## Dynamotive Produces Renewable Gasoline and Diesel from Biomass in Three-Stage Process: Pyrolysis, Hydroreforming, Hydrotreating

##### 25 April 2009

Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation has successfully produced renewable gasoline and diesel from biomass at its research facility in Waterloo Ontario through a novel two-stage upgrading process of its pyrolysis oil, BioOil.

The BINGO (Biomass INto GasOil) process involves pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to produce a primary liquid fuel, BioOil, which is then hydroreformed to a Stage 1 gas-oil equivalent liquid fuel that can either be directly utilized in blends with hydrocarbon fuels for industrial stationary power and heating applications or be further upgraded to transportation grade liquid hydrocarbon fuels (gasoline/diesel) in a Stage 2 hydrotreating process. (Earlier post.)

The first stage of hydro-reforming, carried out at 330 °C and ~1,800 psi (12.4 MPa), of the biooil stabilizes the liquid; renders it miscible with hydrocarbon liquids; causes phase separation of the water in the biooil; lowers its viscosity and corrosivity; and drops the oxygen content from ~50% in the raw biooil to around 10%.

Designated UBA, the reformed bio-oil product has a HHV of 39.5 MJ/kg. The HHV of the original biooil is ~16 MJ/kg while that of hydrogen is ~121 MJ/kg.

Since UBA still contains ~10% oxygen it is not a pure hydrocarbon and needs further treatment to convert it to motor fuel grade products. Among the technologies commercially available are FCC (catalytic cracking) and hydrotreatment/hydrocracking. UBA can blend freely with most hydrocarbon fuels in concentrations up at least 50%.

For a proof-of-concept, Dynamotive hydrotreated UBA over a commercial catalyst at 350°C and ~1,700 psi (11.7 MPa). The resulting liquid product, designated UBB, had a HHV of ~45 MJ/kg—comparable to that of diesel—with oxygen content of approximately 1%. Commercial hydrotreating catalysts are available that can steer the product towards diesel/gasoline/jet fuel etc. at somewhat higher severity conditions. The overall yield of UBB from bio-oil is 38%.

The major by-product from lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis is Biochar which has emerging value for soil productivity enhancement and carbon sequestration. Dynamotive markets its Biochar under the trade name CQuest.

Based on initial test and analysis, the Company currently estimates that it can deliver advanced (second generation) fuels from biomass at a cost of less than $2 per gallon of ethanol-equivalent fuel in facilities processing about 70,000 tonnes of biomass per annum (current scale of its 200 metric tonne per day plant). Dynamotive’s pyrolysis process converts roughly 85% of the total biomass feed into useful solid (char) and liquid (BioOil) fuels. The balance is utilized to provide energy to the process. Dynamotive estimates that the net overall yield of hydrocarbon liquids from wheat straw would be 29% UBA or 24% UBB. As far as we can determine this would be the highest yield of hydrocarbon liquids from whole biomass ever reported. It far exceeds the 14% biomass to diesel reported for the Bioliq BTL process; even when account is taken of the likelihood that yields of motor fuels—as opposed to unspecified hydrocarbons—in the final step will be somewhat lower on account of the higher severity hydrotreatment that would be required. —“A preliminary look at the economics of a new biomass conversion process by Dynamotive” Dynamotive projects that a plant processing under 70,000 tonnes of biomass a year would produce approximately 4,500,000 gallons of renewable gas-oil at less than$2 per gallon. The scale factor enables distributed production—i.e., plants can be developed in diverse locations closer to feedstock.

The two stage process also allows for the opportunity to further upgrade the stage 1 renewable gasoil into diesel and gasoline fuels at a centralized facility or the development of a fully integrated plant if production logistics and economics merit it. This provides for flexibility in development and application.

Given the plant scale, the investment required is comparatively low. Approximately $33 million will deliver a 15-year production capacity of approximately 67 million gallons of renewable transportation grade hydrocarbon fuels. Dynamotive’s pyrolysis platform is available today, with plants of 130 Mt and 200 Mt per day completed. The upgrading process uses conventional hydrotreatment equipment and process conditions allowing for rapid implementation at pilot and commercial scale. Dynamotive plans to build an upgrading pilot plant later this year. In October, the US Department of Energy awarded UOP LLC a$1.5 million grant to develop economically viable technology to stabilize pyrolysis oil from second generation biomass feedstocks for use as a renewable fuel source. The UOP award is one of five made by the DOE in this area. (Earlier post.) UOP is also investigating a pyrolysis pathway as a component for its work on renewable JP-8 aviation fuel, an element of which is funded by DARPA. (Earlier post.)

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Central Florida has a sweet sorghum ethanol project in the works (in addition to the Verenium project in Highlands County) on 35,000 acres of land, producing ~70 million gallons per year of ethanol at a cost of 74 CENTS PER GALLON....and 40 MW of power generation sent to FPL....it'll be a major cash & and carbon negative when it is up and running...

Lots of ways state and federal government can raise money and provide biofuels. They can lease the government land for a nominal fee to companies that do not want to buy the land. It is renewable, so the land does not get wasted and can be reused for other purposes.

If the government is now taking in money for the land leases, there is more revenue and potentially lower taxes. Nothing says that the government can not run a profit, we just have not so far. If the government runs a profit during good times, then they can spend during down times.

The most appealing part of Dynamotive technology is that initial pyrolysis of dry (I repeat, DRY biomass) is carried out on relatively small and inexpensive installation, which could be mobile. As such, it can accommodate local (30 miles radius) feed of woodchips, bark, straw, and alike, and economically transport resulted concentrated char and bio-oil energy feedstock to large stationary upgrading facility.

Yet, it is big question if it is more economical than drill hole in the earth and sell fountaining fuel.

Even if the plants were put in the middle of a 10 mile square area, that is 100 square miles with more than 60,000 acres that only have to haul biomass 5-6 miles to the facility. At five tons per acre and 100 gallons per ton, those plants could produce 30 million gallons of biofuel each year, with only one crop.

Some day, drilling holes in the ground may become SO expensive that this could be a very cost effective approach. I hope that we get on with this before that time and leave some in the ground for insurance.

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