A 30 Year Plan to Move From Crude Oil to Synthetic Fuels

Princeton engineers have worked out a 30 year plan to substitute synthetic fuels in place of crude oil across the US. The total cost of the transformation was estimated to be $1.1 trillion -- roughly the average of a typical Obama yearly budget deficit.

In a series of scholarly articles over the past year, a team led by Christodoulos Floudas, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at Princeton, evaluated scenarios in which the United States could power its vehicles with synthetic fuels rather than relying on oil. Floudas' team also analyzed the impact that synthetic fuel plants were likely to have on local areas and identified locations that would not overtax regional electric grids or water supplies.

"The goal is to produce sufficient fuel and also to cut CO2 emissions, or the equivalent, by 50 percent," said Floudas, the Stephen C. Macaleer '63 Professor in Engineering and Applied Science. "The question was not only can it be done, but also can it be done in an economically attractive way. The answer is affirmative in both cases."

Accomplishing this would not be easy or quick, Floudas said. A realistic approach would call for a gradual implementation of synthetic fuel technology, and Floudas estimated it would take 30 to 40 years for the United States to fully adopt synthetic fuel. It also would not be cheap. He estimates the price tag at roughly $1.1 trillion for the entire system. _SD

Am. Inst. Chemical Engineering article abstract

Substituting for oil in the rubber industry

Using biomass, gas, coal, kerogens, bitumens, gas hydrates, etc. to produce substitutes for crude oil in fuels, high value chemicals, materials, lubricants, fertilisers, etc. is likely to grow more popular across the developed and emerging worlds.

Whichever feedstock is most available at affordable rates and in reliable quantities is likely to become more popular, at any given point in time. At this time, natural gas occupies that niche in North America. In the future, it may be coal or biomass -- or a combination of any of the above.

As high temperature gas cooled nuclear reactors become mass produced in modular form, the ability to convert any carbonaceous form into any hydrocarbon as needed, will become more affordable -- along with more abundant and reliable electrical power.

The impact of these substitute fuels and chemicals on "peak oil" will be mixed, and will depend largely upon governmental and inter-governmental regulations, as they develop in the near future. One possible paradoxical effect on future oil prices might involve the postponement of development of marginal oil deposits such as particular deep sea deposits, in anticipation of the development of more affordable oil substitutes.

H2BiOil vs. IH2: Can Pyro-Biofuels Set a Ceiling for Oil Prices?

Two approaches to hydropyrolysis + hydrodeoxygenation are attempting to set a practical price ceiling for how high petroleum prices can go on a free and open market. The first promoter of this technology was GTI / CRI, with their IH2 process (PDF). And now, Purdue chemical engineers have developed their very similar H2Bioil process, which they claim will be competitive with petroleum at a price of $99 to $116 a barrel.

The Purdue University-developed fast-hydropyrolysis-hydrodeoxygenation process for creating biofuels—H2Bioil (earlier post)—could be cost-competitive when crude oil prices range from $99 to $116 per barrel, depending upon the source of hydrogen, the cost of biomass and the presence or absence of a federal carbon tax, according to a new study by the Purdue team. Their analysis is published in the journal Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery.

H2Bioil is created when biomass, such as switchgrass or corn stover, is heated rapidly to about 500 °C in the presence of pressurized hydrogen. Resulting gases are passed over catalysts, causing reactions that separate oxygen from carbon molecules, making the carbon molecules high in energy content, similar to gasoline molecules. _GCC

More at the link above.

The Purdue chemical engineers are on the right track, but being academics rather than businessmen, they are not likely to be first to achieve a competitive marketable product. The GTI IH2 development team involves scientists, engineers, industrialists, and technologists who are involved in business, industry, commerce, government labs, and university labs. With its head start and broader development base, it is likely that the IH2 team will see daylight first.

What about the price target -- around $110 to $120 a barrel? As a price ceiling for oil, that is an acceptable target. But it is unlikely to be reached on a permanent basis for a long time -- long after hydropyrolysis + hydrodeoxygenation have become mature technologies. In other words, unless these teams can adjust their target price downward by 20% to 30%, they will not likely be competitive in fuels production for a few decades yet.

The reason for this unanticipated delay in the profitability for advanced pyrolytic biomass to fuels processes is the abrupt and ongoing global expansion of natural gas production. Natural gas can be converted to liquid fuels, high value chemicals, polymers, lubricants, fertilisers, etc etc more economically than can biomass. This is likely to remain true for the next few decades. The same is true for coal, and will eventually be true for gas hydrates -- the most vast hydrocarbon resource available on the planet.

What about those who claim that the Earth cannot produce enough biomass to provide all the liquid fuels needed by modern societies? Such people are clearly missing the point, and do not understand the economics of competing resources and products in the marketplace. Biomass to liquids (BTL) does not have to totally replace all other liquid fuels. It only has to be able to replace enough of them -- economically -- to make a difference in prices. How much BTL capacity would be needed to provide a price ceiling for petroleum (and GTL, CTL, KTL, etc) prices?

That depends upon how easily the BTL product can be moved onto global markets. The recent North American shale experience reveals how regional energy markets can become, if the product cannot be easily shipped onto the global markets.

If BTL producers had the ability to add 10% of current global liquids production to global markets, they could take the air out of most any oil price bubble. The ability to add 20% of current production to markets would come close to placing a cap on oil prices -- if the product was globally available. An additional 30% production volume over current production should be more than enough to constitute an oil price ceiling, particularly given current trends toward peak demand. But realistically, as GTL, CTL, KTL, BitTL, GHTL, etc. expand, they will set price ceilings of their own -- singly and in combination, as they become available over time.

Over the next 20 years, the widespread availability of gen IV HTGRs will facilitate the movement to unconventional liquid fuels -- and the placing of a solid price ceiling on oil.

To repeat: BTL is unlikely to be able to compete with GTL, CTL, BitTL, and KTL and GHTL, for the next few decades. But unlike fossil fuel resources -- vast though they may be -- biomass can be grown year after year, for billions of years yet. Some crops such as micro- and macro-algae produce several harvests per year.

Robert Rapier recently pointed to a study showing that advanced pyrolysis of biomass represents the most cost-effective form of biofuels production, at this time and in the foreseeable future. That is good to know, and we certainly need to proceed in developing such technologies -- so that they will be ready when they are needed.

New German Coalition Targets Basic Breakthroughs in Synthetic Fuels

UniCat is the Cluster of Excellence within the framework of the German Initiative for Excellence researching the field of catalysis. More than 250 chemists, physicists, biologists and engineers from four universities and two Max Planck research institutes from Berlin and Potsdam are involved in this interdisciplinary research network. The Cluster is hosted by the Technische Universität Berlin.

UniCat says its overarching vision is to unify concepts in catalysis by bridging the gaps between homogeneous, heterogeneous and biological catalysis, ranging from elementary gas-phase reactions to complex processes in highly organized biological systems, in fundamental as well as in applied catalysis research. _GCC

GCC
The industrial : university coalition being formed in Germany aims to develop new basic processes for the conversion of methane, CO2, CO, and biomass into petroleum and high value chemicals. We humans have been granted a generous supply of crude oil, coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels. But it will not hurt us to learn to do in minutes what took nature millions of years.

Natural gas to petroleum is the most promising candidate for near-term economical synthetic fuels, followed by coal to petroleum, and then biomass to petroleum. The advantage of biomass is that it is infinitely renewable, and can be produced in regions far from any viable hydrocarbon deposits -- in such remote locations as islands, etc.

BASF SE and Technische Universität Berlin are putting substantial resources into setting up the UniCat-BASF Joint Lab. BASF plans to invest up to €6.4 million (US$8.6 million) during the first five years. The total volume amounts to about €13 million (US17.4 million). Twelve postdocs and postgrads will do research in the 900 square meter lab. Installation of equipment for catalyst synthesis, characterization and testing starts in January 2012.

Natural gas, carbon dioxide and biomass can replace petroleum as raw materials for the chemical industry in the future. Before that happens, a number of challenges remain to be solved. The joint lab helps us to pursue multidisciplinary approaches in catalysis for raw material change, especially when it comes to activating less reactive molecules.

—Dr. Friedrich Seitz , head of the BASF Competence Center Chemicals Research and Engineering

...Activation of methane currently incorporates three main projects: oxidative coupling of methane (OCM); biological activation of C-H bonds; and biological transformations of hydrocarbons.

Activation of carbon oxides. Chemical and biological transformations of CO and CO2 are key processes in industry and nature. This area includes: understanding the molecular mechanisms of enzymatic conversions of carbon oxides; chemical reduction of carbon dioxide to methane by main-group elements; molecular models for carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODHs); mimicking ACS; CO dehydrogenases; formate dehydrogenase; and Acetyl-CoA synthase.

Activation of H/O systems: dihydrogen, dioxygen, water and hydrogen peroxide. This area includes work on: enzyme-mimicking; metal-free Hydrogenation; water oxidation; selective oxygenations; biological hydrogen conversion; biotechnological application of oxygen-tolerant hydrogenases; biocatalytic splitting of water; and biocatalytic activation of dioxygen and peroxides.

Biocatalytic processes in cellular systems is dedicated to the non-invasive analysis of complex and coupled catalytic networks in cellular systems. Work in this area includes: catalytic methods for the synthesis of novel non-natural amino acids; catalytic methods for the post-biosynthetic diversification of peptide antibiotics and proteins; biosynthetic machineries for the generation of peptide antibiotics; and new light-activated guanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases.

The establishment of the UniCat-BASF Joint Lab will bring the scientific results of our research alliance to fruition more quickly for industrial use.

—Prof. Dr. Matthias Drieß , chair of the UniCat Cluster of Excellence _GCC

This type of basic science is apt to sound boring to the uninitiated. But the end result of breakthroughs in these areas will be the economical production of synthetic fuels and high value chemicals from readily available feedstocks.

The most intriguing aspect of these plans is the likelihood of developing nanotech organic and inorganic analogs of biological enzymes and enzyme systems -- for the replacement of microbes and biological enzymes within inhospitable synthetic processes.

Peak Oil: Meet Virtually Unlimited Jet Fuel for the Future

One of the primary concerns of peak oil doomers is that there will soon be no more fuels for aircraft, ships, trains, trucks, and other supports for modern civilisation.  But if one looks at the huge sources for non-oil based liquid fuels -- from diesel to gasoline to jet fuel -- it becomes clear that there is very little reason for concern, for the next century or so, at least.

Follow the various pathways in the images below, to get a basic idea of processes which are already state-of-the art, and competitive at oil prices which already exist across many parts of the globe. A host of other ways of producing liquid hydrocarbons from feedstocks other than crude oil, are on the way. But these few that are pictured will do for now.

LanzaTech’s proprietary gas fermentation technology enables low cost production of sustainable alcohols and chemicals from waste gas resources that are completely outside the food value chain. These alcohols are then converted, using technology from LanzaTech’s partner Swedish Biofuels, to jet fuel that is fully equivalent to petroleum jet fuel, or that can be blended with petroleum. (Earlier post.)

In October, Virgin Atlantic, in partnership with LanzaTech and Swedish Biofuels, announced the development of a low-carbon, synthetic jet fuel kerosene produced from industrial waste gases with half the carbon footprint of the standard fossil fuel alternative.

The pathway to jet fuel with alcohol as an intermediate is proving to be a versatile way of producing advanced hydrocarbon fuels.
— Angelica Hull, Managing Director of Swedish Biofuels

Virgin Atlantic said it would be the first airline to use this fuel and plans to work with LanzaTech, Boeing and Swedish Biofuels towards achieving the technical approval required for using new fuel types in commercial aircraft. A demo flight with the new fuel is planned in 12-18 months, with commercialization targeted for 2014. _GCC

Readers of Al Fin Energy are already familiar with the Fischer Tropsch method of creating diesel from gas, coal, or biomass. They should also be acquainted with the Exxon Mobil "methanol to gasoline (MTG)" process, which is likely to see increasing use in North America.

The alcohol-to-jet fuel approach described in the GCC article above, is a new approach to Al Fin readers. But it is quite important, since it completes the fuel triad necessary to support modern civilisation transportation modes -- air, land, and sea. This capacity to supply aircraft, ships, and land transport with abundant fuels, even in the absence of crude oil supplies, should be reassuring to persons such as Ruppert, Kuntsler, and others who had been losing sleep from concern over the impending collapse of world civilisation.

Coal to Syngas; Syngas to Methanol; Methanol to Gasoline

Synthetic fuels from coal, natural gas, biomass etc. will compose a larger share of the transportation fuels market over the next few decades. This will come about due to more economical processes for coal to liquids (CTL), gas to liquids (GTL), biomass to liquids (BTL), etc. combined with a long term trend of rising oil prices.

Ambre Coal to Liquids
The methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) process is the prime competitor to the Fischer Tropsch (FT) process, in the conversion of carbonaceous mass to liquid fuels. Ambre Energy of Australia is involved in the clean conversion of low quality coal to high quality liquid fuels, using the Exxon-Mobil methanol-to-gasoline process (PDF).

Methanol is usually synthesised from syngas, a mixture of H2, CO, CO2, methane, etc. Syngas can be produced via gasification of coal, natural gas, biomass, or any other carbonaceous material.

Methanol is used as a feedstock to produce fuels or other chemicals. Methanol can also be used as a fuel itself, or as a fuel additive. Methanol is also finding greater use in methanol fuel cells -- a market that is expected to grow very rapidly over the next several years.

Ambre CTL process
PDF description of Ambre CTL
Ambre is involved in a technical study agreement with Synthesis Energy Systems to develop an improved coal to liquids project which will produce both synthetic gasoline and LPG from methanol.

Neste's NExBTL Synthetic Diesel Looks to Algae by 2020

NExBTL
Neste Oil's NExBTL process produces one of the best synthetic diesel products available worldwide. It is based upon the hydro-treating of fats and oils from a wide range of animals and plants. Now Neste is looking at algal oils as feedstock -- hoping to spur economic production of high yield algal oil by the year 2020.

The five-year AlgaePARC project, launched on 17 June in the Netherlands, is being coordinated by Wageningen University and Research Centre and will involve 18 corporate partners. The focus will be on developing technologies and processes for growing microalgae on an industrial scale as a raw material for use in fuel, food, and chemical production.

A similar project, Solar Bio-Fuels Consortium, will be launched this summer in Australia. Coordinated by the University of Queensland, this will bring together seven companies and research institutions working in the field of algae-related research. The three-year project will study various techniques for growing algae and optimizing conditions to achieve high oil yields.

Our goal is to expand the range of raw materials we use for producing NExBTL renewable diesel, and algae represent one of the most promising materials here because of their excellent potential oil yields. The key practical challenge lies in scaling up output to industrial volumes, and we hope that these two new projects will result in new ways of overcoming this challenge.
—Markku Patajoki, the Head of Neste Oil’s Biotechnology Group

Studies have shown that algae species that produce and store lipids represent a potential source of raw material for NExBTL renewable diesel. Algae grow rapidly and one hectare of cultivated algae could yield as much as 30 t/a of oil. Algae oil is also an excellent alternative in terms of sustainability, as it does not compete with food production for supplies of potable water or land. The suitability of algae oil for use in the NExBTL process has already been confirmed.

The straightforward nature and flexibility of the NExBTL process gives us a definite advantage in terms of algae research, as we know precisely the type of properties that we need. Research on new raw materials such as algae is a long-term effort, however, and you cannot expect to get results overnight.
—Pauliina Uronen, Algae Research Project Manager at Neste Oil

_GCC

Neste's approach to BTL depends upon a ready and cheap lipid feedstock which can be hydrotreated to produce synthetic hydrocarbon. It is more straightforward than Choren's BTL process which utilises gasification of biomass and catalytic synthesis from syngas. But without cheap lipid feedstocks, Neste can be priced out of future BTL markets. That is why Neste is pushing high-yield algal oil development: Because micro-algae can be grown over roughly 80% of the planetary surface, using salt water, waste water, and brackish water. And micro-algae can yield from 10,000 gallons per acre of oils and up, using land or water surface not suitable for growing food crops.

The target date of 2020 is realistic, although it will likely be closer to 2030 before high-yield algal production is ready to displace a significant amount of petro-diesel and petro-gasoline.

US Military to Use Small Nukes for Synth-Fuels

The US military already powers much of its naval fleet with nuclear reactors. Now it is planning to power much of its land operations with nuclear reactors -- and to use excess electrical power from the nukes to power synthetic jet fuel production for aircraft, using waste materials from base operations.

At the moment, a military base in Afghanistan is likely to be powered by generators running on diesel. Its planes and helicopters will be burning through huge amounts of JP-8.

All this fuel has to be brought in by road convoys, along dangerous routes plagued by ambushes and bombings. It would be great if instead of diesel generators, the base's electricity came from a reactor that wouldn't need refuelling for years on end - probably not until after the war was over, in fact. It would be even greater if the reactor could also top up the base's supplies of JP-8 for its thirsty choppers and planes.

The problem here, though, is one of getting hold of the necessary hydrogen and carbon feedstocks with which to synthesise the jet juice. There's no limitless supply of seawater here.

Hydrogen could still be obtained from river or lake water, by using reactor power to crack it using electrolysis. Getting hold of the necessary carbon could be difficult, however, as huge - probably prohibitive - amounts of water would need to be processed to extract useful amounts of CO2.

The Pentagon RFI has this to say:

Technical approaches to fuel production should accommodate a broad range of hydrogen and carbon feedstocks (water/seawater, biomass, waste materials, etc). Concepts that involve carbon capture or sequestration should be well justified in terms of technical feasibility given known carbon concentrations in the proposed carrier stream.
OK, where are we going to find a whole lot of carbon waste here at Kandahar? Hey, what's that horrible smell?
"Biomass/waste materials" most probably alludes to the huge, odorous lakes of sewage which have accumulated next to some of the bigger bases in Afghanistan, much complained of by the resident servicemen. This could potentially be an excellent carbon source, and turning it into jetfuel would have the added benefit of making the bases pleasanter to be in.

That said, such a base's aircraft use huge amounts of fuel: if the local reactor were supplying all or most of it, even thousands of gutsy troops' output might not be enough to keep it supplied. Logistics officers might find that they had to run just as many troublesome convoys to get hold of enough feedstock (sewage, wood, crops, coal, whatever) as they formerly did to bring in fuel - probably more, in fact, as the feedstocks would be bulkier and heavier than the resulting JP-8.

But the electrical power savings would still be there: and any fuel which could be produced using local materials would ease the burden on the supply chain. It might even be possible, perhaps, to make diesel for ground vehicles as well as JP-8 for aircraft:

It may be assumed that the desired fuel end product is JP-8; however, responders should discuss the degree to which their fuel production technology could be used to produce other mobility fuels including gasoline and diesel fuels.

This sort of technology could also have serious implications outside the military, of course. Any nation with nuclear powerplants and a desire to cut carbon emissions and/or fossil fuel imports could use it for aviation; and potentially road transport too. _ Register_via_NextBigFuture

Small nuclear reactors will be mobile and versatile enough for many different uses. They will be used to liberate oil from oil sands and oil shales, as well as from heavy oils -- thus adding massive amounts of oil to world reserves.

They will also power remote earth stations and outposts, and space stations, outposts, colonies, and industries. It is likely that larger seasteads will use small reactors for baseload power -- particularly those seasteads with large mining operations and other power-hungry applications such as ocean-based space launch.

Two Process Platforms for Bio-Synthetic Gasoline

Trace Process Left to Right

Trace Process Bottom to Top

These images come from Brian Westenhaus' posting today, which looks at the work of James Dumesic at University of Wisconsin and Randy Cortright of Virent Energy Systems.

When one looks at the two paths the similarity is quite interesting. While the process paths diverge, the basics and the chemistry look quite similar. This is good, sophisticated stuff, both at the beginning and at the process end, even though the steps between are different.

....Competition is great, but I wonder at this date if these two teams might be so close as too much intelligence is shared between them. May the cool heads rule, the money behind them get sensible and bring both to production letting the best technology win, or each finds it own best application. _NewEnergyandFuel

Apparently the two men co-founded Virents Energy Systems in 2002, but Dumesic left the company to work in his UW lab, to work on the platinum/rhenium process pictured above and discussed previously at AFE.

This simple look at two divergent approaches to the chemical creation of bio-synthetic gasoline should give the casual observor at least a glimpse into the feverish competition driving this important field.

More on Sugar to Gasoline Unique Catalysts

The platinum-rhenium catalyst devised by University of Wisconsin scientists takes solutions of sorbitol or glucose in water at high temperatures and quickly converts them into an interesting oily mix of chemicals. This mix of chemicals is then passed over various catalysts to produce hydrocarbons.

In the first reactor, a sugar-water solution is passed over a platinum-rhenium catalyst at about 500 K. This strips five out of six oxygen atoms from the sugar, creating a mixture of various hydrocarbon compounds, such as alcohols and organic acids. The compounds form an oil-like layer that floats on top of the solution.

The oil is transferred to the second reactor, where it is passed over various solid catalysts, resulting in a range of hydrocarbon molecules that make up gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. For instance, a copper and magnesium-based catalyst produces the hydrocarbons found in diesel and jet fuel. Gasoline contains hydrocarbons in which carbon atoms are connected in branched and ring-shaped structures, while carbon atoms in diesel and jet fuel form long, linear chains. The alcohols and organic acids in the oil from the first step could also be used to make plastics and industrial chemicals, Dumesic says.

...Whether or not biogasoline competes with its petroleum counterpart, it might still make more sense than making ethanol, Regalbuto says. One of the most expensive parts of producing ethanol is the energy-intensive distillation step, in which ethanol has to be separated from water. Hydrocarbons such as gasoline and diesel, meanwhile, float to the top, so they are easier and less expensive to separate. Plus, he says, "you're getting a fuel that's 30 percent more energy dense [than ethanol]. So it's cheaper to make, and it gives you 30 percent more gas mileage." _TechnologyReview

More from PlatinumToday:

"Most of the oxygen atoms are removed, leaving an oily mixture of alcohols, ketones, carboxylic acids and some cyclic compounds.

"These compounds are monofunctional - they only have one functional group, which makes them much more adaptable for subsequent conversion.

"Petroleum has a high energy density, and not all engines currently in use are suitable for conversion to run on ethanol."

Although the finding marks a significant step forward, Mr Dumesic also explained that it may be some time before the new system can be implemented commercially on a mass scale. _PlatinumToday

The main obstacles to widespread adoption of this technique are the need for better conversion of cellulose/hemicellulose to sugars, and the need to find less expensive catalysts that will accomplish roughly the same process as the rhenium/platinum catalyst and other specialty catalysts.

Close study of the nano-energetics involved at the active catalytic sites should yield alternative catalysts to make the process more economical. And the task of breaking down cellulose/hemicellulose into simple sugars is being simplified and made more economical almost daily. This catalytic approach to making bio-petroleum may very well prove competitive to the best of LS9, Amyris, or Craig Venter.

Bioenergy Gold Rush: Biomass, Algae, etc

The bioenergy gold rush is taking place in the laboratories and agricultural test fields of the world. The beneficiaries will be local and regional areas with the leadership and human capital capable of taking initiative and building the appropriate infrastructure in a timely fashion.

University of Wisconsin researchers have devised a new way of making bio-petroleum from sugars. This opens the way for a scaling up of production of bio-petroleums once cheap and economical sources of sugars are available--such as lignocellulosic derived sugars.

Algal biofuels remain tantalizingly out of commercial reach, although a Bill Gates investment in Sapphire Energy puts that firm over the $100 million mark in financing. Here is a brief summary of the state of the art in algal biofuels.

A large number of biomass crops are competing for "best biomass feedstock" including switchgrass and miscanthus. Camelina, sorghum, hemp, and a number of fast growing trees and shrubs are also in the running.

Gasification remains one of the frontrunners for efficient conversion of biomass to energy and fuels. Spanish researchers have devised an innovative method for BTG, or biomass to (syn)gas. From syngas, almost any type of liquid fuel can be synthesised.

Different biofuel and bioenergy crops grow best in different environments. Thinking small--on a local and regional scale--allows one to match resources with needs. Trying to solve all problems with one solution is foolish, and worthy only of lawyers , politicians, academics, and journalists.

Byogy Synthetic Gasoline, Nuclear "Batteries" etc

Image Source

Brian Westenhaus provides a more in depth look at Byogy's intriguing synthetic gasoline-from-biomass process.

The Byogy process is a stack of processes starting with pre-treating the “energy crop” such as municipal waste in the Byogy plan. Then the crop is fed to a fermentation process or the waste is headed on to gasification. From fermentation the main products go on to the thermo chemical process with the leavings like minerals, water and carbon products recycled back in and hard residuals passed on to the gasification process.

The gasification process outputs hydrogen, syngas and likely CO to forward on to the thermo chemical process. Gasification uses heat and Byogy plans to channel the used available heat back into the fermentation output stream preheating the feedstock....The fermentation process looks to be headed to a methane output for the Ethylene from Concentrated Liquid-phase Acetylene – Integrated, Rapid and Safe or “ECLAIRS.” This process is an innovation in that the methane is reformed up to first acetylene, then adding back in the hydrogen to get to ethylene in the liquid state. From there the ethylene is oligomerized up to gasoline or higher such as diesel or jet fuel. _NewEnergyandFuel

Brian goes on to look at the economics of the process, and at the implications of providing a price floor to oil, and of adding a large new source of methane to a market that is learning how to exploit the smallest hydrocarbon.

Brian also recently looked at the Hyperion "nuclear battery", expanding on a previous post by Brian Wang. If Hyperion can get the efficiencies close to what the two Brians suggest, the $25 million price tag for the 25 megawatt mini-reactor would be an excellent deal indeed. Safe, scalable nuclear fission may be closer than we think!

In other energy news, heavy equipment operators are experimenting with biodiesel blends, as well as electrical substitutes for diesel engines in heavy equipment.

Struggling forestry companies are betting that biomass to fuels/electricity will be their answer to shrinking profit margins.

Kenyans are turning to biodiesel from croton seeds--from the tropical croton tree. The most prolific sources of biodiesel feedstock come from tropical oilseed trees. But clever genetic scientists are learning how to tweak the genomes of crops so that cold weather crops can produce abundant oils.

The intensity of the scientific effort going into creating economic bioenergy sources, as well as the intense competition on the commercial front spurred by high oil costs, suggests that we are on the cusp of a new energy age. If we do not let Luddite politicians such as Pelosi, Boxer, Obama, Reid, Salazar etc. starve us of the energy we need, or let tinpot dictators such as Putin, Ahmedinejad, Chavez, etc. put Europe and the free Far East in thrall to their overpriced oil, society should ride the current wave without too much damage.

Synthetic Fuel Plant: Jet Fuel from Garbage

Rentech has begun producing synthetic jet fuel from carbon sources at its new synthetic fuel Product Demonstration Unit (PDU) in Commerce City, Colorado. Once the gasification unit is installed, Rentech will be able to produce synthetic fuels from garbage, biomass, agricultural and forestry waste, or any other carbon source.

The Rentech Process is a patented and proprietary technology that converts synthesis gas from carbon-bearing resources into hydrocarbons that can be processed and upgraded into ultra clean synthetic jet and diesel fuels. Rentech’s Colorado facility provides a platform for the production of these products from a wide variety of resources, including waste materials, into fuels that could have a potentially carbon neutral or even carbon negative footprint. These fuels are also cleaner burning and more efficient than petroleum-derived fuels. The PDU is currently producing synthetic fuels from natural gas, and once gasification is added, it will also be capable of producing fuels from biomass and other fossil resources.

Rentech believes the design of the PDU will verify the engineering parameters for scale-up to commercial operations. In addition, the PDU provides the Company with valuable engineering, design and process knowledge that will be transferred to the planning and construction of its commercial scale facilities.

Achieving production at the PDU is the result of the successful operation and integration of all processes at the facility, including the steam methane reformer for the production of synthesis gas; the conversion of the synthesis gas in the Rentech reactor into clean hydrocarbons; the separation of the Rentech catalyst from the wax produced from the reactor; and the processing and upgrading of the hydrocarbons into ultra-clean synthetic fuels using UOP hydrocracking and hydrotreating technologies. Rentech and UOP maintain an alliance which provides a one-stop solution to developers of commercial synthetic fuels facilities worldwide for synthesis gas conversion and product upgrading.

With the PDU successfully operating, the Company will focus on confirming and refining the design parameters of the Rentech Process during longer-term production runs as well as the effect of various operating parameters on product yields and composition. _Source_via_NEN

Initial production uses natural gas as feedstock for conversion to jet fuels. Installation of the gasification unit will allow the use of any carbon source including garbage, for feedstock.

Next Level Biofuels: Beyond Ethanol and Methanol

Four next level biofuels companies are featured in the current issue of Biomass Mag:

1. LS9
2. Gevo
3. Amyris Biotech
4. Synthetic Genomics

Fatty acids are molecularly similar to hydrocarbons, which are the building blocks of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, Pal says. By re-engineering the genetic coding of e.coli and yeast, LS9 creates a miniature assembly line (metabolic pathway) to synthesize the biofuel.

Genes missing from the microbes and required to produce intermediate substances and enzymes (which produce biochemical reactions) are inserted into the organisms. Genes producing unwanted substances or diverting energy from the biofuel production process are silenced....LS9’s goal is to create fuel that is cost competitive with oil at $40 to $50 per barrel, Pal says. A small-scale pilot facility, planned for this year, will generate the performance and economic data to support investment in a large-scale commercial facility. Pal expects to have a product to market in three to four years.

Gevo, founded in 2005, initially focused on redesigning the metabolic processes of microbes to convert waste methane gas into methanol....[But] Butanol contains more energy than methanol or ethanol, it can be blended with gasoline without retrofitting engines and it can be distributed in existing pipelines. It is also used as a chemical intermediate, creating numerous market opportunities, Gruber says.

Most efforts to ferment sugars into butanol rely upon bacteria, Clostridium acetobutylicum. But even with genetic modification, the bacterium doesn’t produce enough butanol to be economically viable...Gevo’s approach is to concentrate on organisms, such as e.coli and yeasts, that serve as outstanding platforms for biofuel production, explains Matthew Peters, Gevo vice president and chief scientific officer.

The company recently licensed technology from James Liao, a chemical engineer at the University of California, Los Angeles, which re-engineers e.coli to make butanol. Liao rewired e.coli’s genetic circuitry by adding genes to convert keto acids, produced during metabolism, into butanol...Liao removed genes producing nonessential substances and enhanced the productivity of others. These modifications increased keto acid production, boosting butanol production.

Gevo’s goal is to produce fuel at an unsubsidized price that is less than gasoline, says Tom Dries, vice president of business development. To keep costs down, the company will retrofit existing ethanol plants to run its processes, at a cost of about $20 million per facility. Dries expects to produce its first product sometime in 2009.

The Amyris team is using computation tools to identify the suites of genes to assemble within an organism to produce its biofuels, along with tools to optimize the genes for use in the system. “Dozens of genes are affected, inserted and changed in the process,” Reiling says.

The company is initially focusing its efforts on commercializing its diesel product. “Diesel is growing at two to three times the rate of gasoline,” Melo says. “There is not a scaleable renewable fuel today servicing the diesel market.”...the company is working on increasing the productivity of its process to reach parity with oil at $55 to $60 per barrel.

...Amyris is forming partnerships...In April, Amyris announced a joint venture with Crystalsev, one of Brazil’s largest ethanol producers, to commercialize its diesel technology in Brazil. Crystalsev will provide 2 million tons of sugarcane crushing capacity and will convert two of its ethanol plants to produce Amyris’ renewable diesel from cane juice, Melo explains. Production is slated to begin by 2010.

At Synthetic Genomics, research efforts are also focused on creating all the genetic material for an organism (its genome) from scratch (de novo), tailored to biofuel production. “Most of these organisms have other priorities in life producing substances for their own particular needs,” explains Ari Patrinos, the company’s president. “There is a limit to how much you can tweak them to do what you want.”

“If you can design the genome de novo, you only include those processes and activities of interest to you,” Patrinos says. As a result, the biological processes will be more efficient and productive and include built in tolerances.

....“Once you have demonstrated that you can do the genome, you can add the appropriate promoters that turn on and off genes,” Patrinos says. He envisions inserting sets of genes into the genome, observing the outcomes and then optimizing the final combination of genes that produces the best product at the highest efficiencies.

Patrinos believes Synthetic Genomes will begin producing biofuels in the next few years. “I think we have a leg up on scaling up because the organisms can be tailored for the scaling process.”
_Biomass

Pay attention to the time targets these companies are shooting for. Within 5 years or less. If any of them succeed with large scale production of oil-equivalent under $60 a barrel, the economics of liquid fuels will be overturned overnight. Even well funded biomass to ethanol companies will be pressed to achieve significant scale production with competitive priced product in that time frame. Biomass to liquid fuels will be a huge industry, once it scales up and shakes out. And it will have a lot of two bit oil dictators to thank--for keeping oil prices artificially high long enough for the new bio-fuels to become cost-competitive.

Of course, if massive social and economic unrest occurs in the US due to artificially high oil prices, US taxpayers and Oynklent Green [OTC:OYNK] will know exactly who to thank closer to home. Nancy and Barbara would likely be the first to receive callers, unless Barry becomes an even greater symbol for energy luddism by that time.

A Better Biodiesel from NExBTL--This Sounds Good

A recent story from Green Car Congress highlights a fascinating new approach to producing biodiesel that appears to be much better than the conventional transesterification approach, and different from Fisher Tropsch.

NExBTL's approach uses a high pressure hydrogenation of fatty acids from either plant or animal sources. It should also be able to use animal offal from meat processing plants and abbatoirs.

Neste Oil’s refinery-based proprietary NExBTL technology is based on the high-pressure hydrogenation of fatty acids. The product is a synthetic diesel fuel, free of oxygen and aromatic compounds. Side products include propane and gasoline. The process can use a flexible input of any vegetable oil or animal fat to produce a product with characteristics similar to Fischer-Tropsch output. (Earlier post.)

The NExBTL process is different than both the transesterification process used to produced fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel) and Fischer-Tropsch conversion used in BTL projects.

The trial, to start in fall 2007, will last until the end of 2010 and will embrace around 700 buses and 75 waste trucks. The aim is twofold: to reduce urban emissions and promote the use of biofuels on the road.

Vehicles in the trial will use either a 30% NExBTL – 70% conventional diesel oil mix or 100% NExBTL. Between 5,000 and 10,000 tons of the biofuel will be used annually, equivalent to 15-30% of the fuel used by buses and waste trucks in the Helsinki region. The trial includes the option to test other fuels for comparative purposes.

This public transport trial in Greater Helsinki is an important step for us, as it is a large-scale, highly visible and highly credible public initiative to test the operational and emissions performance of a second-generation biodiesel. We believe that our biodiesel will enable urban transport emissions to be cut significantly.

—Kimmo Rahkamo, Neste Oil Executive Vice President, Components
The trial will require national public funding, and an application will be lodged for a tax concession on the biocomponent to be used. Alternatively, use will be made of incentives linked to biofuel legislation planned for introduction in Finland in 2008 or an investment grant to cover the logistics costs involved.


Porvoo Refinery in July 2006. Photo: Suomen Ilmakuva Oy
The first NExBTL production plant is currently under construction at Neste Oil’s Porvoo refinery. With a rated capacity of 170,000 tonnes/year, the facility is scheduled to come on stream in summer 2007.

Neste Oil intends to extend NExBTL biodiesel trials to public transport in other EU capitals in the future. Neste Oil’s Board of Directors has approved a strategy aimed at making the company the world’s leading producer of second-generation renewable diesel fuel. The company also has NExBTL joint ventures with Total and OMV.

Comment excerpt:
In terms of feedstock, this competes against fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), known colloquially as biodiesel. Pure FAME is subject to biological contamination. Even blended, FAME is more aggressive toward certain vehicle fuel system components (filters, seals, Bosch unit injectors etc.) than mineral diesel - the vehicle manufacutrer may requrie a relatively inexpensive retrofit. The cloud point is relaitively high, though work on additives is bringing it down so FAME blends can be used in mild winter weather.

The Neste process yields alkanes rather than esters, meaning it can more easily be used for winter diesel blends. Instead of highly viscous glycerol, the by-product is propane gas, which can be used as a feedstock for the steam reformer that yields the neccessary hydrogen.

More information and comments at the source.

As noted in the comment above, the new process should make biodiesel more useful for cold weather use.

Eventually the modern world needs to move away from combustion style energy production, due to the chemical byproducts of combustion, but for the time being biofuels that can substitute for petro-fuels--even in combustion engines--will be extremely useful.