The Bioenergy Research Group (BERG) within the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University in the United Kingdom is among the most established bioenergy research groups in the world.

Our novel developments have led us to become one of the world’s leading university laboratories in thermal biomass processing. Led by Professor Tony Bridgwater, BERG’s interdisciplinary team of researchers come from a wide variety of backgrounds including chemical, mechanical and aerospace engineering, chemistry, physical environmental studies and business studies.

The focus of our research is fast pyrolysis, which converts solid biomass into a valuable liquid energy carrier, or fuel known as bio-oil that can be directly used for heat, power and chemicals, and can be readily upgraded into higher value second generation biofuels and chemicals. There is complimentary work on:

  • Gassification
  • Biomass Pre-treatment
  • Product upgrading
  • Hydrothermal liquefaction
  • Characterisation and analysis
  • Chemicals production
  • System design
  • Technical and economic evaluation

EBRI has developed some of the most comprehensive university based thermal processing facilities and capabilities in the world. These include extensive facilities for fast, intermediate and slow pyrolysis, analysis, CFD and process modelling.

Rigs

PartnerLocationRig CodeResearch AreaRig NameRig StatusRig Contact
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONBiomass preparation & characterisation Retsch-100 cutting mill and test sieve shaker ELF 2000Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONBiomass preparation & characterisation Carbrolite AFF11—muffle oven, Swallow moisture oven, Sartorius moisture analyser MA35Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONBiomass preparation & characterisation Washing & impregnation with reactants and catalystsAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONAnalytical Pyrolysis CDS 5200 series pyroprobe system closed-coupled with PerkinElmer Clarus 680 GC-MS/FID Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONFast Pyrolysis4 fluid bed continuous atmospheric pressure reactors: 150g/h, 1 kg/h, 7 kg/h
All with online gas analysis – Varian micro gas chromatograph CP-4900
Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONSlow Pyrolysis1 kg/h auger reactor
Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONSlow PyrolysisNominal 20 kg/h twin screw reactorAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONThermogravimetric analyser (TGA) for thermal properties of biomass and decomposition kinetics PerkinElmer Pyris 1 Thermogravimetric analyserAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONBio-oil/organic liquids analysis  Chemical composition and quantification (Varian 450 GB with FID and Varian 220 MS detector)
Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONBio-oil/organic liquids analysis  Water content analysis
(Mettler Toledo V30 Compact Volumetric KF Titrator)
Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONBio-oil/organic liquids analysis Dynamic viscosity
(Brookfield LV DV-II-Pro viscometer)
Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONHigh Pressure Reactors 25ml autoclave (Parr Instrument Company 4790 Series high-pressure batch reactor)Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONHigh Pressure Reactors 20ml high-pressure continuous reactor (Autoclave Engineers BTRS-Jr 5010 reactor) with online gas analysis (Varian 450 GV) and two liquid condensation ports.Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONHigh Pressure ReactorsBatch and semi-continuous hydrothermal processing reactorAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONMicroreactor LaboratoryContinuous high pressure reactor for gases such as Fischer Tropsch for hydrocarbon and alcohols with inline and offline product analysisAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONAnalysis Laboratory Ultimate proximate analysis, gas analysis, char analysis, bio-oil and upgraded bio-oil analysis by GCMS-FIDAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONAnalysis Laboratory Density analysis - Mettler Toledo – DM40 Density Meter
Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONAnalysis LaboratoryHeating value – IKA C1 Bomb CalorimeterAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONAnalysis LaboratoryTotal Acid Number (TAN) –Mettler Toledo G20 Compact TitratorAvailable Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONOtherDrop tube reactor
Available Sarah Asplin
Aston UniversityBirmingham, United KingdomASTONOtherCatalytic reactors – can be close coupled to all reactors for multistage and sequential processing with product analysisAvailable Sarah Asplin

Contacts

Click on the person you would like to contact to create an email. Please include BRISK2 in the subject. You can also follow our team on linkedin by clicking the logo beneath each picture.

Scott Banks

Scott Banks

TA Contact & Researcher

Sarah Asplin

Sarah Asplin

TA Contact & Researcher

Alanna Boden

Alanna Boden

Project Manager

Tony Bridgwater

Tony Bridgwater

Work Package Lead

Biofuels Research Infrastructure

This website is produced and edited by the European Bioenergy Research Institute, Aston University, UK on behalf of BRISKII, which is funded by Horizon 2020. Grant Agreement Number 731101. Any opinions or material contained within are those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of EU Horizon 2020, Aston University or any other organisation.

+46 8 790 74 73

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TECHNOLOGY, ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (KTH), SE-100 44 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN