Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a pioneer in the development of hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)—a powerful technology that enables conversion of organic wastes and biomass into fuels and recovery of chemicals like ammonia and phosphates with potential for extraction of critical minerals from the residual solids. HTL is uniquely suited to handle wet feedstocks and needs only minutes of moderate heat and high pressure to turn waste like sewage and food scraps or biomass like algae into a valuable resource: high-energy-density “bio-crude.”

PNNL’s HTL research team possesses highly specialized expertise and equipment that enable the Lab to push the boundaries of HTL as a viable technology for a wide range of sectors. 

Interested in HTL?

PNNL works with industrial and municipal partners to develop, test, demonstrate, and deploy HTL technologies in new environments. If you or your company are interested in working with PNNL to explore the suitability of HTL for your application, email htl@pnnl.gov.

Turning trash into treasure

Unlike alternative methods, HTL is uniquely suited for converting wet biomass without an additional, energy-intensive drying step. That means HTL can easily make viable fuels and chemical products out of everything from wood flour and potato fry crumbs to algae, sewage, and other organic waste.

HTL’s ability to efficiently convert a wide range of abundant, low-value waste and biomass into valuable fuels and chemical products make it an ideal technology for industries that tend to produce large amounts of that waste and biomass—for example, agriculture, municipal waste management, lumber production, and food manufacturing.

HTL @ PNNL

PNNL holds a global leadership position in the development and advancement of HTL. Leveraging its modular HTL plant—a unique capability across DOE—PNNL researchers have more than doubled the carbon efficiency of HTL processes from 30% to nearly 70%. PNNL has also shown durability and stability in upgrading bio-crude into refined fuels through long-duration runs, mitigating the risks for industrial adoption. 

Throughout its HTL research, PNNL partners with a wide range of U.S. companies to demonstrate HTL’s adaptability for industry-specific applications like distillery grains, winery pomace, and dairy manure. The Lab is also working with a wide range of manufacturers and technology developers aiming to build pilot-scale HTL facilities in the United States.

If you or your company are interested in working with PNNL to explore the suitability of HTL for your application, email htl@pnnl.gov.