Scientists from the Easter Regional Research Center (ERRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Dept of Agriculture have developed a bench scale fluidized bed reactor which can convert plant biomass like switchgrass and corn stover into liquid “bio oil”. The biomass-to-oil conversion utilizes a process called “pyrolysis”. In this process, extreme heat is applied to the raw material in an oxygen-free environment. This results in the breakdown of plant organic matter and its subsequent conversion into “bio oil”. The liquid oil recovery in the process is maximized by the incorporation of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), which is a “filtering device that removes fine liquid droplets from the gas flow”. The resulting “bio oil” product is said to have a higher energy density and superior transportability due to its low water content. The product can be further refined into standard diesel oil..