Fossil resources-free sustainable development can be achieved through a transition to bioeconomy, an economy based on sustainable biomass-derived food, feed, chemicals, materials, and fuels. However, the transition to bioeconomy requires development of new energy-efficient technologies and processes to manipulate biomass feed stocks and their conversion into useful products, a collective term for which is biorefinery. One of the technological platforms that will enable various pathways of biomass conversion is based on pulsed electric fields applications (PEF). Energy efficiency of PEF treatment is achieved by specific increase of cell membrane permeability, a phenomenon known as membrane electroporation. Here, we review the opportunities that PEF and electroporation provide for the development of sustainable biorefineries. We describe the use of PEF treatment in biomass engineering, drying, deconstruction, extraction of phytochemicals, improvement of fermentations, and biogas production. These applications show the potential of PEF and consequent membrane electroporation to enable the bioeconomy and sustainable development.

This study aimed to elucidate changes in volatile, phenolic, and oenological profiles of wines vinified from Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF)-treated and untreated Merlot grapes during bottle storage of up to 150, 90, and 56 days at 4 °C, 25 °C, and 45 °C, respectively, through chemometrics technique. Wines produced from untreated grapes and those PEF-treated at four different processing conditions (electric field strength 33.1 and 41.5 kV/cm and energy inputs between 16.5 and 49.4 kJ/kg) were used for the bottle storage study. Results showed that hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids in all stored wines, regardless vinified from untreated and PEF-treated grapes, increased as a function of time and temperature, while anthocyanins and selected esters (e.g., ethyl butanoate) decreased. Extreme storage temperature, at 45 °C particularly, resulted in a higher amount of linalool-3, 7-oxide in all stored wines. After prolonged storage, all wines produced from grapes PEF-treated with four different processing conditions were shown to favor high retention of phenolics after storage but induced faster reduction of anthocyanins when compared to wines produced from untreated grapes. Moreover, some volatiles in wines vinified using PEF-treated grapes, such as citronellol and 2-phenylethyl acetate, were found to be less susceptible towards degradation during prolonged storage. Production of furans was generally lower in most stored wines, particularly those produced from PEF-treated grapes at higher energy inputs (>47 kJ/kg). Overall, PEF pre-treatment on grapes may improve storage and temperature stability of the obtained wines.

High voltage (HV) generators are used in multiple industrial and scientific facilities. Recent publications have demonstrated that triggering industrial thyristors (relatively slow switching devices) in overvoltage mode, also called impact ionization mode, significantly enhances their dU/dt and dI/dt characteristics. This novel triggering methodology necessitates the application of substantial overvoltage between the thyristor’s anode and cathode, delivered with a swift slew rate exceeding 1 kV/ns. The adoption of compact pulse generators constructed from commercially available off-the-shelf components (COTS) opens up avenues for deploying this technology across various domains, including the implementation of high-speed kicker generators in particle accelerators. In our methodology, we employed commercially available high-voltage SiC MOSFETs along with a custom-designed fast gate driver. This driver was conceptualized based on the recent development of gate boosting techniques, featuring a driving voltage exceeding 600 V. The gate driver for these MOSFETs comprises three key components: a level-shifter with NMOS and PMOS transistors, a compact Marx generator with two avalanche transistors, and a GaN HEMT in a high input and low output impedance configuration. The proposed gate-boosting driver achieves a slew rate exceeding 1 kV/ns for the driving pulse. Furthermore, we demonstrate that with this driver, a $1.7$ kV rated SiC MOSFET can produce an output pulse of $1.45$ kV and a maximum slew rate of ≈$2.5$ kV/ns. This gate-boosting driver aims to minimize commutation times, achieves a slew rate of over 1 kV/ns, and handle higher loads, making it ideal for impact ionization triggering of industrial thyristors.

In CERN’s beam transfer lines, high-voltage generators have traditionally relied on thyratron switches; however, thyratrons present operational challenges and are also becoming increasingly hard to source. To address this issue, there is a growing interest in adopting compact pulse generators made from commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) components. Recent research has demonstrated that thyristors designed for rectifier applications, which are not specifically designed for fast rise times, can be activated in overvoltage mode—also referred to as impact-ionization mode. These devices achieve substantial improvements in their dU/dt and dI/dt characteristics. This activation method involves applying a substantial overvoltage between the thyristor’s anode and cathode, along with a fast slew rate exceeding 1 kV/ns. The adoption of compact pulse generators built from COTS components opens up new opportunities for deploying this technology across multiple domains, including high-speed kicker generators in particle accelerators. In our methodology, we incorporated commercially available high-voltage components—SiC MOSFETs—that were triggered using a fast gate driver, which was custom-designed. The generated output pulse was then amplified and sharpened in a four-stage Marx generator composed of small, $1.2$ kV rated D2PAK thyristors. This configuration yielded an output pulse with an amplitude of 11 kV and a 10–90% dU/dt of $13.3$ kV/ns. The present study details the design of the Marx generator and the resulting pulses, along with the challenges faced in high-voltage measurements.