Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a U.S. Department of Energy research laboratory headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has joined BioMADE, a manufacturing innovation institute focused on biomanufacturing, to connect its research capabilities with industry partners and support the scale-up of biological processes for producing chemicals and materials.

ORNL's capabilities span biomass feedstocks, engineered microbes, materials development, and manufacturing scale-up. Through the partnership, researchers will have greater access to BioMADE's network of more than 275 member organizations and connections to pilot- and demonstration-scale facilities, according to ORNL.

The collaboration is intended to help researchers address manufacturing requirements earlier in technology development, including process optimization, materials performance, feedstock logistics, automation, and digital manufacturing. ORNL said its multidisciplinary teams can model bioprocesses, characterize enzymes and biomaterials, and evaluate biobased materials for applications in polymers, composites, and additive manufacturing.

ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility provides additional capabilities in advanced materials, additive and composite manufacturing, machining, robotics, materials testing, and technology demonstration. The facility can support evaluation of processing and scale-up requirements as biobased technologies move from laboratory research toward commercial production.

The partnership also gives ORNL researchers more opportunities to work with manufacturers on technology development, licensing, and adoption, according to the laboratory. For industry, the arrangement offers access to research expertise and technical resources that individual companies may not have in-house.

BioMADE is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and is part of the Manufacturing USA network, which supports collaboration among industry, government, and research organizations to advance domestic manufacturing capabilities.