Twitter headlines« Hyundai·Kia Motors to Use Corning Filters for Diesel Passenger Cars | Main | FEV Displays Turbocharged, Direct-Injection, E85 Variable Compression Ratio Engine »
ConocoPhillips and Tyson in Strategic Alliance for Renewable Diesel from Animal Fat
16 April 2007
ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods Inc. have formed a strategic alliance to produce renewable diesel from the refinery-based processing of waste animal fat. The companies expect to begin production later this year, and ramp up through spring 2009 to generate as much as 175 million gallons of the renewable fuel per year.
The refinery-based process uses a proprietary thermal depolymerization technology, and processes animal fats with hydrocarbon feedstocks to produce a high-quality diesel fuel that is chemically equivalent to petroleum-derived diesel, and meets all federal standards for ultra low-sulfur diesel. The product is not biodiesel—i.e., fatty acid methyl ester—but a second-generation renewable diesel similar to NExBTL or H-Bio.
The addition of animal fat also improves the fuel’s ignition properties, while the processing step improves its storage stability and handling characteristics.
ConocoPhillips, the third-largest US oil company, said it will begin spending to prepare several refineries to process the fuel. Tyson, the world’s largest chicken, beef and pork processor, said it will make capital improvements this summer at some of its rendering plants so it can start pre-processing animal fat.
ConocoPhillips developed the process, and tested it in its Whitegate refinery in Cork, Ireland, in 2006. (Earlier post.) Tyson and ConocoPhillips have successfully tested the process of converting animal fat into renewable diesel.
Tyson said it has access to about 2.3 billion pounds per year of animal fat—the equivalent 20,000 barrels a day of feedstock.
ConocoPhillips last week announced it will establish an eight-year, $22.5 million research program at Iowa State University dedicated to developing technologies that produce biorenewable fuels. Robert C. Brown, the Iowa Farm Bureau Director of Iowa State’s Office of Biorenewables Programs, said ConocoPhillips is especially interested in converting biomass to fuel through fast pyrolysis. The resulting bio-oil can be used as a heating oil or can be converted into transportation fuel at petroleum refineries. (Earlier post.)
Resources:
ConocoPhillips - Tyson Renewable Diesel Fact Sheet
April 16, 2007 in Biomass, Diesel | Permalink | Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: Cheryl Ho | May 22, 2007 at 10:57 PM
If it gets a subsidy from taxpapers then its just another wealth transfer scheme to transfer the money of hard working people to those with political clout.
I wish the energy business was a part of the free market economy instead the mercantilist one Congress created.
On the other hand, if they are throwing it away anyway and it ends up making a real, instead of subsidized profit, then more "power" to them.
Posted by: jharry3 | August 29, 2007 at 01:07 PM
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c4fbe53ef00d8341d89e553ef
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference ConocoPhillips and Tyson in Strategic Alliance for Renewable Diesel from Animal Fat:
There are developments in DME in China today:
DME is an LPG-like synthetic fuel can be produced through gasification of Biomass. The synthetic gas is then catalyzed to produce DME. A gas under normal pressure and temperature, DME can be compressed into a liquid and used as an alternative to diesel. Its low emissions make it relatively environmentally friendly. In fact, Shandong University completed Pilot plant in Jinan and will be sharing their experience at upcoming North Asia DME / Methanol conference in Beijing, 27-28 June 2007, St Regis Hotel. The conference covers key areas which include:
DME productivity can be much higher especially if
country energy policies makes an effort comparable to
that invested in increasing supply.
By:
National Development Reform Commission NDRC
Ministry of Energy for Mongolia
Production of DME/ Methanol through biomass
gasification could potentially be commercialized
By:
Shandong University completed Pilot plant in Jinan and
will be sharing their experience.
Advances in conversion technologies are readily
available and offer exciting potential of DME as a
chemical feedstock
By: Kogas, Lurgi and Haldor Topsoe
Available project finance supports the investments
that DME/ Methanol can play a large energy supply role
By: International Finance Corporation
For more information: www.iceorganiser.com