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Dynamotive Upgrades BioOil from Multiple Biomass Sources to a Uniform Hydrocarbon Product

Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation has successfully applied the BINGO (Biomass INto GasOil) BioOil upgrading process to BioOils produced from a variety of feedstocks. (Earlier post.) The feedstocks from which the BioOils were produced included sugarcane bagasse, bark rich forest trimmings, softwoods and palm fronds. BioOils upgraded were of widely varying quality and in some instances had been in storage for several years.

BINGO (Biomass INto GasOil) is a two-stage process first involving 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.

The products from Stage 1 of the BINGO upgrading process (Upgraded BioOil A, UBA) were similar in density, oxygen content, TAN (total acid number), molecular weight distribution, among other physico-chemical properties, to those produced from hardwoods.

Analysis of second stage upgraded BioOil samples (Upgraded BioOil B, UBB) from hardwoods previously provided to three independent refiners in Europe and in the Far East established the potential for development of synthetic hydrocarbon fuels showing gasoline, jet, gasoil and vacuum gasoil fractions.

The results enhance the prospects of the BINGO process in that they demonstrate its robustness and versatility, according to Dynamotive. Furthermore, they open the possibility of upgrading BioOils from a variety of biomass sources into a single uniform hydrocarbon product.

The upgrading process addresses several issues in the development of sustainable fuels from biomass:

  1. Food vs. Fuel. The Company converts residual biomass from agricultural and forestry and/or dedicated non-food crops through a thermochemical process into BioOil and Biochar. BioOil and Biochar plants can coexist with existing forestry and agricultural facilities, providing an additional benefit to operations.

  2. Yield. 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.

    Yields of diesel/gasoline from BioOil through the Stage 2 upgrading process of 37% have been achieved at bench-scale. The net overall yield from whole biomass to diesel/gasoline is approximately 25%, which to Dynamotive’ knowledge is the highest yet reported.

Simulated distillation
ProductApprox. fraction %wt
Gasoline 15C - 145C 20
Jet 145C - 230C 31
Gasoil 230C - 375C 31
Vacuum Gasoil 375C - 560C 18

Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation announced that analysis completed independently by two refiners have corroborated initial results published earlier. The distillation of the samples provided showed presence of gasoline, jet, gasoil and vacuum gasoil fractions.

Elemental analysis of UBB
Carbon 87.7%
Hydrogen 12.2%
Oxygen 0.01%
Nitrogen <0.01%
Sulfur 0.0001%

Demonstrating a significant upgrading of the crude BioOil to the UBB, Analysis further confirmed that the most highly refined oil, UBB, has oxygen content of less than 0.1% and it reached a level of conventional oil products. Dynamotive is continuing its research and development efforts in BioOil upgrading and has completed basic design on the development of a second pilot plant to further advance the process.

Dynamotive cautions that although it believes the yield and technical data are reasonable estimates based on its current knowledge, these results were achieved at bench-scale levels only. While Dynamotive believes the process can be scaled-up using conventionally available upgrading equipment, until such upgrades are in place on a large scale and have operated for a longer term, these estimates may be subject to material adverse changes.

Comments

ejj

Nice to see breakthroughs and advances without government aid.

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