Grand Opening of Technology Research Center in Old Town on June 18th

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

June 8, 2012 News

The 40,000-square-foot facility, located on the grounds of 880 Maine Street, Old Town, Maine, will feature state-of-the-art process control and process information systems. The University of Maine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute’s new Technology Research Center (TRC) will validate, demonstrate and help commercialize developing fuel, chemical and advanced material technologies from forest bioproducts at an industrially relevant scale. It will provide wood suppliers and wood users the opportunity to collaborate with each other and with University of Maine faculty researchers. TRC will be a one-stop shop for processing and analysis of technologies. TRC was funded by a $4.8 million Maine Technology Institute grant and private contributions.
“The Technology Research Center allows us to take the research out of our labs and demonstrate and validate it at industrially relevant scales to help rapid commercialization.” —Hemant Pendse, Director, Forest Bioproducts Research Institute

ABOUT TRC
• Is a fee-for-service operation
• Provides objective, independent testing
• Protects intellectual property and shares precompetitive best practices
• Meets all necessary approved environmental permitting standards
• Accepts any cellulosic feedstock
• Offers clients access to University of Maine faculty and visiting researchers
• Provides research opportunities for graduate students and hands-on experience
for undergraduates

TRC ANALYTICAL CAPABILITY
• Chemical and physical testing for pilot-scale campaigns
• Gas and liquid chromatography
• Atomic and molecular spectroscopy
• Wet chemical characterization
• Analytical method development
• In-process and final product material characterization

TRC PROCESSING CAPABILITY
• Multiple-unit operation
• Biomass size reduction, screening, pretreatment, extraction and cooking
• Fermentation
• Chemical reaction
• Pelletization
• Liquid-liquid extraction
• Distillation