5-10 minutes.
PureVision is working with strategic partners and clients to scale-up their biorefining technology for target applications and feedstocks, beginning with corn residues and wood.
To date, the private company has raised funds through federal and state grants, its shareholders and research contracts with private and public-sector clients.
For more information, contact PureVision Technology Inc. 303-857-4530 or by .
BioFuels Journal
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