The mission of the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) is to partner with researchers from industry, the National Labs, and academia to optimize and scale process technologies for bio-based chemicals, materials, and fuel commercialization. The facility is a one-of-a-kind bench- and pilot-scale research lab and small-scale manufacturing site. It is designed to perform feedstock deconstruction to sugars and intermediates; fermentation bioprocessing; advanced recovery of proteins, enzymes and chemicals; and catalysis for functionalization and upgrading. To date the ABPDU has executed projects with the three Bioenergy Research Centers as well as several industry clients and partners spanning Bay Area and East Coast biotechnology companies in addition to European multinationals. Several interesting case studies have been developed in taking processes from the bench to pilot scale in order to enable bioproduct commercialization.
