Wyoming Innovation Center

Feature | Wyoming Innovation Center

Wyoming Innovation Center – Wyoming’s technology innovation center dedicated to advanced carbon products using coal and coal by-products as the primary raw material.

Wyoming Innovation Center (WyIC) is a research-to-commercialization facility intended to accelerate research from lab level to pre-commercialization. Lab-level research that has proven to be potentially profitable needs to be scaled up to prove the commercialization potential. WyIC provides a location with facilities in place to conduct the scale-up work for Rare Earth Elements, Critical Minerals, and other high-value non-fuel coal products.

The WyIC will provide seven pads or locations where pilot plants can be built, operated, and monitored. A 6,000 square foot building will provide office, lab, and workspace for tenants. Utilizing the labs and workspace research and practical application of previous work can be verified, modified, and advanced to prove the commercial potential of the processes. In addition, there will be a 1,500 square foot materials handling building where incoming raw materials can sized for the processes being evaluated.

The main goal of WyIC project is to promote and advance the diversification of Wyoming’s economy utilizing existing raw materials. In addition, this will be a location that will provide training for technicians working in that field. Most research to date has occurred on university campuses and as R&D projects in the private sector at the bench top scale. WyIC will provide a base for extension of projects into larger facilities. Some facilities may even be developed to commercial scale on site. The footprint includes 9.5 acres with 7 pads for deployment of pilot plants, a 4,000 square foot office and lab building, and a 1,500 square foot materials handling building. More land is available for larger projects or for commercial expansion for those technologies proving to be commercially profitable.

The facility is locally owned and operated by Energy Capital Economic Development (ECED) saving the expense of development for the research entities housed there. ECED is a not-for-profit organization and intends to operate the facility on a break-even basis – thus reducing the cost for tenants. Once projects are operational, it would also be used by the University of Wyoming and Gillette College to train technicians for jobs in advanced carbon processes and operation.

Current status: Facility in construction – projected completion December 2021.

Article and Pictures courtesy of Wyoming Innovation Center