AFR designs and develops new technologies for advanced energy production, conversion, and utilization.

Fuel Cells

AFR is involved in several projects to develop components of fuel cell power systems. These include: 1) the production of microporous carbons for gas storage; 2) pre-processing of diesel fuels for hydrogen production; 3) pyrolysis processing of waste materials for fuel gas production.

Solar to Vehicle to Grid (S2V2G)

AFR has developed a potential implementation for a concept known as Solar to Vehicle to Grid (S2V2G). According to this scheme, a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is charged during the day, while the car is at work, using solar energy (or another renewable source).  The car is then used in the evening as a source of electricity in the home. After midnight, when the base load electricity demand is low, the car is recharged from the grid for the commute to work in the morning. For additional details and economic calculations, see the following S2V2G presentation.

Biomass Pyrolysis

AFR has extensive experience in biomass pyrolysis studies. Samples studied include lignin, cellulose, hemi-cellulose, wheat straw, cornstalk, Populus deltoides (hardwood), Pinus radiata (softwood). The effects of pyrolysis conditions on product yields and char reactivity have been studied and kinetic models for pyrolysis product evolutions have been developed.

Waste Conversion

AFR has performed several projects related to conversion of waste materials, such as used tires, into useful products. A pyrolysis process was developed for conversion of used tires into activated carbon, carbon black, and fuel gases. A hydrothermal treatment process for lignins derived from pulping operations was developed for production of carbon materials such as carbon fibers, brake pads, and activated carbon. Under NASA funding, a pyrolysis process was developed to recycle plant biomass, paper, plastic, and human wastes into useful products. A recent white paper summarizes the NASA projects and publications: Pyrolysis Process Development at Advanced Fuel Research, Inc. (AFR).

Download a copy of one of AFR's scrap tire research papers: Pyrolysis of Scrap Tires. Can it be Profitable?

Carbon Materials

AFR has been involved in several carbon materials projects, including: 1) microporous carbons for hydrogen storage; 2) carbon molecular sieve membranes for gas separations; 3) carbon black from oils derived from scrap tires; 4) tire-derived activated carbons for mercury control; and 5) value-added carbon materials from lignin.

Mercury Removal

AFR has developed a patented process for the removal and recovery of mercury from combustion flue gas with simultaneously control of SO2 and NOx (US Pat. No. 6,103,205 and 6,322,613). The approach is based on regenerative adsorption on activated carbons derived from used tires.

Liquid Fuels

AFR has been involved in several projects related to the characterization and utilization of liquid fuels and lubricants. These include: 1) correlation of the combustion properties of aviation fuels with FT-IR spectral data; 2) measurement and prediction of the thermal stability of aviation fuels using FT-IR methods; 3) evaluation of fuel stability additives using FT-IR methods; 4) characterization of the purity of synthetic lubricants using TG-FTIR methods; 5) development of a portable FT-Raman instrument to characterize fuels for aircraft and land vehicles; 6) pre-processing of diesel fuels to produce hydrogen for fuel cell use.

Coal Conversion

AFR has had extensive experience in coal conversion R&D, including pyrolysis, gasification, liquefaction, maturation and combustion. Many novel laboratory scale experiments and models have been developed. AFR's Functional-Group Depolymerization, Vaporization, Crosslinking (FG-DVC) model of coal pyrolysis has been used by most of the leading coal research laboratories in the world. AFR has also developed an extensive database on the characterization of internationals coals using a variety of methods, including FT-IR and TG-FTIR.