Engineering Conferences International

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstrac

Kompala, Dhinakar

Glascock, Christopher B.

Smith, Braden L.

Aberin, David A.

SUD INCLINED SETTLING BIOREACTOR FOR GENTLE EXPANSION,  
CONCENTRATION & HARVEST OF GENE & CELL THERAPIES  
 
Dhinakar S. Kompala, Sudhin Biopharma Co. 
kompala@sudhinbio.com 
Christopher B. Glascock, Sudhin Biopharma  
Braden L. Smith, Sudhin Biopharma  
David A. Aberin, Rockwell Automation 
 
 
Key Words: Single Use Disposable, Inclined Settling Bioreactor, Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Gentle Cell 
Separation or Harvest, Scalable low-shear bioreactor  
 
Inclined settling technology has been successfully demonstrated in biopharmaceutical manufacturing as a  
selective cell retention device for achieving high cell densities and viabilities for an extended culture duration (over 
3 months, Bayer 1990s) in perfusion bioreactors and at large scales (3000L, Roche, 2013).  We have developed 
a novel compact scalable design in a conical and cylindrical geometry with a smaller footprint and 6x higher 
inclined settling surface area and demonstrated that these compact settlers can settle smaller yeast cells to be 
recycled to a high cell density perfusion bioreactor operated over 2 months (Freeman, et al. 2017).   
 
Following the Industry trends into single use technologies, we have fabricated the compact settlers as single use 
disposable plastic BioSettlers and demonstrated their unique and essential functions of selective cell retention 
and recycle of live and productive CHO cells back to the bioreactor and continuous removal of dead cells and cell 
debris from the top of BioSettler in our laboratory.  Our collaborators at Pluristyx have demonstrated that the 
smallest BioSettler (250 ml) can settle all (100%) of IPSC clusters (>100 microns), while removing only the smaller 
single cells (live or dead) and cell debris via the settler’s top effluent. 
 
By installing single use disposable pH and DO fluorescent 
dye sensors inside the BioSettler and manipulating the mix 
and flow rates of air, O2 and CO2 sparged into the cell culture 
medium inside the BioSettler, our collaborators at Rockwell 
Automation have demonstrated feed-back control of pH and 
DO within the physiological or optimal cell growth range 
inside the BioSettler in our laboratory as shown in the Figure 
1 to the right.  As cell culture liquid medium gently circulating 
inside the BioSettler is now controlled at any desired or 
optimum cell growth conditions of pH, DO and T, any 
mammalian cells can be grown inside this novel “Inclined 
Settling Bioreactor (ISB)”.  This novel bioreactor combines 
the desirable features of a gentle air-lift cell culture bioreactor 
with the selective cell retention features of the inclined 
settler, combined to a single device.  We will present latest 
data from our current CHO cell culture operated in a 
perfusion mode to remove smaller dead cells and cell debris 
selectively from the top of the ISB, while the larger and 
productive CHO cells are retained to high cell densities and 
productivities inside the ISB.  A second ISB is being 
fabricated to culture IPSC clusters inside the low-shear 
bioreactor at Pluristyx, so that the larger IPSC clusters are 
retained in the ISB, while the spent  medium is removed 
along with any single dead or live cells to be replaced with 
fresh medium daily or in continuous perfusion mode.  
 
This novel Inclined Settling Bioreactor will be useful for 
growing not only suspension cells like CHO, IPSCs, but also 
any attachment dependent cells like MSCs on microcarrier 
beads and HEK cells on inclined settling cones, while their 
product AAV vectors can be harvested easily from the top. 


English

SUD inclined settling bioreactor for gentle expansion, concentration and harvest of gene and cell therapies

Pawar, Asmita

EMERGING TRENDS IN SINGLE USE TECHNOLOGY FOR MANUFACTURING OF ANTIBODY-DRUG 
CONJUGATES 
 
Asmita Pawar, Lonza AG 
asmita.pawar@lonza.com 
 
 
Key Words: Cleaning Validation, Single-use systems, Toxins, Solvents, Leachables. 
 
Single-use technology, designed for the manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products, has made major inroads 
over the last 30 years. Single-use technologies were revolutionized in the late 2000s with the introduction of 
single-use 2D and 3D process containers and filter assemblies for mixing and storage systems. The adoption of 
single-use technology is especially growing in the development and manufacturing of biologics and complex 
drugs like Antibody-drug Conjugates (ADCs). Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC’s) are an important class of 
highly potent biopharmaceutical drugs designed as a targeted therapy for the treatment of cancer. Special 
consideration for safe handling and containment of these operations are necessary due to the organic solvents 
required for the conjugation reaction and the highly potent, toxic nature of the small molecule payload.  
 
According to various reports, 70-80% of the manufacturing of ADCs is outsourced to contract development and 
manufacturing organizations (CDMOs). Due to this increased outsourcing pattern, CDMOs entertain many 
different types of ADCs. Many ADC’s are produced on a small run campaign basis with typically weeks of 
manufacture rather than campaigns of months or years. Hence for many ADC manufacturers the cleaning 
validation burden associated with a hard shell stainless steel isolator can be an issue. Single-use systems 
minimize cleaning processes, reducing costs and risks of cross-contamination. In the end, customers benefit 
from lower manufacturing costs and speed to market. The faster turnover will result in more batches made to 
meet the commercial demand. Single-use (SU) systems have great potential in antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) 
manufacturing. The use of organic solvents in the ADC process might , however, raise questions about potential 
leachables from the plastic and elastomeric materials of single-use components. To address those concerns, 
extractables studies for organic compounds and trace elements from the single-use components can be 
identified and semi-quantitated with a complementary set of analytical techniques. 
Single-use technology offers much promise to successfully address these concerns. However, better 
understanding of the suitability, scalability, and solvent compatibility of both the single-use components as well 
as the supporting hardware and controls is needed to enable widespread adoption. 
 
 
 
 


Emerging trends in single use technology for manufacturing of antibody- drug conjugates

Dorey, Samuel

Gauthier, Mélanie

Girard-Perier, Nina

Gay, Isabelle

Krieguer, Blanche

R.A Marque, Sylvain

Dupuy, Nathalie

IMPLEMENTING X-RAY FOR SINGLE USE SYSTEMS STERILIZATION: CURRENT STATUS  
 
Samuel Dorey, Sartorius Stedim FMT S.A.S, Z.I. Les Paluds, Avenue de Jouques CS91051, 13781 Aubagne 
Cedex, France 
samuel.dorey@sartorius.com 
Mélanie Gauthier, Sartorius Stedim FMT S.A.S 
Isabelle Gay, Sartorius Stedim FMT S.A.S 
Nina Girard-Perier, Sartorius Stedim FMT S.A.S 
Blanche Krieguer, Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France 
Nathalie Dupuy, Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France 
Sylvain R.A Marque, Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ICR, case 551, 13397 Marseille, France 
 
 
Key Words: X-ray & Gamma sterilization, risk assessment, business continuity, flexibility, regulatory 
perspectives 
 
Sterilization/decontamination by gamma irradiation is a standardized process for some medical devices, drugs 
and in the food field and has many advantages due to its significantly low toxicity. Many worldwide industrial 
sites offer gamma irradiation as a means of sterilization, and in the last decade, new irradiation technology such 
as X-rays or electron-beam raises, to overcome the challenges encountered e.g., due to sterilization capacity 
constraints. All irradiation technologies are reliable and reproducible processes and ensure sterility over time by 
avoiding any possible risk of contamination. It will thus reflect on post-pandemic world solutions to build capacity 
with high flexibility, while looking forward to anticipating future increase in sterilization demand without negative 
implications/repercussions in all industries where sterilization is needed. Unfortunately, these radiation 
processing also present disadvantages of inducing modifications for exposed materials. While X-ray industrial 
units are beginning to emerge, the question of a comparative study between the effects of different types of 
radiation and their health impact on the materials/products studied still arises. This previous lack of data 
represented a hurdle for medical device and biopharmaceutical manufacturers desiring to transition from 
gamma-ray sterilization modalities to X-ray or electron-beam. Communicating to the industry our approach and 
polymer effects results can support medical device and biopharmaceutical manufacturers to perform their own 
risk assessment when piloting the transition to alternative irradiation modalities. In an effort to help fill these data 
gaps previously enounced, physicochemical testing, mechanical testing, extractables testing, etc. were 
performed on products including their polymer components previously irradiated by the different radiation 
technologies (gamma and X-ray). We will then give an update on recent publications supporting X-ray 
equivalence, industry implementation timelines, key risks, related industry activities, and regulatory 
perspectives.   
 
 
 
 


Implementing X-ray for single use systems sterilization: Current status

Barbaroux, M.

Kane, S.

Yoon, S.

Engineering Conferences International 
ECI Digital Archives 
Single Use Technologies VI: Established, 
Emergent, Agile, Sustainable? Proceedings 
9-10-2023 
Conference program - SINGLE USE TECHNOLOGIES VI 
M. Barbaroux 
S. Kane 
S. Yoon 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.engconfintl.org/sutvi 
Program 
 
 
SINGLE USE TECHNOLOGIES VI: 
ESTABLISHED, EMERGENT, AGILE, 
SUSTAINABLE? 
 
 
September 10-13, 2023 
 
Hyatt Regency Hotel 
Boston, Massachusetts, 
USA 
 
Conference Chairs 
 
Magali Barbaroux, Sartorius, France  
Sheryl Kane, Takeda, USA 
Seongkyu Yoon, University of Massachusetts, USA 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Engineering Conferences International 
369 Lexington Avenue, 3rd Floor #389 - New York, NY 10017, USA 
www.engconfintl.org – info@engconfintl.org 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hyatt Regency Boston 
One Avenue de Lafayette, Boston, Massachusetts, 
United States, 02111 
+1 617 912 1234 
Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a not-for-profit global engineering conferences 
program, originally established in 1962, that provides opportunities for the exploration of 
problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.  
ECI BOARD MEMBERS 
Eugene Schaefer, Chairman
Mike Betenbaugh 
Joye Bramble 
Barry C. Buckland
Nick Clesceri 
Chetan Goudar
Peter Gray 
Michael King 
 
 
Chair of ECI Conferences Committee: Nick Clesceri 
ECI Technical Liaison for this conference: Beth Junker 
ECI Executive Director: Barbara K. Hickernell 
ECI Associate Director: Kevin M. Korpics 
©Engineering Conferences International 
Steering Committee 
Weibing Ding, GSK 
Regine Eibl-Schindler, Zurich University of Applied 
Sciences Beth Junker, BioProcess Advantage LLC 
Gary Lye, University College London 
Ekta Mahajan, Genentech-Roche 
Martina Micheletti, University College London
Robert Repetto, Pfizer 
Previous conference in this series 
Single-Use Technologies: Bridging Polymer Science to Biotechnology Applications 
October 18-21, 2015 
Leesburg, VA, USA 
Conference Chairs: 
Ekta Mahajan, Genentech, Inc., USA 
Gary Lye, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, UK 
Single-Use Technologies: Bridging Polymer Science to Biotechnology Applications II 
May 7-10, 2017 
Tomar, Portugal 
Conference Chairs: 
Ekta Mahajan, Genentech, Inc., USA 
Gary Lye, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, UK 
Regine Eibl, Zurich University of Applied Science, Switzerland 
Single-Use Technologies: Bridging Polymer Science to Biotechnology Applications III 
September 23 – 26, 2018 
Snowbird, Utah, USA 
Conference Chairs: 
Weibing Ding, Amgen, USA 
Martina Micheletti, University College London, United Kingdom 
Robert Repetto, Pfizer, USA 
Single-Use Technologies IV Webinar 
May 20, May 25, June 1, 2021 
Conference Chairs: 
Magali Barbaroux, Sartorius, France  
Weibing Ding, Amgen, USA 
Martina Micheletti, University College London, United Kingdom 
Single-Use Technologies V 
March 20-23, 2022
Marseille, France 
Conference Chairs: 
Magali Barbaroux, Sartorius, France  
Martina Micheletti, University College London, United Kingdom 
Conference Sponsors 
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 
                    NIIMBL 
           Südpack Medica AG 
                  Sartorius  
                    Fastnet 
Special Notes and Locations 
 
• The Pre-conference Workshop and the Technical Sessions will be held in Ballroom B (4th 
Floor). 
• Meals at the hotel will be in Ballroom A (4th Floor). 
• The poster session will be in the Adrienne Salon.  
• The ECI office is the Cambridge Room. 
• Wifi Access in the conference area: Network: @Hyatt Meeting 
Password: ECI23 
• Speakers – Please have your presentation loaded onto the conference computer prior to 
the session start (preferably the day before).  
• Speakers – Please leave at least 3-5 minutes for questions and discussion.  
• Please do not smoke at any conference functions.  
• Turn your mobile telephones to vibrate or off during technical sessions.  
• After the conference, ECI will send an updated participant list to all participants. Please 
check your listing now and if it needs updating, you may correct it at any time by logging 
into your ECI account.  
• Audiotaping, videotaping and photography of presentations are prohibited. 
Sunday, September 10, 2023 
 
1:15 – 2:00 pm  Early conference check-in for workshop attendees (Ballroom Foyer) 
 
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP: ESTABLISHED 
 Session Chairs: Miriam Monge (Sartorius) 
     Nelly Montenay (Sartorius) 
     Stephanie Ketcham (BMS) 
 
Overview  
This workshop aims to address four key industry challenges that the single-use 
bioprocessing industry is currently facing. Through short fire introductions 
followed by guided moderated interactive breakout sessions, the sessions aim to 
provide specific learning objectives for each industry challenge. Don’t miss out on 
this highly interactive learning opportunity with industry experts.  
  
2:00 – 2:15 pm  Introductory remarks by pre-conference workshop chairs 
 
2:15 – 2:30 pm  Risk Assessment, Annex 1 and New Modalities 
   Lorraine Borland, Sartorius 
 
2:30 – 2:45 pm  Sustainability 
   Shwetha Ravi Devine, DPS Global engineering 
   Matteo Alaria, Sartorius 
 
2:45 – 3:00 pm  Standardization of Single-use Designs 
   Alex diBenedetto, Roche-Genentech 
 
3:00 – 3:15 pm  Industry forum overview – updates on active industry workstreams 
   Monica Cardona, MilliporeSigma 
   Magali Barbaroux (Sartorius) 
 
3:15 – 4:15 pm  Coffee Break and Breakout Sessions 
 
4:15 – 5:45 pm  Conference check-in for those not attending workshop (Ballroom Foyer) 
 
4:15 – 5:15 pm  Feedback from each breakout team 
 
5:15 – 5:30 pm  Closing remarks 
 
5:30 – 5:45 pm  Stretch Break 
 
5:45 – 6:15 pm  Welcome drink 
 
6:15 – 6:45 pm  Chairs’ opening remarks 
 
6:45 – 7:45 pm  Keynote 
   John Schiel (NIST) 
Big Ideas, Bold Goals, and the Future of Biomanufacturing 
    
8:00 – 9:30 pm  Dinner at the hotel 
 
  
Monday, September 11, 2023 
 
07:30 – 08:30 am Breakfast 
 
 SESSION 1: ESTABLISHED 
 Session Chairs: Gary Gilleskie (NC State University) 
John Puglia (ThermoFisher) 
 
08:30 – 08:45 am Introductory remarks by section chairs 
 
08:45 – 09:15 am Workflow for identifying and monitoring antioxidant additives in single-use 
systems  
 Weifeng Lin, Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA 
 
09:15 – 09:45 am Implementing X-ray for single use systems sterilization: Current status  
Samuel Dorey, Sartorius Stedim FMT SAS, France 
 
09:45 – 10:15 am Advanced numerical characterization of a wave-mixed bioreactor used in 
the biopharmaceutical industry 
 Stefan Seidel, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland 
 
10:15 – 10:45 am Coffee Break 
 
10:45 – 11:15 am Design of a GMP-ready single-pass tangential flow filtration (SPTFF) and 
inline diafiltration (LILDF) system for continuous manufacturing operations  
 Lara Fernandez Cerezo, Merck & Co., Inc, USA 
 
11:15 – 11:45 am Emerging trends in single use technology for manufacturing of antibody-
drug conjugates  
Asmita Pawar, Lonza AG, Switzerland 
 
11:45 – 12:15 pm Discussion 
 
12:15 – 01:45 pm Lunch 
 
2:00 – 3:30 pm  Duck Boat Tour (Departing the hotel promptly at 14:15) 
 
   POSTER SESSION 
   Session Chairs: Stephanie Ketcham (BMS) 
Brendan Lucey (Entegris) 
 
4:00 – 4:10 pm  Introductory remarks by session chairs     
 
4:10 – 6:15 pm  Poster Session (with Drink and Snacks) 
 
   Dinner on your own / Free evening 
 
  
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 
 
07:30 – 08:30 am Breakfast 
 
 SESSION 2: EMERGENT 
Session Chairs: Shawn Wang (Kite Pharma) 
Takeshi Nishiura (Northwest Fluid Solutions) 
 
08:30 – 08:45 am Introductory remarks by session chairs 
 
08:45 – 09:15 am Material considerations for cell & gene therapy products  
 Ekta Mahajan, Genentech, USA 
 
09:15 – 09:45 am The integration of SU, automation & robotics to enable new therapy 
modalities  
David Pollard, Sartorius, USA 
 
09:45 – 10:15 am The role of membrane chemistry in Lentiviral vector clarification recovery 
for cell and gene therapies 
 Noor Mujahid, UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering, United Kingdom 
 
10:15 – 10:45 am Coffee Break 
 
10:45 – 11:15 am SUD inclined settling bioreactor for gentle expansion, concentration and 
harvest of gene and cell therapies  
 Dhinakar Kompala, Sudhin Biopharma, USA 
 
11:15 – 11:45 am 3D printing technology: Supply chain independent single-use plastic ware 
and bioreactors for cell culture  
Lena Achleitner, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria 
 
11:45 am – 12:15 pm Discussion 
 
12:15  – 1:15 pm Lunch 
 
   SESSION 3: AGILE 
Session Chairs: Andrea Rayat (University College London) 
Christian Wood (Moderna) 
Jeffrey Carter (Cytiva) 
 
1:15 – 1:30 pm Introductory remarks by session chairs 
 
1:30 – 2:00 pm  Next generation processes: Single use technology and key enablers 
                                       Melissa Semple, Cytiva, USA 
 
2:00 – 2:30 pm Simplified Extractables and Leachables Assessment Using Prior 
Knowledge and IT solutions  
Armin Hauk, Sartorius-Stedim Biotech GmbH, Germany  
 
2:30 – 3:00 pm  Coffee Break 
 
3:00 – 3:30 pm  Agile response to COVID supply disruptions to strengthen raw material  
                                       resiliency and ensure uninterrupted supply 
                                       Elizabeth Rainbeau, Amgen Inc, USA 
 
 
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 (Continued) 
 
3:30 – 4:00 pm Single use digitization and information management: enabling agile and 
sustainable systems  
 Shane Kelly, Fastnet Biopharma, USA 
 
4:00 – 4:30 pm  Discussion 
 
4:30 – 4:45 pm Break 
 
4:45 – 5:15 pm Drinks and snacks 
 
5:15 – 6:15 pm Keynote 
Willian E. Bentley, University of Maryland, USA 
Bio ↔ Electronic Information Processing: An Emerging Technology for 
Biomanufacturing 
 
6:15 – 6:30 pm Break 
 
6:30 pm Depart hotel for dinner 
 
7:00 – 9:00 pm Reception followed by Banquet Dinner and awards at the UMASS Faculty Club  
 
 
 
  
Wednesday, September 13, 2022 
 
07:30 – 08:30 am Breakfast 
 
 SESSION 4: SUSTAINABLE (Sponsored by Südpack Medica AG) 
Session Chairs: Philip Smith (GSK) 
Nelly Montenay (Sartorius) 
  
08:30 – 08:45 am Introductory remarks by session chairs 
 
08:45 – 09:15 am Driving environmental sustainability in the biopharmaceutical industry 
 Matteo Alaria, Sartorius, Italy 
 
09:15 – 09:45 am Process sustainability through new technologies: Single-use centrifuge 
implications on process and product efficiency  
John Puglia, Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA 
 
09:45 – 10:15 am Can sustainability concepts for food packaging be used as a benchmark 
for single use packaging in the biotech industry? 
 Jurgen Betz, Richard Mochel, Südpack Medica, Switzerland 
 
10:15 – 10:45 am Coffee Break 
 
10:45 – 11:15 am How EcoDesign methodologies can be leveraged to reduce the carbon 
footprint throughout a product lifecycle  
 Jonathan Molinari, GSK, USA 
 
11:15 – 11:45 am Bioreactivity testing in single use technologies; industry position paper  
Nicole Hunter, Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions, United Kingdom 
 
11:45 am – 12:15 pm Discussion 
 
12:15 – 12:30 pm Chairs’ closing remarks 
 
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch  
 
 
Wednesday, September 13, 2023, Afternoon – OPTIONAL Site Visits 
 
As we have in years past, we are offering ECI SUT VI participants the chance to tour an industry site 
right after the conference ends. This year we have two different tour options on offer, with the following 
expected timing (traffic dependent): 
 
1- Repligen, a single use supplier  
• 1:30 pm – conference ends 
• 1:45 pm – buses start to pick up tour participants at 1 Ave de Lafayette, Boston 
• 2:00 pm – buses leave the hotel  
• 3:00 pm – buses arrive in Hopkinton 
• 3:15 – 5:00 pm (timing up to you) – tour of Hopkinton 
• ~5 pm – buses leave Hopkinton and return participants to 1 Ave de Lafayette, Boston 
• 6:30 pm - buses arrive back at hotel (traffic dependent) 
 
2- Landmark Bio, a CDMO using single-use technologies to manufacture therapeutics 1:30 pm – 
conference ends 
• 1:45 pm – buses start to pick up tour participants at 1 Ave de Lafayette, Boston 
• 2:00 pm – buses leave the hotel  
• 2:30 pm – buses arrive in Watertown 
• 2:30 – 4:30 pm (timing up to you) – tour of facility 
• ~4:30 pm – buses leave Watertown and return participants to 1 Ave de Lafayette, Boston 
• 5:15 pm - buses arrive back at hotel (traffic dependent) 
 
 
 
 
Poster Presentations 
1.  A mathematical approach to evaluate equivalence in E&L assessments of SUS 
Armin Hauk, Sartorius-Stedim Biotech GmbH, Germany 
 
2.  Is component part standardization of established systems possible? 
Marcus Bayer, Hamilton, Switzerland 
 
3.  Flexibility by design via integrated, configurable platform solutions 
Floriane Cohen, Univercells Technologies, Belgium 
 
4.  Process intensification using SepraPor® ultrafiltration hollow fibers for single-pass 
tangential flow filtration 
Jessica McRoskey, Meissner, USA 
 
5.  Process intensification in downstream TFF purification using SepraPor® ultrafiltration 
(UF) hollow fiber filters 
Jessica McRoskey, Meissner, USA 
 
6.  The improved performance and reliability of dual functionality filters having combined 
hydrophilic / hydrophobic membrane characteristics 
Thomas Lazzara, Meissner Inc., USA 
 
7.  Sample-free operation in cell-culture simulations using single-use pH sensor with built-
in self-calibration capability 
CD Feng, Broadley-James Corporation, USA 
 
8.  Environmental impacts of gamma versus X-ray irradiation sterilization 
Robert Barrentine, Saint-Gobain Life Sciences, USA 
 
9.  Developing a universal single-use skid for continuous purification operations 
Chad Varner, Sanofi, USA 
 
10.  Ultimus® film: The next generation of single-use film 
Diana Perez, MilliporeSigma, USA 
 
11.  Development of a dissolved CO2 sensor in true single-use format 
Stefan Bardeck, METTLER TOLEDO, Switzerland 
 
12.  Benefits of high-purity biopharma processing thermoplastic tubing in single-use 
systems 
Sweden Yocom, DuPont, USA 
 
 


Conference program - SINGLE USE TECHNOLOGIES VI

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Lima, Isabel M.

AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES: GOING FULL CIRCLE ON BIOCHAR RESOURCEFULNESS 
 
Isabel M. Lima, USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center, 1100 Allen Toussaint Blvd, USA 
imlima@usda.gov 
 
 
Keywords: biochar, agricultural residues, remediation, soil amendment 
 
Driven by the need to find alternative solutions to agricultural residues disposal and resulting impacts in water 
quality and public health, our laboratory at the Southern Regional Research Center, as part of the Agricultural 
Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has looked into solutions. We have shown that it is 
feasible to convert a multitude of agricultural and forestry residues into biochars via thermochemical conversion 
through pyrolysis. Feedstocks studied include whole perennial grasses such as switchgrass and miscanthus, 
bagasse from sugarcane and sweet sorghum, various wood residues, beet pulp from sugar beets, all the way to 
various animal manures. The resulting biochars have been fully characterized and tested in various different 
applications, from heavy metal remediation to soil amendment. Biochars from animal manures in particular, 
have proven to effectively remediate heavy metals, and therefore can potentially be used in contaminated sites 
for in-situ remediation. Biochars have also proven successful as soil amendments, with crop yield benefits 
extending beyond a single application. Feedstock and processing conditions played a significant role in the 
resulting biochar properties and can help tailor them to specific uses. Biochars development, characterization, 
properties, and different uses will be herein presented. 
 
 
 


Agricultural residues: Going full circle on biochar resourcefulness

Batta, Neha

Heuchan, Spencer M.

Berruti, Franco

Moreira Valenzuela, Cesar

APPLICATION OF BIOCHAR FOR THE TREATMENT OF RETTING EFFLUENT AND USE AS GROWTH 
SUBSTRATE  
 
Neha Batta, University of Western Ontario 
nbatta@uwo.ca 
Spencer M. Heuchan, University of Western Ontario 
Franco Berruti, University of Western Ontario 
Cesar Moreira Valenzuela, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL 
 
 
Key Words: Biochar, Wastewater, Circular Economy, Hydroponics 
 
Biochar has been found to be important in a wide array of applications as soil amendment, adsorbent for 
wastewater treatment and removal of toxic compounds and organic contaminants, catalyst, food/feed 
supplement, and filler for polymers and cement. However, the opportunities for the efficient utilization of spent 
biochar remain largely unexplored.  In this study, we attempt to use pristine biochar, derived from wheat straw 
and wood continuous pyrolysis, to first treat a wastewater effluent obtained from a fiber retting process and then 
use the spent biochar as a growth substrate in place of commercial non-renewable substrates, such as peat and 
rockwool. Biochars derived from different biomass sources was used to treat the effluent and subsequently 
characterized by ICP-MS to observe changes in elemental nutrients composition.  Effluents treated with biochar 
increased the concentration of potassium content by 28% and micronutrient concentrations by 28 to 70%. The 
biochar treated effluent was used as a nutrient source in a hydroponic set-up to grow basil and lettuce. Our data 
suggests that biochar treated effluent improved lettuce and basil survivability compared to untreated effluent. 
Spent biochar was then mixed with 25% perlite and hemp fibers to improve aeration and provide pores for root 
growth. Initial tests showed successful germination using spent biochar for tomato, basil, and lettuce seedlings 
after 5 days of incubation under optimal growing conditions.  In conclusion, biochar treated effluent, and spent 
biochar may have potential value-added applications within a hydroponic system. 
 
 
   
 
Figure 1 – (a) Plant growth in biochar treated effluent, 
(b) biochar as a growth substrate for germination 
a b 


Application of biochar for the treatment of retting effluent and use as growth substrate

Wang, Liang

Dieguez-Alonso, Alba

Olsen, Maria N. P.

Cathrine Guldahl, Julie

Skreiberg, Øyvind

Budai, Alice

Rasse, Daniel

PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SPRUCE WOOD AND BARK BIOCHAR  
 
Liang Wang, SINTEF Energy Research 
liang.wang@sintef.no 
Alba Dieguez-Alonso, Institute for fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, Otto-von-Guericke University 
Magdeburg 
Maria N. P. Olsen, SINTEF Energy Research 
Julie Cathrine Guldahl, SINTEF Energy Research 
Øyvind Skreiberg, SINTEF Energy Research 
Alice Budai, Department of Soil Quality and Climate Change, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research 
Daniel Rasse, Department of Soil Quality and Climate Change, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research 
 
 
Key Words: Bark, wood, biochar, atmosphere, characterization. 
 
Biochar produced from pyrolysis of biomass has great potentials to be used the agricultural sector. With unique 
properties, use of biochar in agronomy can improve soil fertility, increase crop yields and sequestrate carbon as 
well. Production conditions have considerably effects on yield and property of biochar and gas and liquid by-
products. This work aimed to investigate the impact of highest treatment temperature (HTT), atmosphere (CO2 
and N2) and feedstock on yield of solid, liquid and gas products from pyrolysis of spruce wood and bark as well 
as characteristics of the produced biochar. Spruce wood and bark chips were pyrolyzed in a fixed bed reactor 
under slow heating conditions with presence of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, which continuous monitoring gases 
products. The produced biochars were characterized by a combination of proximate analysis, elemental 
analysis, N2 and CO2 adsorption for BET surface area and porosity analysis, 13C NMR spectroscopy and 
scanning electron microscopy. It was found that products distribution from pyrolysis of spruce wood and bark 
are considerably different, mainly owing to the differences in physical and chemical properties of them. In both 
nitrogen (N2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) atmosphere, yields of biochar and liquid products decreased at a higher 
HTT, together with production of more gas products. The experimental and analysis results indicate that 
pyrolysis behaviors of the spruce wood and bark in N2 and CO2 is different. Pyrolysis in CO2 led to different 
extents of pyrolysis reactions and produced biochar with changed physico-chemical properties compared to 
those produced in N2 atmosphere. The CO2 seems to enhance cracking of volatile organic carbons, leading to 
reduction of amount of formed liquid products. The experimental findings in this study indicate that the carbon 
neutral biomass and CO2 could be co-utilized as feedstock and influencing carrier gas with multi benefits for 
biochar production, energy generation and waste management. 
 
 
 
       
 
 (a) 
Figure 1 – Product yields from pyrolysis of spruce wood (a) and bark (b) and bark char produced in 
atmosphere of N2 (c) and CO2 (d) 
 (b)  
 (c)  (d) 


Production and characterization of spruce wood and bark biochar

Park, Jaeyeong

Baek, Un-Bong

Bae, Kyung-Oh

HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT EVALUATION OF STAINLESS STEELS IN CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURE 
 
Jaeyeong Park, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science 
j.park@kriss.re.kr 
Kyung-Oh Bae, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science 
Un-Bong Baek, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science 
 
 
Recently, interest and demand for hydrogen energy, an eco-friendly energy resource, are increasing due to the 
global warming. In the not too distance future, hydrogen energy may be used in liquid phase due to its efficient 
energy density. However, when metals and hydrogen face each other, the mechanical properties of metals 
deteriorated, so-called hydrogen embrittlement. SSRT (slow strain rate test) is performed in a high-pressure 
hydrogen environment in order to evaluate hydrogen embrittlement. For application to liquid hydrogen, it is also 
necessary to investigate the cryogenic mechanical properties and hydrogen embrittlement in detail. In order to 
understand the effects of liquid hydrogen on hydrogen embrittlement, testing in liquid hydrogen environment is 
the clearest method. However, when liquefied hydrogen is used, a large amount of hydrogen is gasify from 
liquefied hydrogen remaining after the test as well as during cooling of the jig and the specimen. In order to 
install and operate a facility for treating a large amount of hydrogen, a lot of economic  resources are required, 
such as separate building equipped with many safety devices and system. 
 
In this study, hydrogen embrittlement of stainless steels was evaluated in a cryogenic environment (about 20 K 
temperature). Stainless steels has a relatively high resistance to hydrogen embrittlement and is considered for 
piping and storage vessels for liquefied hydrogen. It is difficult to implement a cryogenic environment in a high-
pressure hydrogen environment due to limitations in sealing. So, hydrogen embrilttlement and mechanical 
properties were evaluated in a cryogenic environment using a hollow-type specimen filled with hydrogen inside. 
The temperature of specimen was cooled through a cryo-cooler and insulated through a cryostat. The purpose 
of this study was to verify the validity of the test using a hollow-type specimen for evaluating the hydrogen 
embrittlement in cryogenic temperature. 
 
 
 
 
Reference 
T. Ogata, Hydrogen environment embrittlement evaluation in fatigue properties of stainless steels at cryogenic 
temperatures, Adv. Cryo. Eng.: Transactions of the Cryogenic Engineering Materials Conference – ICMC, 56 
(2010) 25-32. 
L. Zhang et al., Effect of nickel equivalent on hydrogen gas embrittlement of austenitic stainless steels based on 
type 316 at low temperature, Acta Mater. 56 (2008) 3414-3421. 
T. Ogata et al., Discontinuous defomation during load- and displacement-controlled tensile tests and optical 
observation in liquid helium, Cryogenics, 28 (1988) 511-515. 
G. Lovicu et al., Hydrogen embrittlement of automotive advanced high-strength steels, Mater. Trans. A, 43 
(2012) 4075-4087. 


Hydrogen embrittlement evlauation of stainless steels in cryogenic temperature

Tehranchi, Ali

Hickel, Tilmann

Neugebauer, Jörg

EFFECT OF HYDROGEN ON PHASE STABILITIES IN STEELS 
 
Ali Tehranchi, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, D-40237 Düsseldorf, Germany 
tehranchi@mpie.de  
Tilmann Hickel, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, D-40237 Düsseldorf, Germany 
Jörg Neugebauer, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, D-40237 Düsseldorf, Germany 
 
 
Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) is a persistent mode of failure in advanced high-strength steels. During the service 
life of these steels phase transformations occur and are a key element that determines their response to the 
service loads. Thus, the investigation of the role of hydrogen atoms in the relative stability of the phases present 
and forming in steels is of great interest.   
 
In this work, we studied the role of hydrogen on the relative stability of the fcc/bcc/hcp phases using the ab initio 
thermodynamics.  The results indicate that at low hydrogen chemical potentials the stability of the fcc phase, 
which can be representative of retained austenite (RA) in steels, is slightly enhanced by the presence of 
hydrogen atoms. In contrast, at high hydrogen chemical potentials the bcc phase is stabilized by H. Moreover, 
since the excess volume of the hydrogen-rich bcc phase is significantly larger than that of the fcc phase, the 
presence of a stress field can change the relative stability of these phases in the coexistence regions of the 
phase diagram.  This feature is particularly important for cyclic loading conditions:  during loading cycles forward 
and reverse phase transformations occur and the hydrogen released by these transformations can damage the 
material. 
 
 


Effect of hydrogen on phase stabilities in steels

León-Cázares, Fernando D.

Ronevich, Joseph

San Marchi, Chris

Agnani, Milan

EFFECT OF HYDROGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE ON CRACK INITIATION AND GROWTH RATE IN X52 
VINTAGE STEEL 
 
Fernando D. León-Cázares, Sandia National Laboratories 
fleonca@sandia.gov 
Milan Agnani, Sandia National Laboratories 
Joseph Ronevich, Sandia National Laboratories 
Chris San Marchi, Sandia National Laboratories 
 
 
Ongoing efforts to decarbonize our energy systems highlight hydrogen as an attractive alternative to fossil fuels. 
One such opportunity involves adapting existing natural gas infrastructure for use with hydrogen, which primarily 
consists of vintage (pre-1970s) pipeline steels. While the deleterious effects of hydrogen on the fatigue and 
fracture resistance of these materials have received more attention in recent years, there is a lack of data on 
crack initiation for low hydrogen partial pressure conditions, relevant for some of these applications. To address 
this gap, the current work presents a series of fatigue tests performed on vintage API Grade X52 steel in air and 
gaseous hydrogen at different partial pressures in the range of 1 to 210 bar. All tests were performed at room 
temperature and with a load ratio R = 0.1. Circumferential notch tension (CNT) specimens were tested while 
recording the direct current potential difference (DCPD) across the notch to develop S-N curves for both crack 
initiation and failure. Fractography was performed to correlate the reduction in fatigue life due to hydrogen to 
changes in the fracture surfaces. Moreover, a series of interrupted CNT tests were also performed, followed by 
crack geometry observations, to infer relationships between normalized DCPD voltage and crack length. Fatigue 
crack growth rates were also determined from standard fracture mechanics tests using the compact tension 
(CT) geometry. These were then compared to CNT data to further estimate the stress intensity factor ranges of 
all the conditions tested. Results show that hydrogen degrades the fatigue properties of this material even at 
pressures as low as 1 bar, with larger reductions in lifetime for larger applied stresses. While some existing 
infrastructure can likely accommodate hydrogen, its effects are quite apparent at low hydrogen partial pressure 
and must be carefully considered in structural integrity analyses. 
 


Effect of hydrogen partial pressure on crack initiation and growth rate in X52 vintage steel

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