| Overview |
Overview Bioprocessing research and development are driven by the need to increase the quantity and quality of energy products derived from biomass, and advanced materials are key for the development of more efficient and cost-effective separations. Although adsorption, electrochemical, and pressure-driven membrane processes are employed at the commercial scale, material innovation could provide superior selectivity, throughput, chemical stability, and fouling resistance.
Consortium researchers are to overcome the inherent limitations of separation materials by developing porous organic framework materials, which enable designed molecular assembly and engineered pore environments that are ideal for adsorbents and membranes. Consortium researchers are developing ionomer coatings, binders, and fibers to tune material composition, porosity, and micro/nanostructure depending on the target application. Additional efforts focus on stimuli-responsive polymeric materials, such as metallopolymers, which undergo changes in redox state in response to applied electric potential and enable selectivity for target compounds over impurities. Finally, Argonne’s Applied Materials Division is also home to the Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF), which develops economically viable processes for materials manufacturing at scale to promote commercialization of advanced materials and chemistries. |
| National Laboratory | Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) |
| Additional Information |
Bioprocesses and Reactive Separations Group at ANL Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) at ANL |