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William "Bill" Ayres
Business Development Manager - R3 Sciences, LLC
Division Management
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 | Willam "Bill" Ayres was a Special Forces medic in Viet Nam, for which he received various awards and commendations and was decorated for valor. Following his return, he completed his studies Chemical Engineering at the University of Missouri, earning a Bachelor of Science degree, and attended graduate school focusing on plant physiology and pathology. It was at this time that his interest in renewable and biomass fuels started.
From 1974 to 1980, he was co-owner and manager of an Urban Forestry business. He founded Midwest Wood Recycling in 1978 to utilize wood waste as fuel. He soon met Dr. Tom Reed at the National Renewable Energy Lab, who introduced him to the technology of gasification. This led to a business and personal relationship that has spanned more than 20 years. Bill’s interest in gasification led to interaction with Dr. John O’Sullivan at the Institute of Gas Technology. Dr. O’Sullivan’s molten carbonate fuel cell research prompted Bill to write a paper in 1979 on the use of hydrogen produced from wood gasification for fuel cell electrical production.
In 1980, he co-founded BRC, Inc., a company specializing in the production of equipment to convert waste wood into hydrogen-rich gas. He commercially introduced the stratified downdraft gasification system that revolutionized gas production from biomass. During this time he converted and drove a pickup that was powered by gasified wood chips. Additionally, Bill sold two of the BRC systems to CSIR in South Africa, who are known for their coal gasification technology but needed a system that could process wood, which is 50 times more reactive than coal.
From 1985 to 1994, Bill was the Director and Executive Vice President of Interchem Industries, Inc. He was in charge of new product development and marketing with a focus on alternative fuels and co-products from biomass feedstocks. This included the conversion of wood to wood oil products for use in the specialty chemical industry. In 1991, he became the first person to commercially introduce and sell SoyDiesel, a ‘new’ biodiesel fuel in the U.S. market. Over the course of the next three years, he developed additional new markets for soybean oil-based materials including industrial solvents. The SoyClean line of solvents is now manufactured by West Central Coop under the SoyPower brand name. During this time, he was integral in the formation of what is now the National Biodiesel Board and helped direct the funding provided by soybean associations for research and development.
In 1994, he co-founded Ag Environmental Products, LLC (AEP), a joint venture with Ag Processing Inc. (AGP) headquartered in Omaha. The joint venture was formed to manufacture and market biodiesel from soybean oil produced by AGP. As a partner in this company, Bill worked with many companies to develop other soybean oil-based products, including SoyGold biodiesel, SoyGold solvents, an explosives medium (AnSoy), a patented fingernail polish remover, a mosquito larvicide, oil well stimulation products, fracturing fluids, pipeline cleaning products, various lubricant products and the development of a novel bioremediation technique for chlorinated chemical contamination cleanup in ground water.
In 2002 and 2003, Bill applied for, received and managed grants to begin looking at the potential of utilizing soy methyl esters as a hydrogen source for fuel cells and other industrial applications. Bill has consistently received recognition from his colleagues as a leader in the development of technology and products benefiting many industries. Some of the organizations which recognized these achievements include the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Soybean Association and the United States Department of Agriculture. Bill was a founding partner of a consortium comprised of representatives from Allied Signal, Georgia-Pacific, Aristech Chemical and the US Department of Energy. This elite group won a prestigious R&D Magazine “100 Award” for work with wood pyrolysis oil for its use as a replacement for phenol in adhesives.
Bill has successfully written and been awarded over $5,000,000 in grants from DOE, USDA, United Soybean Board and soybean associations for projects and companies in which he was directly involved. Additionally, he assisted in the investment of over $35,000,000 of soybean association check-off funds for research and development of biodiesel during his 15 years of work in the biodiesel industry.
In October of 2003, Bill started Renewable Solutions LLC, a consulting company focusing on commercialization of renewable technologies and new research and development of projects utilizing renewables for both energy production and bio-based products manufacture. He helped shape the vision for the Renewable Hydrogen Foundation and continues to be one of our most dedicated champions.
In November of 2005, Bill cofounded Ag BioEnergy, LLC, an alternative fuel development and marketing company with Rapid Energy Services, LLC.
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