Overview

The Center for Biorefining brings together scientists and engineers across the University of Minnesota and beyond to develop sustainable, scalable, and market-ready solutions in energy, food systems, waste management, and environmental protection.

Our work is supported by federal agencies (USDA, DOE, DOT, DOD), state programs such as LCCMR, and industry partners, and focuses on translating research into real-world impact and deployable technologies.

Core principles include:

  • Integrated approaches to energy, food production, and environmental protection
  • Complete utilization of feedstocks and waste streams
  • Focus on scalability and portability for distributed applications

Circular Waste Valorization & Biorefining

This research area focuses on converting biomass, agricultural residues, municipal waste, and complex feedstocks into fuels, chemicals, and functional products using thermochemical, catalytic, and biological processes.

Core Areas

  • Treatment, utilization and valorization of liquid and solid wastes
  • Waste problems and opportunities
  • Catalytic microwave-assisted pyrolysis and gasification of solid wastes
  • Biomass conversion and lignocellulosic processing
  • Algae-based biorefining systems

Representative Work

  • Development of bench and pilot-scale catalytic microwave-assisted pyrolysis (CMAP) systems for biomass, plastics, sludge, and algae
  • Two-stage fast microwave-assisted pyrolysis (fMAP) with catalytic upgrading
  • Development of integrated waste-to-value conversion platforms

Current & Emerging Work

  • CMAP systems for landfill-integrated waste conversion
  • Chemical recycling of hard-to-recycle plastics
  • Ethanol dehydration pathways for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
  • Integration of algae systems for biomass production and nutrient recovery

Impact

Enables conversion of heterogeneous waste streams into fuels and chemical intermediates while improving carbon utilization efficiency and reducing landfill dependency.

PFAS, Water Treatment & Resource Recovery

This area develops integrated systems for PFAS destruction, water treatment, and recovery of valuable resources from contaminated streams.

Core Areas

  • PFAS destruction technologies
  • Treatment of contaminated water systems

Representative Work

  • Multi-pathway PFAS treatment including separation, adsorption, photocatalysis, and biological approaches
  • Development of biochar and algae-based systems for contaminant removal

Current & Emerging Work

  • Closed-loop landfill systems for leachate treatment and gas capture
  • Industrial wastewater reuse systems
  • Biochar and algae treatment for mining water 
  • Recovery of rare earth and critical metals

Impact

Addresses environmental contamination while enabling water reuse and recovery of valuable materials from waste streams.

Plasma-Based Nitrogen & Electrified Chemical Systems

This research focuses on plasma-enabled systems for nitrogen fixation and electrified chemical production, enabling decentralized and low-carbon alternatives to conventional synthesis methods.

Core Areas

  • Non-thermal plasma-based nitrogen fixation from air and water
  • Plasma-liquid interaction systems
  • Electrified ammonia and fertilizer production 

Representative Work

  • Development of plasma-liquid systems generating reactive hydrogen and nitrogen species in situ
  • Demonstration of nitrogen conversion into aqueous ammonia and related compounds

Current & Emerging Work

  • Sustainable ammonia production using plasma systems
  • Nitrogen fixation onto lignin and biomass

Impact

Supports low-carbon chemical production and distributed fertilizer systems, reducing reliance on energy-intensive industrial processes.

Nonthermal Food, Ingredient & Material Processing

This area develops nonthermal and hybrid technologies to improve food safety, enhance ingredient functionality, and reduce energy consumption while preserving quality.

Core Areas

  • Non-thermal processes for clean-label food and nutraceutical ingredients
  • Non-thermal processing of foods
  • Decontamination of seeds and grains
  • Functional ingredients from agricultural byproducts
  • Low-field NMR for food structure and quality analysis

Representative Work

  • Development of continuous intense pulsed light (IPL) systems achieving up to 5-log microbial reduction in powdered foods
  • Validation of bactericidal mechanisms using molecular, imaging, and metabolomic techniques
  • Nonthermal processing approaches for food safety and shelf-life extension
  • Development of analytical methods using low-field NMR to characterize moisture distribution, fat crystallization, and structural changes in food systems

Current & Emerging Work

  • Almond hull valorization into phenolic-rich syrups, fibers, and nanocellulose materials
  • Plasma-based modification of vegetable oils 
  • Microwave fluidized bed disinfection of wheat kernels 

Impact

Improves food safety and quality while enabling development of clean-label ingredients and advanced food materials, supported by advanced analytical characterization tools.

Integrated Circular Systems

This research integrates multiple technologies into scalable systems combining energy, water, waste, and production processes.

Core Areas

  • Integrated system for animal wastewater treatment and utilization
  • Sustainable animal production systems
  • Inactivation of air-borne pathogens

Representative Work

  • Multi-stage biological system achieving >98% nutrient removal
  • Integrated systems producing biofuels, fertilizers, and feed
  • Plasma and microwave-based air sanitation systems

Current & Emerging Work

  • Integrated landfill-to-resource systems
  • Distributed circular production platforms
  • Cross-sector systems linking energy, water, and materials

Impact

Demonstrates real-world deployment of circular economy technologies with measurable environmental and economic benefits.