LABORATORY AND PILOT PLANT SERVICES
Extensive laboratory and pilot plant facilities allow the development and demonstration of unique process with a wide range of feedstocks and operational parameters, whether the technology is physical separation, extraction, chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, pyrolysis–gasification, or any combination of the various technologies. Hazen has assisted our clients in identifying and resolving many process-related problems at the pilot scale that would be very costly if identified at the commercial scale.
Our Biotechnology Process Laboratories are equipped to develop processes in all these areas, utilizing the collective experience of our technical staff, from chemical and mechanical engineering to biochemistry. We have studied processes in biofuel operations as diverse as:
- Biomass feed preparation
- Pretreatment efficiency and product stabilization
- Cell lysis technology
- Kinetics of product formation–degradation in unit operations
- Dewatering processes
- Extraction efficiencies
- Fermentation kinetics and microorganism selection
- Control of NOx and SO2 emissions
- Distillation
Hazen maintains an inventory of process equipment that can be quickly put into use for data generation at a range of operational scale. We are able to construct fully or semi-automated pilot plants and run campaigns as needed in order to produce process data, demonstrate a process, and generate products for characterization and market evaluation. Our equipment includes:
- Grinding mills
- Autoclaves
- Fluidized-bed dryers
- Rotary kilns
- Flotation cells
- Spray dryers
- Fermenters
- Evaporators
- Chromatography columns
- Pressure vessels
- Extractors
- Settlers
- Mills
- Sieves
- Process centrifuges
- Distillation columns
- Ancillary tankage and control equipment
Hazen operates an internal fabrication shop that allows for design and build capabilities for pilot plants and small production facilities. It is common for clients to co-locate proof-of-concept facilities on the Hazen campus because the majority of the property is zoned and permitted for industrial activities and discharges.