Range Fuels Produces Cellulosic Methanol from Biomass at Soperton Plant
18 August 2010
Range Fuels, Inc. has produced cellulosic methanol from the initial phase of its first commercial cellulosic biofuels plant near Soperton, Georgia using non-food biomass. The cellulosic methanol produced from Phase 1 will be used to produce biodiesel. Range Fuels plans to begin production of cellulosic ethanol from the plant in the third quarter this year. The cellulosic ethanol will meet ASTM standards for fuel-grade ethanol, according to the company.
The first phase of the Soperton Plant operations employs Range Fuels’ two-step thermochemical process, which first gasifies non-food biomass such as woody biomass and grasses into syngas. In the second step, the syngas is passed over a proprietary catalyst to produce methanol, which can then be converted in an additional reactor to ethanol.
The Soperton Plant will initially use woody biomass from nearby timber operations, but plans to experiment with other types of renewable biomass as feedstock for the conversion process, including herbaceous feedstocks like miscanthus and switchgrass.
Range Fuels plans to expand the capacity of the plant to 60 million gallons of cellulosic biofuels annually with construction to begin next summer. The Soperton Plant is permitted to produce 100 million gallons of ethanol and methanol each year.
Range received a $76-million grant from DOE to help build a 40 MGY wood-based ethanol plant in 2007. In 2008, it raised more than $100 million through an oversubscribed Series B private financing round. In January 2009, Range was awarded an $80-million loan guarantee from USDA.
In its initial assessment of potential cellulosic ethanol production reflected in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for RFS2, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expected that the largest volume contributions were to come from Range Fuels, and from Cello Energy, a company that uses a catalytic depolymerization technology to produce cellulosic diesel.
However, in the Regulatory Impact Analysis accompanying RFS2, EPA noted that both Range and Cello were delaying or reducing their production plans for this year. In that document, EPA also noted that since Range started up the plant using a methanol catalyst, it did not expect the company to produce qualifying renewable fuel—i.e., cellulosic ethanol—in 2010.
(Based on analysis of market availability, EPA in July proposed a 2011 cellulosic volume that is lower than the EISA target. Earlier post.)
During phase two of the project, currently slated for mid-2012, Range plans to expand production at the Soperton plant and transition from a methanol to a mixed alcohol catalyst, according to the EPA report.
ATlast some good news at last.Hope more plants start producing cellulose ethanol atleast 10,000 litres per day and above.
NIRMALKUMAR WALA
Posted by: Account Deleted | 18 August 2010 at 03:39 AM
Range is the pioneer in this area along with Coskata. Both are to be commended for building plants that will actually MAKE cellulosic alcohols. We will need these liquid fuels to help wean us from oil and, ultimately in aircraft. If the US can get to a point where we produce 90-95% of our energy with domestic resources - we're doing good. Provided the domestic oil mix is on a downward scale.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 18 August 2010 at 09:05 AM
Also this liquid fuel production is an exponential function. In the beginning of the curve, any gain seems insignificant, but at a sustained growth rate (which it probably will be for a long time), once you get to 20%, a few years later you get to 40%, and then 80% and 160%. Soon the US could be an exporter (or anyway stop any energy import). Since there is no limit to renewable energy, the production will more than we need. (using sequestered CO2 and renewable H2 you can make as much liquid fuel as you want without need for biomass)
Posted by: Alain | 18 August 2010 at 11:10 AM
This is why the ethanol madness must be stopped at all costs, why pray tell would cellulosic methanol not be considered renewable? Is ethanol some magic molecule that differs in its carbon source than the first stage cellulosic methanol? Ethanol is nothing but a porkbelly scam for tax dollars let the technologies stand or fail based on economics not pork.
Posted by: TXGeologist | 24 August 2010 at 07:02 PM
Methanol was stopped because the farm lobby wanted it stopped. California did trials with 1000s of cars running M85 in the 1990s. It all worked out fine with positive results. Then FFV was defined as being able to run on E85 only. The farm lobby controls the USDA and apparently much of Congress.
Posted by: SJC | 28 August 2010 at 08:37 AM