Birgitte K. Ahring

Birgitte K. Ahring is a Professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Washington State University. Her research focuses on biomass conversion to biofuels and bioproducts, spanning from pretreatment technologies to catalysis and biogas production. She leads a team developing scalable biorefinery solutions, including wet explosion pretreatment and on-site enzyme production.

• Biorefinery Engineering
• Biofuel Production
• Biocatalyst Development
• Waste Valorization
• Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Her work includes pretreatment optimization for agricultural and woody residues, anaerobic digestion enhancements, and metabolic engineering of fungi for biochemical production. Recent projects involve bio-based jet fuels and lignin valorization.

Key scientific contributions include the wet explosion pretreatment process, which improves methane yields in anaerobic digestion and enables lignin utilization. This technology has been validated from lab-scale to pilot testing, emphasizing economic viability through complete feedstock utilization.

• Research Excellence Award

Her laboratory collaborates on process modeling, Raman spectroscopy for real-time monitoring, and high-pressure CO2 extraction systems. She advocates for holistic biorefinery approaches that align with her philosophy: "Don't waste waste!"