SwRI listed as ‘teaming partner’ for DOE chemical technology research, development program

SAN ANTONIO — September 21, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is ready to serve as a “teaming partner” for a U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office program. The Accelerating Scale-up and Pre-piloting of Emerging Chemical Technologies (ASPECT) program will provide up to $58 million for bench-scale and pre-pilot scale projects to enhance domestic supply chains and reduce America’s dependence on chemical imports. Through ASPECT, selected organizations can match with SwRI to advance their alternative or waste feedstock projects.

“This is an exciting opportunity because we support these kinds of projects every day,” said Eloy Flores III, director of SwRI’s Chemical Engineering Department. “SwRI’s expertise in commodity chemicals dates back to the oil embargos of the 1970s when our experts started evaluating alternative feedstocks and fuels that could mitigate oil and gas supply shortages.”

As a pioneer in alternative fuels, SwRI develops novel chemical processes and technologies for alternative and renewable feedstocks. For ASPECT, SwRI will focus on scaling technologies beyond proof of concept and systems integration.

To support work in this area, SwRI recently upgraded several alternative fuels facilities and equipment, including a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) reactor. The size of a small room, the CFB supports pyrolysis, which breaks down organic materials at high heat but without oxygen, and gasification, which turns carbon-rich materials into a combustible gas mixture. The reactor also allows chemists to evaluate renewable feedstocks such as biomass — organic material from plants, animals or microorganisms — and recycled plastics as well as managing processes to upgrade spent heavy oils.

“We strive to make scale-up as efficient as possible for our clients. We offer a variety of reactor types and sizes, along with indoor and outdoor spaces that include built-in utilities and permitting that can shave years off the normally winding road to commercialization,” said Flores.

SwRI advances technology and processes for a variety of alternative fuels such as natural gas, biomass, hydrogen, supercritical carbon dioxide and ammonia. Along with engineering, procurement, construction and operations (EPCO) services, SwRI offers in-house fabrication, built-in utilities, existing infrastructure and flexible permitting for the development of novel chemical processes and customizable pilot plants.

For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/what-we-do/technical-divisions/chemistry-chemical-engineering .