RTI International is putting $14 million behind a critical step in the race to commercialize breakthrough energy and industrial technologies: proving they work at scale.

 

The independent scientific research institute has opened a major expansion of its RTI Pilot Xcelerator, a commercialization platform designed to help innovators move technologies out of the laboratory, demonstrate performance at pilot scale and cut the risks standing between invention and commercial deployment.

 

The 25,000-square-foot expansion, located at RTI’s campus in the heart of Research Triangle Park, doubles the institute’s commercialization infrastructure. It gives startups, established companies and government partners access to pilot-scale equipment, engineering expertise, independent scientific validation and commercialization support—capabilities that can be expensive and difficult to build independently.

 

“The RTI Pilot Xcelerator reflects our commitment to helping innovators move breakthrough technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace,” said Tim J. Gabel, president and CEO of RTI. “It's an investment in innovation, commercialization and the future growth of our region and beyond.”

 

The expansion also strengthens North Carolina’s position in technology commercialization. RTI says the Pilot Xcelerator is the only privately owned industrial pilot laboratory in the state.

 

For tough technologies, the jump from laboratory success to commercial operation can be one of the biggest hurdles. Pilot-scale testing can generate the real-world performance data and operating experience needed to convince investors, customers and commercial partners that a technology is ready for its next stage.

 

“Access to pilot-scale infrastructure can be one of the biggest barriers to commercialization,” said David Dausch, Ph.D., vice president of engineering and advanced technology at RTI. “The Pilot Xcelerator gives innovators a place to prove performance, generate real-world data and reduce risk without having to build that capability themselves.”

 

RTI’s commercialization work spans industries including sustainable aviation fuel, carbon capture, critical minerals, sustainable chemicals and materials, and industrial biotechnology.

 

Among the technologies being demonstrated or advanced through the Pilot Xcelerator:

 

Syzygy Plasmonics: Successfully demonstrated a greenhouse gas-reforming process that converts carbon dioxide and methane to produce low-carbon aviation fuel. The company is now building a commercial plant aimed at creating a scalable alternative to conventional jet fuel.

 

CarbonBridge: Planning is underway to test a waste-to-value bioprocess technology that uses microbes to convert methane into methanol, transforming waste greenhouse gases into valuable fuels and chemicals, which could have broad applications across industries.