Microbeam Technologies

Name

Microbeam Technologies

Legal name

Microbeam Technologies, Inc

Website

https://microbeam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Forks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Analytical Consulting Services: Project-based consulting engagements providing advanced fuel-quality analysis, materials characterization, and technical consulting to energy companies, power plants, and industrial clients. Revenue is earned through fees for laboratory testing, analysis, and expert consulting services.
2. Training Workshops: Revenue generated from hosting educational workshops on ash behavior in combustion/gasification systems and fluid bed systems optimization. Priced at $995 per attendee.
3. Government Research Grants: Funding from Department of Energy (DOE) and Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) for critical mineral research projects including germanium and gallium production and REE extraction from coal resources. Funded under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
4. Software Licenses and Platforms: Revenue from proprietary software platforms including Coal Quality Management Systems (CQMS), Novagen™, and Energy Systems Performance Manager (ESPM). Software is deployed at client facilities for ongoing plant optimization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Microbeam Technologies provides advanced fuel-quality analysis and materials characterization consulting services for the energy sector using proprietary scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques, complemented by software platforms (Novagen™, ESPM, CQMS) for power plant optimization and critical mineral (REE, germanium, gallium) resource evaluation and recovery.

Product overview

Microbeam Technologies offers a portfolio of proprietary software platforms and specialized analytical consulting services for the energy sector. Core software products include Novagen™ for gasification feedstock management, Energy Systems Performance Manager (ESPM) for power plant optimization, and Coal Quality Management Systems (CQMS) for coal operations. These are supported by a comprehensive suite of analytical laboratory and SEM-based services covering fuel analysis, materials characterization, slag and deposit analysis, and field testing. The company also provides critical mineral and rare earth element services including resource evaluation, detection, and extraction. The architecture combines specialized software platforms with consulting services and proprietary analytical techniques including CCSEM, SEMPC, morphological analysis, and chemical fractionation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Novagen™ Software platform for managing feedstock properties and optimizing operations in gasification systems, enabling dynamic blending of challenging waste feedstocks to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime through real-time diagnostics and simulation capabilities.
• Energy Systems Performance Manager (ESPM) Platform to monitor, manage, and optimize operations in power plants and fuel handling systems, tracking fuel properties from online sensors through the fuel handling system to the burner, with neural network- and regression-based predictive analytics up to 8 hours in advance.
• Coal Quality Management Systems (CQMS) Proprietary software for coal-mining and power-plant operations personnel to use fuel-quality information for operational adjustments that increase plant efficiency and minimize maintenance costs. Calculates power-system performance indices including Convective Pass Fouling, Wall Slagging, Cyclone Slagging, Wear Indices, Deposit Strength, Slag Flow Behavior, and Ash Resistivity.
• Computer-Controlled Scanning Electron Microscopy (CCSEM) Analytical technique using automated SEM with backscattered electron imaging to determine size, composition, abundance, and association of mineral grains in coal, biomass, and petroleum-coke samples; characterizes up to 3,000 mineral grains per analysis.
• SEM Morphological Analysis Characterization technique providing information about physical relationships of size, crystallinity, and juxtaposition of phases in materials, used to understand particle-to-particle bonding and sticky surface formation in deposits for forensic analysis.
• Scanning Electron Microscopy Point Count (SEMPC) Technique to characterize entrained ash and deposits by providing quantitative determination of phase abundance, degree of melting, and particle interactions, identifying melted phases and their viscosities.
• Chemical Fractionation Laboratory analysis to determine association of inorganic elements in coals, particularly organically-associated elements in lignitic and sub-bituminous coals, using successive extractions with H2O, 1 molar NH4OAc, and 1 molar HCl.
• Fuel Analysis Comprehensive ASTM standard laboratory testing including proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, ash composition, sulfur forms, halogen analysis, loss on ignition, ash fusion testing, and particle size analysis.
• Slag & Refractory Characterization Laboratory and SEM techniques to characterize slag and refractory materials including sessile drop, static cup, rotating finger, T250, and rotating bob viscometry methods.
• Deposit & Slag Analysis Advanced analysis using SEMPC and morphological analysis to understand impacts of fuel impurities on power system performance and identify root causes of forced outages.
• Materials Characterization Laboratory methods to characterize physical and chemical properties of materials including high/low temperature sintered strength, TGA, DSC, TCLP, porosity, XRD, and milling index.
• Materials Preparation Sample processing services including crushing, grinding, and splitting of coal and materials to produce ASTM-standard laboratory samples.
• Field Testing On-site power plant visits and REE-CM resource evaluations including desktop studies, outcrop and drill sampling, and laboratory and on-site sample analysis.
• Rare Earth Elements & Critical Minerals Services Services including resource evaluation, REE-CM detection and sorting via XRF, PGNAA, and DGA technologies, and critical mineral extraction from coal and byproducts.
• Sintered Carbon-Ore Building Materials (SCBM) Carbon-based building materials produced by sintering carbon-ore and additive particulates at relatively low temperatures, suitable for building brick, brick veneer, and architectural applications; co-developed with University of North Dakota.
• Training Workshops Educational workshops covering ash behavior in combustion/gasification systems and fluid bed systems optimization, delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams at $995 per participant, targeting engineering and technical personnel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% performance improvement over 100% biomass case using Novagen™ dynamic blending for gasification systems
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Microbeam was selected for a DOE award sponsored by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management as part of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. Project titled 'Production of Critical Minerals and Materials Excluding Materials Containing Rare Earth Elements from Coal-Based Resources' focuses on domestic production of germanium and gallium.
• DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2023FECM team visited Microbeam's North Dakota office to discuss the DOE-Industry funded project titled 'Production of Germanium and Gallium Concentrates for Industrial Processes'. MTI hosts FECM personnel for project reviews and technology demonstrations.
• University of North DakotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMTI and UND have developed the sintered carbon-ore building materials (SCBM) technology through a flexible manufacturing process. MTI is also a subaward recipient with UND on REE Pilot Processing Plant and REE Demonstration FEED Study projects funded by the Department of Energy.
• National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNETL funds carbon ore processing projects under DOE's Resource Sustainability Program. MTI's carbon-ore building materials and critical mineral extraction work aligns with NETL's carbon ore processing initiative targeting high-value products from low-cost, abundant carbon-ore feedstock.
• West Virginia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research partner in DOE's rare earth elements from waste initiative. Part of broader research grants program alongside Penn State, University of Kentucky, Lehigh University, and UC Davis.
• Penn StateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research partner in DOE's rare earth elements from waste initiative. Part of broader research grants program alongside West Virginia University, University of Kentucky, Lehigh University, and UC Davis.
• University of KentuckyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research partner in DOE's rare earth elements from waste initiative. Part of broader research grants program alongside West Virginia University, Penn State, Lehigh University, and UC Davis.
• Lehigh UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research partner in DOE's rare earth elements from waste initiative. Part of broader research grants program alongside West Virginia University, Penn State, University of Kentucky, and UC Davis.
• UC DavisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research partner in DOE's rare earth elements from waste initiative. Part of broader research grants program alongside West Virginia University, Penn State, University of Kentucky, and Lehigh University.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Element Materials Technology: Element is a global materials and testing services provider serving energy, aerospace, and industrial clients. Its metallurgical, failure analysis, and materials characterization capabilities overlap with Microbeam's SEM-based deposit, slag, and refractory work.
• SGS: SGS is the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification company offering fuel-quality and coal/biomass analytical services globally. It competes with Microbeam in providing laboratory testing for coal-fired and gasification operators and offers significantly broader geographic reach and capacity.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a major international laboratory services group offering environmental, materials, and energy-related testing. Its scale, breadth, and accredited methods position it as a competitor for analytical work that Microbeam performs for power and research clients.
• Intertek: Intertek provides testing and quality assurance for energy and commodities, including coal sampling, analysis, and ash testing. It competes with Microbeam in serving utilities, traders, and industrial operators requiring accredited fuel and ash analysis.
• ALS Limited: ALS operates a global network of industrial and environmental testing laboratories, including coal quality, ash chemistry, and materials characterization services. It is one of the most direct commercial alternatives for buyers of coal/biomass analytical services.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global TIC firm providing commodity testing, mineral services, and energy-sector inspection. Its coal, coke, and biomass testing labs overlap directly with Microbeam's analytical offering, and its scale and accreditations make it a natural alternative for large utility customers.

Regional players

• Pace Analytical: Pace is a U.S. analytical laboratory network providing environmental, industrial hygiene, and materials testing. While more focused on environmental samples, Pace competes for industrial and energy-sector analytical work that overlaps with Microbeam's laboratory testing portfolio.
• Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is a North American environmental and industrial services company offering waste characterization, testing, and remediation services to utilities and industrial operators. Its analytical and field services intersect with Microbeam's materials characterization and field-testing offerings.
• Maxxam Analytics (now part of SGS): Maxxam is a Canadian analytical lab services provider serving energy, environmental, and industrial clients. It is comparable to Microbeam as a regional player in fuel and ash testing and now operates under SGS, illustrating the consolidation pressure on small specialty labs.

Others

• Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), University of North Dakota: EERC is the University of North Dakota research center from which Microbeam was spun off in 1991. It continues to collaborate with Microbeam on DOE-funded critical-mineral and carbon-ore programs, making it both an upstream partner and a closely adjacent research provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/microbeam-technologies-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Microbeam Technologies