Biorenewables Development Centre
About us
The Biorenewables Development Centre is an open access research, development, and demonstration centre dedicated to unlocking the full potential of biobased materials and connecting research with real-world impact.
Products & services
Raw materials characterisation
It is often necessary to determine the physical and chemical properties of the raw bio-based materials used in a specific project at the start of the work. This typically involves specific technologies that focus on particular properties, such as the range of chemical elements in a source of biomass or the amount of water present. We have a range of capabilities to look at different feedstock properties including various types of chromatography, water analysis, oxidative stability, nucleic acid analysis and microscopy. Using these technologies allows a detailed profile of physical and chemical properties to be generated that then determines the next steps in processing a particular type of bio-based raw material.
System development
Processing biomass to generate or purify specific products normally requires the development of some form of biological, chemical or physical system. This can be a genetically modified microbe, a conventional processor or a novel technology system. We have the facilities to allow businesses and other organisations to develop new technological systems in partnership with our technical teams. This includes state-of-the-art molecular biology and microbiology facilities as well as a Flexi Hall that provides access to plug and play utilities including steam, compressed air, vacuum and a range of water grades. Our open-access facilities mean that a broad range of physical and chemical processing technologies can be developed in collaboration with our customers to accelerate innovation development.
Pre-processing
To get the most out of your biorenewable materials, it is often necessary to prepare them for further use. This is especially the case with biomass (incl. waste), as these often have high water content and are bulky. We have a dedicated range of pre-processing equipment to be able to help from start to finish with your biomass – including drying, milling, pelletising and oil pressing. At our facilities, we have the equipment to dry large volumes of plant material, hull seeds, press the oil from seeds, mill both wet and dry materials to a range of sizes and produce pellets. Beyond this, we also have the capability for pre-processing biomass via enzymatic processing. All our systems are typically in the 1-100 litre/1-100kg range and use technologies that are available at commercial scale and therefore pre-processing carried out in our facility can easily be carried forward into full manufacturing.
Processing
Our processing equipment allows you to transition from laboratory to pilot-scale testing, and has been selected to offer sufficiently large scale to enable our customers to evaluate innovative new processes in terms of downstream commercial decisions. Biorefining often involves a range of processing stages and we have a broad range of processing capabilities to evaluate different technological options.
Downstream processing
The development of innovative bio-based products often requires a downstream processing stage, typically to separate out the chemical of interest. Following development at ‘bench-scale’ this often needs to be assessed at pilot scale – normally in the 1 – 100 litre or 1 – 100kg scale. We have a range of downstream processing technologies including various centrifuges, liquid-liquid separators, distillation instruments and filtration systems. Additional warehouse space can also be made available for larger tonne scale activities where business specific downstream processing capabilities can be set up and demonstrated as a route to investment into commercial scale plant.
Product evaluation
In the development of novel bio-based products, there is a requirement to evaluate performance of a range of physical, chemical and biological parameters to assess how the new product behaves in different environments. We have a range of capabilities including Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Assessment to allow this evaluation to be performed. WE also have benchtop NMR to rapidly assess the properties of bio-based oils, chromatography to assess the chemical properties of products and shelf-life assessment protocols to look at product stability.
Desk-based support
Before making changes in a business, it is useful to see what has already been done in the area so as to not reinvent the wheel. This allows a more targeted approach to the challenge at hand. That is where our desk-based studies can come into play: with access to the latest scientific publications, patents, market analyses and over 100 scientists in the fields of chemistry and biology at the University of York, we are well placed to explore what options are available to you.