Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

This proposal requests process reactors and an automated gas chromatograph (GC). A GC is an instrument that analyzes mixtures of gases or volatile compounds. The requested GC is very unusual because it has three columns and many sample ports, giving it the ability to analyze a very wide variety of gases and to take samples automatically from many different locations inside reaction vessels or other high pressure equipment such as a rectification column. A rectification column is a high pressure apparatus that uses carbon dioxide to separate organic compounds from a complex mixture. This unusual GC will be designed and produced as a one-off product through a collaboration between Queens University and Scion (the supplier). The equipment is essential and urgently needed to support the innovative research programs of five investigators. The research projects of these investigators involve the production and separation of organic compounds by catalysis and/or from biomass. (i) Characterization and quantification of biomass conversion products and intermediates from the conversion of biomass to bio-jet fuel and industrially important monomers; (ii) Characterization and evaluation of bio-oil extraction from biomass feedstocks (algae) through the use of liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide; (iii) Evaluation of supercritical rectification of bio-products derived from biomass, conversion to monomers, jet fuels and bio-oils, along with development of catalyst and reactant recycling procedures; (iv) Evaluation of uptake/conversion of CO2 through both biological and catalytic systems along with analysis of biogas samples. Critical to the success of these programs is the ability to accurately and quickly identify and quantify the products of the biomass conversion and separation techniques. A multiport scCO2 sampling GC is the most important analytical tool available in obtaining this information. Due to the nature and frequency of sampling associated with the research conducted by the co-applicants, a large number of samples requiring GC analysis are generated. However, we do not have access to equipment that will meet our current and future needs, which imposes a serious limitation to the progress of our research activities as rapid analyses of results are needed to assess performance and to modify the subsequent experimental phases. Hence, this can impact the overall quality of the work accomplished in these innovative research projects. We anticipate that 10-15 Highly Qualified Personnel per annum will benefit from the use of the requested process reactor systems and GC instrumentation.