Single-step catalytic pyrolysis process for stable bio-oil
This technology converts plant-based biomass directly into usable pyrolysis oil using a special reactor that contains multiple catalysts with different sizes and densities mixed together in a fluidized bed. By entraining biomass in an inert gas and exposing it to this catalytic mixture at pyrolysis temperatures, the process breaks down organic material into specific desired fuel products in vapor or gas form. The key innovation is that the multi-catalyst setup allows for selective conversion — producing a targeted slate of outputs without requiring expensive and complex post-processing separation steps. The result is a more streamlined, lower-cost pathway from raw biomass to bio-oil or fuel-grade hydrocarbons.
What you could build
A licensed reactor design or process package for bio-oil production facilities, sold to biofuel producers, waste-to-energy plant operators, or agricultural waste processors seeking a drop-in pathway to renewable fuel feedstocks.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based agricultural operations, forestry enterprises, or waste-to-energy developers seeking to monetize biomass byproducts would be natural prospects; Dominion Energy's renewable fuel initiatives are also a plausible connection.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Foster A. AGBLEVOR, Nii Ofei Mante
- Granted
- March 17, 2015
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 8979955
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.