FCC coprocessing of advanced biocrudes: Insights from continuous pilot testing

Derek Vardon is the CEO and CTO of Alder Renewables. He has > 15 yrs of experience developing biofuel and catalytic technologies. He is a former NREL research group leader with more than 50 patents and publications in this space. Dr. Varden earned a PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is an adjunct faculty member at the Colorado School of Mines.

Guillaume Vincent is the Technology Manager for BASF Refining Catalysts in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. He joined BASF in January 2023 and has 15 yrs of experience in the refining industries, including purification adsorbents and hydroprocessing catalysts. Dr. Voncent began his career with Porocel (Evonik group) and developed through several key positions as Lab Manager, Technical Service Manager and Business Segment Manager. He earned a PhD in chemical engineering from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques (ENSIC), France.

Lucas Dorazio is the Renewables Program Manager within BASF Corporation’s Catalyst Research organization. He has > 20 yrs of experience in catalysis and related technologies, and earned a doctorate from Columbia University, where his research focused on heterogeneous catalysis. Dr. Dorazio is also an adjunct professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and has authored numerous technical articles, including co-authoring a textbook on industrial catalysis. Dr. Dorazio is the inventor on several patents in the field of catalysis.

Reinhard Seiser is a Senior Research Engineer at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). Dr. Seiser earned a PhD in chemical engineering from the technical University of Graz, Austria, and has worked on renewable-energy research projects in the fields of combustion, gasification, fuel synthesis, pyrolysis and FCC co-processing.

Mark Bassardis is the Lead Process Engineer for conversion units at North Atlantic’s Port‑Jérôme refinery in France. A graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques, he began his career with ExxonMobil and has specialized in the FCC process for > 10 yrs. Bassardis has played an active role in advancing biological feed co‑processing technologies within catalytic cracking units, including early development work on fast pyrolysis bio-oil.