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| | Biosimo Inc. | Maximilian Moser | CTO |
Small Business
|
Bioenergy
| Ethanol-to-Chemicals via heterogeneously catalyzed oxidation | Biosimo converts bioethanol into acetic acid and acetyl chemicals - acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, and vinyl acetate monomer - using a proprietary heterogeneous catalyst in a standard continuous fixed-bed reactor. The route substitutes for methanol carbonylation, which supplies over 95% of global acetic acid and depends on concentrated, import-exposed feedstock chains. Domestic corn ethanol becomes a direct input to an $87B platform of downstream chemicals used in paints, packaging, textiles, and adhesives - a segment less than 3% bio-based today.
Technical status: >98% conversion and >95% selectivity, no catalyst regeneration cycles required. Four ethanol feedstocks from three countries qualified. The process runs on commercially established unit operations - fixed-bed reaction, distillation, extraction.
Under ASPECT, Biosimo will advance the catalyst from validated bench operation to pre-pilot demonstration on US feedstock. We are prepared to lead an application and are open to joining another team as the catalyst and process technology provider.
Partners sought:
- National laboratories and university catalysis groups: catalyst characterization, deactivation and lifetime studies, kinetics, reactor modeling
- Pre-pilot and testbed facilities: continuous fixed-bed campaigns from kg/day to t/yr scale, with product separation and purification
- Corn ethanol producers: feedstock supply, integration studies, host sites for co-located conversion units
- Catalyst manufacturers: formulation scale-up and commercial-grade production
- Engineering, TEA and LCA groups: process design, cost modeling, life-cycle analysis
- Chemical producers and end users: product qualification and offtake
Biosimo brings catalyst and process IP, reaction and process engineering, catalyst supply for partner testing, an established industrial customer pipeline, and a founding team with experience in catalysis research and industrial continuous-process operations. |
| TX |
| | GTI Energy | Tekle Fida | R&D Manager |
Non-Profit
|
Bioenergy
| Topic area 1a and 1b | Dr. Fida is a research leader at GTI Energy with expertise spanning anaerobic digestion, biomass conversion, microbial biotechnology, synthetic biology, molecular biology, metabolic engineering, bioprocess development, and bioenergy. His background integrates microbiology, microalgae, bioprocess engineering, and renewable energy systems to develop sustainable pathways for converting organic wastes, biomass-derived intermediates, and single-carbon molecules into high-value bioproducts, renewable fuels, and bio-based chemicals. Dr. Fida is particularly interested in the microbial and microalgal-based technologies and upgrading of single-carbon compounds, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane-derived streams, and other C1 feedstocks, into value-added products through engineered biological platforms and integrated bioprocesses. At GTI Energy, he contributes capabilities in technology development, laboratory and bench-scale evaluation, process integration, carbon utilization, anaerobic and aerobic bioconversion, and partnerships that connect biological conversion technologies with GTI Energy’s broader expertise in gasification of diverse biomass feedstocks for renewable energy production. He seeks collaborations with universities, national laboratories, technology developers, industrial partners, and bioproduct companies interested in advancing scalable microbial, algal, and thermochemical-biological routes for carbon-efficient production of fuels, chemicals, materials, and other high-value products. |
| IL |
| | National Laboratory of the Rockies | Matthew Yung | Group Manager |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
|
Bioenergy
| | Background:
National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) has extensive capabilities in catalytic process development, carbon utilization, advanced materials, reactor engineering, process scale-up, and systems analysis. NLR researchers work across the technology-development continuum, from catalyst and materials discovery through bench- and pilot-scale testing, integrated process development, process modeling, and techno-economic analysis (TEA). Particular strengths include heterogeneous catalysis, carbon dioxide and methane conversion, biomass- and waste-derived feedstock upgrading, and the production of fuels, chemicals, and high-value solid carbon products such as graphite.
Interest:
NLR is interested in partnering with industry, universities, national laboratories, and technology developers to advance alternative and waste feedstocks into domestically produced chemicals, materials, and fuels. Areas of particular interest include catalytic conversion to foundational and intermediate chemicals; production and upgrading of solid carbon products, including battery-relevant graphite; electrified and intensified chemical processing; photocatalytic conversion; and technologies that can be advanced from laboratory validation toward commercially relevant operation.
Capabilities:
NLR capabilities include catalyst synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation; fixed-bed and flow-reactor testing; photocatalytic and thermocatalytic conversion; induction-heated catalytic reactors; carbon-material production and upgrading; kinetic studies; reactor and process modeling; process integration; and scale-up under industrially relevant conditions. NLR also has expertise in testing with realistic and variable feedstocks to identify impurity, durability, heat- and mass-transfer, and operability challenges that may not be evident at laboratory scale. These experimental capabilities are complemented by process simulation, TEA, and systems-level analysis to identify technical performance targets, cost drivers, scale-up bottlenecks, and commercialization pathways. NLR is particularly interested in collaborations that integrate catalyst and process innovation with scale-up and economic analysis to accelerate promising technologies toward deployment. |
| CO |
| | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory | Thom Hersbach | Associate Staff Scientist |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| (Topic Area 1) X-ray monitoring of operating electrolyzers | The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), a Directorate of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), is an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by Stanford University. SSRL's extremely bright X-rays are a resource for researchers to study our world at the atomic and molecular level, leading to major advances in energy production, environmental remediation, nanotechnology, new materials, biology and medicine.
Recently, SSRL has developed capabilities to look inside electrolyzers while they are operating under industrially relevant conditions. Using these X-ray methods, we can dynamically monitor catalyst behavior to address both basic and applied science challenges. Basic-science insights include mapping catalyst adsorbate coverages, probing alloying and doping effects, and untangling reaction mechanisms. Applied insights comprise real-time tracking of MEA flooding, catalyst responses to accelerated stress testing and dynamic operation, and the effects of feedstock contaminants. We pair these X-ray based insights with an extensive suite of complementary online techniques such as GC, MS and HPLC, as well as having access to pre- and post-mortem analyses including SEM, TEM, XRD, and ICP-MS.
Using these methods, SSRL can help overcome a range of scaling barriers by tracking MEA behavior in response to realistic operating conditions and stressors. Topics of special interest include dynamic operation, stress testing and feedstock composition, but our team welcomes collaborations on other challenges that can be addressed by real-time X-ray-based methods.
Examples of our capabilities can be found at doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.1c02468 (material degradation), doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123046 (adsorbate tracking), doi.org/10.1039/d6ee03447k (electrolyzer design and testing). |
| CA |
| | University of Minnesota | Suo Yang | Associate Professor |
Academic
|
Bioenergy
| Topic Area 1: Bench ASPECT | Background:
Dr. Suo Yang is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Computational Reactive Flow & Energy Lab (CRFEL) at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. CRFEL specializes in high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multi-scale reacting transport modeling, finite-rate chemical kinetics, and non-equilibrium plasma chemistry. The lab has extensive experience modeling complex multi-phase reactive systems, biomass thermo-chemical conversion, real-fluid thermodynamics under elevated/supercritical pressures, and advanced reacting flow diagnostics, leveraging high-performance computing (HPC) and GPU acceleration.
Interest:
CRFEL seeks academic, national laboratory, and industrial partners for Topic Area 1 (Bench ASPECT — 1a and 1b). Our interest lies in providing high-fidelity computational modeling, detailed kinetic mechanism reduction, and reactor digital twin to accelerate the conversion of alternative and bio-based feedstocks into valuable foundational molecules and bio-advantaged chemicals. We aim to partner with experimental and technology leads developing thermochemical, plasma-assisted, or catalytic pathways for waste biomass, plastics, carbon oxides, and municipal solid waste.
Capabilities:
(1) Feedstock Conversion CFD: High-fidelity DNS, LES, and RANS modeling of complex vapor-liquid, gas-particle, and multiphase reacting flows for thermochemical and bioenergy conversion processes.
(2) Detailed Kinetics & Reaction Pathway Analysis: Kinetic mechanism development, automated reduction, global reaction pathway analysis (GPA), and finite-rate chemistry integration for bio-advantaged and conventional chemical synthesis routes.
(3) Plasma-Assisted Feedstock Processing: Coupled non-equilibrium plasma-chemistry-fluid dynamics modeling (e.g., nanosecond pulsed discharges, gliding arc) for low-temperature or electrified feedstock conversion.
(4) Real-Fluid Thermodynamics: GPU-accelerated calculation of real-fluid thermo-physical properties, phase equilibrium (VLE/LLE), and transport phenomena under extreme process conditions.
(5) Reactor Scale-Up & Digital Twins: Multi-physics modeling to guide bench-scale optimization, identify mass/heat transfer bottlenecks, and de-risk unit operations prior to pre-piloting. |
| MN |
| | Alkcon Corporation | Lauren Scott | CEO |
Small Business
|
Bioenergy
| | Alkcon Corporation has developed a proprietary gas plasma conversion process for the production of ethane, propane (biopropane or bioLPG) and butane(s) from methane (biomethane or biogas). Our interests include the development and commercialization of novel reactor designs and high voltage pulsed power delivery systems for non-thermal (corona, DBD, nanosecond pulse, etc.) plasma chemistry applications, as well as on-purpose production of chemicals and fuels via thermal-catalytic pathways, at a demonstration, modular or industrial scale. |
| FL |
| | C&O PROJECTS LLC | MARCO CARRASCO | PROJECT MANAGER - CEO |
Individual
|
Bioenergy
| Critical Minerals Processing, Pilot Testing, Process Scale-Up, and Techno-Economic Assessment | C&O Projects LLC is a U.S.-based engineering and technical advisory company with experience in mining, critical minerals, mineral processing, cement, and industrial projects. Our background combines laboratory and pilot-scale testing, process development and engineering, feasibility studies, and techno-economic and financial evaluation.
Our capabilities include the definition, coordination, and technical evaluation of laboratory and pilot-scale test programs, including mineralogical and chemical characterization, comminution, beneficiation, leaching, separation, recovery, and other metallurgical and process testing. We work with specialized laboratories, technology providers, engineering firms, and project owners to define test objectives, evaluate results, identify technical gaps, establish process parameters and recoveries, and develop the engineering criteria required for scale-up.
C&O Projects also supports process flowsheet development and optimization, mass and water balances, process and technology selection, equipment evaluation, process integration, and engineering studies. We have experience translating laboratory and pilot-scale results into practical process design criteria and evaluating alternative technologies for implementation at commercial scale.
A key capability is integrating technical results with techno-economic and financial analysis. We develop and review CAPEX and OPEX estimates, production scenarios, cash-flow models, sensitivity and risk analyses, and project economics to assess commercial viability and support technology and investment decisions.
C&O Projects is particularly interested in collaborating with U.S. National Laboratories, universities, technology developers, and industrial partners on critical minerals and advanced mineral-processing technologies. We are interested in projects where our experience can help bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial deployment through pilot-scale validation, process design and scale-up, feasibility studies, and techno-economic evaluation. |
| FL |
| | University of Cincinnati | Jingjie Wu | Professor |
Academic
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| Topic Area 1 | My research group develops catalytic, electrochemical, and reaction-engineering technologies for sustainable chemical manufacturing from alternative feedstocks. The group integrates catalyst and materials design with reactor engineering, process intensification, and scale-up to develop efficient pathways for producing fuels, commodity chemicals, and value-added products.
Research capabilities span heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, electrochemical engineering, reaction engineering, and multiphase reactor design. Major research areas include CO2 conversion to CO and C2+ chemicals, direct CH4 upgrading to methanol and other oxygenates in triple-phase flow reactor, and catalytic/electrochemical conversion of other alternative or waste-derived feedstocks. Capabilities include catalyst and electrode development, flow reactors, high-pressure and elevated-temperature operation, mass- and heat-transfer engineering, materials and catalyst characterization, reactor/stack design, and bench-to-pre-pilot scale-up under industrially relevant conditions.
The group is particularly interested in partnerships involving alternative-feedstock conversion, carbon utilization, methane and light-hydrocarbon upgrading, process intensification, electrified chemical manufacturing, and scale-up of emerging chemical technologies. We seek collaborations with chemical manufacturers, technology developers, catalyst and materials companies, engineering firms, and other organizations seeking to translate promising chemistry from laboratory discovery toward commercially relevant processes.
We can contribute expertise across the technology-development chain, including catalyst discovery and optimization, mechanistic studies, reactor engineering, process integration, performance and durability evaluation, and scale-up of catalytic and electrochemical processes. |
| OH |
| | Natural Resources Research Institute @ U of MN | Brian Barry | Chemistry & Materials Science Program Leader |
State and/or Local Government
|
Bioenergy
| Topic Area 1 | The Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) is a state-chartered applied research institute of the University of Minnesota's Research and Innovation Office. Our research informs decisions on natural resource utilization and drives economic opportunities for the State of Minnesota and beyond. We work to discover the economy of the future for natural resources in the areas of water, energy and materials through sustainable development and stewardship of the environment, economy and society. We are differentiated from a typical academic department in that we emphasize applied research, scaling, cross-discipline collaboration and industry engagement.
Given NRRI’s location in northern Minnesota, adjacent to both the iron range and boreal forest, we have longstanding programs in metallurgy and biomass utilization. In the context of this NOFO, we have the following interests/capabilities:
1) Mining waste stream valorization/utilization
2) Mineral extraction/processing
3) Wastewater/leachate treatment
4) Metallurgical biocarbon
5) Biodegradable polymers (NRRI houses a biodegradation testing lab)
6) Bio-based monomers and subsequent polymerization chemistry
7) Lignin valorization and conversion into industrial chemicals and materials
8) Mechanochemistry for biomass processing and depolymerization
9) Mechanochemistry for biomass degradation
10) Concrete/asphalt
11) Building materials |
| MN |
| | Cosine | Calvin Lin | CEO |
Small Business
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| Topic Area 1 or 2 | Cosine is a recent Stanford spin-out building world-class electrified, inductively heated thermochemical reactors for liquid and gas phase chemistry.
Cosine's reactors are capable of high temperature (>1000 C), high pressure (>10 bar), and accommodate both liquid- and gas-phase chemistry. Compared to current conventional fired thermochemical systems, Cosine's platform is more modular, responds faster to dynamic setpoints, shapes the temperature profile along the reactor, and reaches a lower levelized cost of heat. Against other electrified reactor approaches, it achieves wall-to-heat efficiency above 95% at scale, reaches higher operating temperatures, and remains both feedstock-flexible and grid-flexible while scaling on a modular multitubular architecture. Cosine is at technology readiness level 5, and as recent winners of the MIT Climate Energy Prize and awardee of an NSF SBIR, Cosine is ready for the next scale-up step.
Cosine's capabilities include reactor design, power electronics design, coupled electromagnetic, thermal, and fluid simulation (COMSOL); embedded control firmware and instrumentation, including closed-loop control, distributed metrology techniques, reactor temperature profile shaping, trip recovery; and design against ASME, IEEE, NFPA, UL, and CSA codes and standards, including ASME B31.3 piping, NFPA 497 area classification, and Class I Div 2 hazardous-location electrical.
Cosine seeks industrial partners who need a high-temperature reactor and heat-delivery unit operation for alternative chemicals. Chemistries validated or under active evaluation include CO2 conversion via reverse water gas shift (550-950 C, 1-25 bar), ammonia cracking, methane pyrolysis, methanol synthesis, cyclohexanol dehydrogenation, liquid-phase lubricant development, steam methane reforming, and more. We are particularly interested in partnering with catalyst developers, process developers, national laboratories, and industrial host sites able to provide slipstreams, process data, or letters of support. |
| CA |
| | Carbion | Christopher Abram | Head of Product |
Small Business
|
Bioenergy
| Battery-grade graphite | Carbion are developing a low-temperature graphitization technology to convert carbon-rich feedstocks into battery-grade artificial graphite. We are interested in partnering on a project in the specific areas of feedstock supply (e.g., lignin, fossil products); equipment (continuous furnace technology); downstream (cell producers) and academic/national lab partners for R&D aspects of the scale-up project. |
| NY |
| | BrightWave | Tim Shaw | President |
Small Business
|
Bioenergy
| | BrightWave develops and commercializes scalable, closed photobioreactor systems for the controlled production of algae and other photosynthetic biomass, with systems ranging from laboratory scale through 40,000 liters.
For the ASPECT opportunity, BrightWave is interested in serving as an industry, scale-up, and biomass-production partner on teams developing chemical and material pathways from algae, carbon dioxide, wastewater-derived nutrients, and other alternative or waste resources. Our role is particularly relevant where a chemical conversion technology requires reliable, consistent algal biomass at quantities beyond laboratory scale for feedstock characterization, process development, unit-operation testing, or integrated pre-pilot demonstration.
BrightWave's patented internally illuminated cultivation platform is designed for high-density, controlled biomass production and can integrate industrial COâ‚‚, waste heat, water, and nutrient streams. Current commercial and demonstration activities include large-scale wastewater resource recovery, industrial COâ‚‚ utilization, and data-center applications in which waste heat and carbon dioxide support algal biomass production.
BrightWave also operates through the BrightCharm Proving Ground in Baltimore, developed with Early Charm to support cultivation trials, process integration, biomass production, and scale-up validation.
We are particularly interested in partnering with chemical technology developers, national laboratories, universities, downstream processors, materials companies, and industrial end users developing pathways from algae or algal fractions into foundational molecules, chemical intermediates, specialty chemicals, polymers, surfactants, organic acids, advanced materials, or other high-value products.
BrightWave can contribute scalable cultivation infrastructure, algal biomass production, scale-up engineering, industrial-site integration, biomass supply for downstream conversion, and commercial deployment capability. We are seeking partners with downstream conversion technologies that can benefit from a controlled, scalable algal feedstock platform and who are interested in advancing those pathways toward integrated pre-pilot and commercial-scale demonstration. |
| MD |
| | Monolith Materials, Inc. | Enoch Dames | Director, Advanced Tech Leadership & Scale-Up |
Large Business
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| Topic Areas 1 & 2 | Monolith is a U.S.-based technology and manufacturing company developing and commercializing novel chemical and materials production pathways from alternative, waste-derived, and traditional carbon feedstocks. Monolith has extensive experience in reactor development, process scale-up, integrated system design, pilot and commercial operations, process modeling, techno-economic assessment, and commercialization of first-of-a-kind technologies.
Monolith is interested in collaborations involving alternative and waste feedstocks, process intensification, reactor development, carbon conversion technologies, hydrogen co-production, separations, process integration, advanced materials, and domestic chemical manufacturing.
Monolith seeks partnerships across ASPECT Topic Areas 1 and 2, including:
• Feedstock suppliers and owners of alternative or waste carbon resources
• Universities and national laboratories with complementary research capabilities
• Engineering, fabrication, and scale-up organizations
• Pilot and pre-pilot host facilities capable of supporting technology demonstration and integrated system operation
• Chemical manufacturers, strategic offtake partners, and commercialization partners
Areas of particular interest include bench-scale technology development, unit-operation pre-piloting, integrated pre-pilot systems, reactor scale-up, process modeling, techno-economic analysis (TEA), life-cycle assessment (LCA), and deployment of innovative chemical production technologies that strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply-chain resilience.
Monolith welcomes discussions with organizations interested in jointly advancing emerging chemical technologies from laboratory validation through pre-pilot demonstration and commercial deployment. |
| NE |
| | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Deepak Kumar | Associate Professor |
Academic
|
Bioenergy
| Bioprocess Development, Scale-up, Process Modeling, and Techno-Economic Analysis | Dr. Deepak Kumar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), where he leads the Sustainable Bioprocessing and Bioproducts Laboratory. His research focuses on developing scalable processes for converting renewable biomass, industrial residues, and waste streams into biofuels, bioplastics, chemicals, and other value-added products. His expertise spans biomass pretreatment and hydrolysis, fermentation and bioreactor engineering, bioprocess development and optimization, process simulation and modeling, scale-up, and techno-economic analysis (TEA).
Dr. Kumar has extensive experimental experience in biomass conversion and fermentation-based production of PHA bioplastics, biofuels, organic acids, natural pigments, and other bioproducts. His group integrates laboratory-scale process development with process modeling and economic evaluation to guide technology scale-up. He has also led TEA efforts on multiple U.S. Department of Energy-funded projects and collaborated with multidisciplinary teams across academia, national laboratories, and industry on biochemical, thermochemical, and catalytic conversion technologies.
For the ASPECT program, Dr. Kumar is interested in partnering with teams seeking complementary expertise in bioprocess development, fermentation and bioreactor engineering, biomass and waste conversion, process simulation and modeling, scale-up, process integration, and TEA. His group can contribute both experimental process development and system-level analysis to identify scale-up bottlenecks, establish performance and cost targets, and accelerate emerging technologies toward pre-pilot demonstration and commercialization. |
| NY |
| | Iowa State University | Eric Cochran | Professor |
Academic
|
Bioenergy
| Continuous Monomer Manufacturing (ASPECT) | The Cochran Research Group at Iowa State University is a chemical engineering research team specializing in reaction engineering, catalysis, continuous processing, separations, polymer synthesis, process modeling, and scale-up of emerging chemical technologies.
For the ASPECT opportunity, Iowa State is interested in serving as a research lead, technical partner, or subrecipient to advance continuous monomer manufacturing from bench-scale development through unit-operation testing and integrated pre-pilot operation. We provide process chemistry, reaction engineering, analytical characterization, polymerization testing, and scale-up planning.
Our current work focuses on a continuous manufacturing platform for glycerol-derived acrylic and methacrylic monomers. The process converts glycerol ketal intermediates into functional monomers through integrated reaction, separation, purification, and reagent-recycle operations. This platform is being developed to increase throughput, reduce energy intensity, improve product consistency, and enable flexible domestic production compared with conventional batch manufacturing.
Iowa State supports technology developers in translating laboratory chemistry into reliable and scalable process systems. Our team uses an integrated reaction-engineering approach that combines experimental kinetics and thermodynamics with process modeling and downstream product validation. We can support catalyst loading and recovery, inhibitor management, residence-time and mixing analysis, continuous-reactor configuration, separation and recycle development, impurity control, material and energy balances, safety and operability assessment, and product-quality validation through polymerization. Reactor, separation, and recycle conditions can be evaluated together to identify scale-dependent risks before pre-pilot operation.
Our work is focused on biobased and waste-derived feedstocks, acrylic monomers, polymer materials, coatings, and industrial process technology. We are seeking chemical manufacturers, monomer and resin producers, toll processors, coatings and latex companies, equipment firms, and engineering providers that can contribute pilot operations, equipment design and fabrication, feedstock or catalyst supply, techno-economic analysis, environmental and safety review, or downstream product qualification. |
| IA |
| | Johnston Engineering | Austin Stone | Business Development Manager |
Small Business
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| Topic Areas 1 & 2. Bench & Pilot Systems | Johnston Engineering (JE) is a mechanical engineering firm specializing in the design, analysis, integration, fabrication, and testing of first-of-a-kind process systems, equipment, and machinery.
For the ASPECT opportunity, JE is interested in serving as an engineering service provider and subcontractor to help technology developers scale emerging chemical processes from bench scale through unit-operation testing and integrated pre-pilot systems. We provide mechanical engineering design, analysis, build, and test services.
JE supports technology developers in translating promising laboratory processes into reliable, buildable, and scalable hardware. Our team can support process equipment and unit-operation design, mechanical system integration, pressure and piping systems, thermal management, fluid-flow optimization, structural design, equipment skids and frames, custom test equipment, fabrication, assembly, and system testing. This capability is particularly applicable to projects that require new process equipment to be designed, analyzed, built, and tested as technologies progress toward pre-pilot operation.
Johnston Engineering uses an Analysis-Driven Design approach that closely integrates mechanical design with physics-based simulation to reduce scale-up risk before hardware is built. Using SolidWorks 3D CAD and ANSYS, our engineers perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), thermal analysis, and structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate pressures, temperatures, flow distribution, heat transfer, structural loads, and equipment performance. Design and analysis are iterated together to optimize equipment, identify potential failure modes, and improve confidence that first-of-a-kind hardware will perform as intended.
Our work is primarily focused on energy, waste-to-value conversion, and industrial R&D technology, including chemical processing, material and mineral separation and hydrogen systems. To date Johnston Engineering has successfully secure 30 DOE wins.
Please reach out with inquires to partner together. |
| WA |
| | Tetramer Technologies LLC | Adam Haldeman | VP R&D |
Small Business
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| | Tetramer Technologies, LLC is a small business with 25 years of experience in advanced materials research, development, and manufacturing. Tetramer's core competencies include advanced chemical synthesis, design of functional materials, structure-property relationships, formulation, and process research and scale-up, supported by an 18,000 ft² facility with more than 6,500 ft² of wet lab space and an on-site analytical lab providing full-time chemical, electrical, optical, and thermomechanical characterization, with access to an electron microscopy facility. Tetramer also offers custom synthesis and specialty manufacturing capabilities to partners.
Tetramer is differentiated by its ability to carry materials from early-stage research (TRL 1-6) through scale-up (TRL 7-8) and into manufacturing (TRL 9), giving partners continuity from bench to production. A number of successful scale up programs include 1) Novel synthetic ester base oils successfully transitioned it from bench-scale development through commercial-scale manufacturing (VBASE Oil – vbaseoil.com). 2)Scaled latex size standards developed and scaled for commercial use as calibration materials for analytical equipment. 3) Working as the outsourced R&D arm of another industrial customer, Tetramer designed and engineered over 300 new compounds from bio-based soy and palm wax precursors, including the development of numerous commercial products that were scaled and are still available on the market. 4) Working with Georgia Tech and a global commercial partner, Tetramer provided process research and scale-up support for novel electrochromic polymers. 4) Collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories, Tetramer helped to scale up innovative new materials with negative coefficients of thermal expansion, a project that earned the team an international R&D 100 award, given for the most revolutionary technologies, products, and materials each year.
Tetramer operates an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system, a NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC Level 2 self-assessed cybersecurity program, and a DCAA-approved accounting system. This background positions Tetramer as a partner for Topic Area 1: Bench ASPECT, supporting the development and adoption of new technologies for producing chemicals from alternative and waste feedstocks. Tetramer is a certified EDWOSB/WOSB. Learn more at tetramer.com |
| SC |
| | Sandia National Laboratories | Agus R. Poerwoprajitno | Senior Member of Technical Staff |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| Topic Area 1 | My background is in AI-driven chemical and materials synthesis, characterization, and catalysis, with a focus on accelerating materials discovery and process optimization. I use AI and machine learning approaches to guide experimental design, optimize synthesis conditions, and identify structure–property relationships in complex chemical and materials systems. My work spans flow and microfluidic synthesis platforms as well as automated robotic systems, enabling high-throughput experimentation and more efficient exploration of synthesis parameter spaces. I also have expertise in scaling up materials synthesis from small-scale discovery to larger-scale production while maintaining control over material properties and performance.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CDE5cE8AAAAJ&hl=en |
| NM |
| | Omnibus IP Holdings LLC | jerry moerbe | sole member - owner |
Small Business
|
Bioenergy
| Scale-up and Process Intensification for Alternative Waste Feedstocks | Omnibus IP Holdings, LLC specializes in the advanced engineering, design, and deployment of proprietary Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) and high-efficiency thermal cascade infrastructure. Our core technology integrates behind-the-meter (BTM) kinetic power generation (aeroderivative microturbines) with Agitated Thin Film Dryer (ATFD) thermal cascades. This creates a completely autarkic, closed-loop system capable of processing highly complex alternative waste feedstocks, including hypersaline brines and high-PPM hydrogen sulfide (H2S) sour water.
Our process intensification architecture directly addresses the critical energy-water nexus bottlenecks inherent in scaling up emerging chemical technologies. By utilizing waste heat from our BTM turbines to drive the ZLD thermal cascade, we eliminate reliance on municipal grid interconnects and local water aquifers. We effectively transform legacy industrial wastewater and complex chemical brines into absolute dry solids and highly purified, reusable water.
Omnibus is currently advancing our pre-pilot architectures to full pilot and demonstration scales. We are seeking to team with Tier-1 EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) firms, academic research institutions, and commercial deployment partners (specifically in Direct Lithium Extraction, advanced manufacturing, and alternative fuels) to validate our process intensification metrics and scale our modular systems for immediate industrial deployment.
Specific capabilities include:
Proprietary ZLD and ATFD thermal cascade integration.
High-shear acoustic manifold processing for H2S mitigation.
Off-grid, dispatchable power generation mapping.
Process intensification for alternative feedstock refinement and dry-solids extraction. |
| TX |
| | TideWrack Systems, LLC | Thomas Ball | Founder & CEO |
Small Business
|
Bioenergy
| Sargassum and marine biomass pretreatment, contaminant reduction, fractionation, and waste-feedstock valorization | TideWrack Systems, LLC is an early-stage U.S. small business developing modular process technology to convert problematic marine biomass into standardized intermediate feedstocks for downstream chemical and biological conversion. Our initial feedstock is beach-cast Sargassum, a highly variable waste biomass containing salts, sand, arsenic and other contaminants that complicate conventional valorization.
TideWrack is developing an integrated pretreatment and fractionation platform designed for deployment near biomass collection sites. The process is intended to reduce contaminants and feedstock variability while recovering carbohydrate-rich, alginate-rich and other biomass fractions suitable for subsequent conversion into higher-value chemicals, materials and bioproducts. The company has completed an initial bench-scale processing campaign, submitted treated and untreated samples for independent analytical testing, and filed a U.S. provisional patent covering aspects of the system and process.
TideWrack is interested in ASPECT partnerships involving alternative and waste feedstocks, biomass pretreatment and fractionation, fermentation, enzymatic or microbial conversion, chemical conversion, separations, process intensification, pilot-scale engineering, techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment. We are particularly interested in teams developing pathways from heterogeneous waste biomass to foundational molecules, chemical intermediates, biomaterials or other high-value products.
TideWrack can contribute feedstock sourcing and characterization, pretreatment and contaminant-reduction process development, modular system integration, marine biomass handling, bench-scale experimental data, commercialization strategy and potential coastal deployment pathways. We are collaborating with academic researchers with expertise in seaweed chemistry, alginate processing, biomass fractionation, microbial and enzymatic conversion, fermentation and biomass valorization.
We are seeking complementary universities, national laboratories, engineering organizations, chemical and biomanufacturing companies, offtakers and scale-up partners interested in integrating standardized marine biomass intermediates into emerging chemical-production pathways. |
| NY |
| | Nexceris | Neil Kidner | Chief Product Officer |
Small Business
|
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| Topic Area 1 or 2 | Nexceris is an advanced ceramics and catalyst manufacturer transforming breakthrough technologies into commercially viable solutions for our clients. We accelerate product advancement for developers by bridging the gap from lab to launch on ceramic materials and catalyst manufacturing. Leveraging our expertise in catalyst forming, coating, and powder scale-up from grams to metric-ton volumes, we help de-risk the path towards commercialization through technical and manufacturing collaboration.
We offer the following:
1. 56,000 square-foot manufacturing and testing facility​.
2. 30+ years of technical leadership in ceramic technology.
3. End-to-end manufacturing capabilities from concept to commercialization, ​
4. Dedicated catalyst team led by Ph.D. scientists​.
5. Flexible catalyst manufacturing.
6. Scaled custom catalyst synthesis​ (extrudates, tablets, coatings​).
7. Catalyst and reactor modeling, development and testing to support system development​. |
| OH |
| | Agile BioFoundry | Katy Christiansen | Principal Investigator |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
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Bioenergy
| | The Agile BioFoundry is a consortium of seven U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories that operate as a distributed biofoundry in collaboration with industry and academia. Funded by DOE’s Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO), formerly known as the Bioenergy Technologies Office, our work supports AFFO’s goals to advance the industrial production of fuels and chemicals.
The Agile BioFoundry accelerates the development, integration, and scale-up of biological engineering tools and technologies, transforming promising biosynthetic pathways into reliable, industrial-ready production systems for bioproducts. |
| CA |
| | c16 biosciences | Shwn Szyjka | Head of R&D |
Small Business
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Bioenergy
| | C16 Biosciences engineers non-model oleaginous yeasts, including Rhodotorula / Rhodosporidium toruloides, to produce specialty lipids and fats and oils through fermentation. Our R&D team covers the full path from strain engineering to fermentation and downstream process development, and we currently manufacture at 50 kL commercial scale.
Our core strength is engineering yeast lipid metabolism to hit specific targets: defined chain lengths, unsaturation profiles, and other oleochemical building blocks. We do this by modifying native and heterologous lipid biosynthesis pathways. We also have real experience getting these strains to run well on alternative, non-food feedstocks, including organic acids and other waste or byproduct carbon streams, which we think lines up well with ASPECT's interest in flexible feedstock strategies for fuels and chemicals.
Scale-up is where a lot of good lab biology fails and it's an area we've put a lot of effort into. We've taken strains from shake flasks through bench bioreactors all the way to our existing 50 kL commercial fermentation, while holding onto yield and productivity along the way. On the downstream side, we handle lipid extraction, purification, and characterization for specialty oleochemical products.
We'd like to join an ASPECT teaming project as a technical partner, contributing strain engineering, fermentation scale-up, and downstream process expertise, particularly on projects converting alternative carbon feedstocks into fuel-relevant lipids or oleochemical intermediates. We're open to working alongside catalysis, feedstock supply, and TEA/LCA partners to put together a complete value chain proposal. |
| NY |
| | Johnson Matthey | Scott Cauffman | Development Manager |
Large Business
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Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
| | Johnson Matthey (JM) brings more than 200 years of experience in transforming scientific innovation into commercially successful technologies. Built on a foundation of world-class materials science, JM has extensive expertise in the development of advanced functional materials, coatings, catalysts, electrochemical components, and engineered systems. The company combines deep scientific knowledge with robust engineering capabilities spanning process design, modeling, simulation, advanced analytics, and technology optimization.
JM's integrated approach enables rapid progression from concept development and laboratory validation through pilot-scale demonstration and full-scale manufacturing. The company has a long history of successfully scaling complex technologies by leveraging multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, modelers, and manufacturing specialists. This includes expertise in materials characterization, coating technologies, reaction and process engineering, digital tools, data-driven development, and advanced manufacturing techniques.
With global R&D, engineering, and production capabilities, Johnson Matthey is uniquely positioned to support the development, scale-up, and commercialization of innovative technologies. The company’s proven track record of combining scientific innovation with industrial execution makes JM a strong partner for accelerating the deployment of next-generation technologies that strengthen domestic manufacturing, improve competitiveness, and create long-term economic value. |
| PA |
| | Global Algae innovations | David Hazlebeck | CEO |
Small Business
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Bioenergy
| Topic Area 1 or 2 | Global Algae has developed a full suite of technology for open raceway micro algae cultivation, harvesting, and processing.
We can to provide raw algal biomass or components of the biomass like algal oil.
We are also interested in partners who convert of fatty acids or vegetable oil to products. |
| CA |
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