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Foster Agblevor, Ph.D.,
Synthetic Bio-Manufacturing
Foster Agblevor, a USTAR researcher within the Synthetic Bio-Manufacturing Center is committed to finding ways to dispose of waste before it creates a problem.
Agblevor has invented a pyrolysis reactor to creates three products from bio-mass waste. One, a producer gas is generated in the chemical process and is used to power the pyrolysis reactor; the unit is self contained—more bio-mass becomes more fuel to convert more bio-mass. Two, bio-oil is produced from the bio-mass pyrolysis that can be refined into gasoline and other fuels. Three, charcoal encapsulates the remaining chemical compounds, like phosphorus, potassium, into a fertilizer tablet.
Agblevor is interested in finding solutions to problems—from pollution to the rising cost of crude oil.
Currently crude oil costs nearly $100 a barrel; the results are gas prices well above $3 per gallon. Agblevor’s solution is bio-crude oil created from organic material—grasses, trees and even algae.
Agblevor is in the beginning stages of developing a technology that would process algae suspended in water and turn it into bio-crude oil.
Agblevor’s research fits well within two of USU’s USTAR focus areas—biofuels and synthetic biomanufacturing. Bio-crude oil from Agblevor’s catalytic pyrolysis reactor can be used in the manufacture of bio-plastics—a focus area within the USTAR Synthetic BioManufacturing Center.
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