Department of Energy Selects Pyran for Computing Capabilities Funding

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) named Pyran as one of three companies selected to share approximately $1 million in funding to leverage the unique computational capabilities at DOE’s National Laboratories. All three projects address technical challenges in bioenergy feedstock handling and logistics, as well as catalyst design and development.

Pyran is excited to work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to produce predictive models of Pyran’s process to produce 1,5-pentanediol that will assist with our scale-up efforts. "By allowing Pyran to develop advanced reactor models, these funds will allow for more precise and rapid scale-up of our technology." said Pyran Co-founder Dr. Kevin Barnett.

The projects will partner with the Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC), which is comprised of National Laboratory researchers who use computer simulations for bioenergy research and development. By incorporating high-performance computing, researchers can help reduce the costs and time needed for conversion process scale-up and reactor design.

DOE awarded Directed Funding Opportunity (DFO) awards to the following two other projects:

• Catalyxx Inc., of Chesterfield, Missouri, will work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to determine optimal reaction conditions for scaling up their process of converting ethanol to high alcohols.

• Forest Concepts, LLC, of Auburn, Washington, will work with Idaho National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to model the behaviors of different biomass types undergoing Forest Concepts’ preprocessing technologies as well as the downstream conversion effects.