BiofuelsBiofuels
Woody Biomass to Energy Workshop September 14, 2010
UC Cooperative Extension Oroville, California
Rob WilliamsBiological and Agricultural Engineering
California Biomass CollaborativeUniversity of California, Davis
Contents• Overview of Biofuel Pathways• Starch to Ethanol (conventional ethanol)• Conventional Biodiesel• Cellulosic Ethanol• Thermochemical Biofuel Pathways
– Renewable diesel and hydrocarbons– Renewable synthetic natural gas
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Costs
Grains:Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.
SugarcaneSugarbeet
Starch & Sugar Fermentation (biochemical)
Ethanol(Butanol also possible)
Biofuel PathwaysFeedstocks Conversion Fuel Product
Grains:Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.
SugarbeetSugarcane
Transesterification(Physicochemical)
Starch & Sugar Fermentation (biochemical)
Conventional Biodiesel(fatty-acid alkyl-esters, aka
FAME)
Ethanol(Butanol also possible)
Plant oils, waste fats/oils,
(Algal oil, not yet commercial)
Biofuel PathwaysFeedstocks Conversion Fuel Product
Grains:Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.
SugarbeetSugarcane
Transesterification(Physicochemical)
Starch & Sugar Fermentation (biochemical)
Conventional Biodiesel(fatty-acid alkyl-esters)
Ethanol(Butanol also possible)
Compressed Biomethane(renewable natural gas)
Plant oils, waste fats/oils,
(Algae, not yet commercial)Anaerobic Digestion
(landfills, waste water treatment, engineered
digesters)
Municipal / Industrial higher moisture:food and processor residues, manures, green and mixed waste, landfill and digester gas, etc.
Biofuel PathwaysFeedstocks Conversion Fuel Product
Grains:Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.
SugarbeetSugarcane
Transesterification(Physicochemical)
Starch & Sugar Fermentation (biochemical)
Conventional Biodiesel(fatty-acid alkyl-esters)
Compressed Biomethane (renewable natural gas)
Plant oils, waste fats/oils,
(Algae, not yet commercial)
Anaerobic DigestionMunicipal / Industrial higher moisture:
food and processor residues, green and mixed waste, landfill and digester
gas, etc.
Cellulosic Ethanol: Hydrolysis (Enzymatic/Acid)
followed by Sugar Fermentation
Lignocellulosic matls.Stover, cobs, straws, etc. wood residue &
Energy crops: switchgrass etc., short
rotation trees, etc.
Biofuel PathwaysFeedstocks Conversion Fuel Product
Ethanol(Butanol also possible)
Plant oils, waste fats/oils,
(Algae, not yet commercial)
Grains:Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.
SugarbeetSugarcane
Transesterification(Physicochemical)
Starch & Sugar Fermentation (biochemical)
Conventional Biodiesel(fatty-acid alkyl-esters)
Ethanol(Butanol also possible)
Fischer-Tropsch Liquids(Hydrocarbons:Diesel/
Gasoline)
Methanol or mixed alcohols
Compressed Biomethane (renewable natural gas)
Synthetic Natural Gas (compressed)
Anaerobic DigestionMunicipal / Industrial higher moisture:
food and processor residues, green and mixed waste, landfill and digester
gas, etc. Hydrogen
Gasification (with post processing)
Lignocellulosic matls.Stover, cobs, straws, etc. wood residue &
Energy crops: switchgrass etc., short
rotation trees, etc.
Biofuel PathwaysFeedstocks Conversion Fuel Product
v
v vv
v
Syngas (CO & H2)
Grains:Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.
SugarbeetSugarcane
Transesterification(Physicochemical)
Starch & Sugar Fermentation (biochemical)
Conventional Biodiesel(fatty-acid alkyl-esters)
Ethanol(Butanol also possible)
Fischer-Tropsch Liquids(Hydrocarbons:Diesel/
Gasoline)
Methanol or mixed alcohols
Compressed Biomethane (renewable natural gas)
Synthetic Natural Gas (compressed)
Anaerobic DigestionMunicipal / Industrial higher moisture:
food and processor residues, green and mixed waste, landfill and digester
gas, etc. Hydrogen
Gasification (with post processing)
Pyrolysis(Bio-Oils)
Hydrotreatment/Cracking(i.e., Petroleum Refinery
Operations)Diesel and Gasoline
Lignocellulosic matls.Stover, cobs, straws, etc. wood residue &
Energy crops: switchgrass etc., short
rotation trees, etc.
Biofuel PathwaysFeedstocks Conversion Fuel Product
v
v vv
v
Plant oils, waste fats/oils,
(Algae, not yet commercial)
Grains:Corn, Wheat, Rice, etc.
SugarbeetSugarcane
Transesterification(Physicochemical)
Starch & Sugar Fermentation (biochemical)
Conventional Biodiesel(fatty-acid alkyl-esters)
Ethanol(Butanol also possible)
Fischer-Tropsch Liquids(Hydrocarbons:Diesel/
Gasoline)
Methanol or mixed alcohols
Compressed Biomethane (renewable natural gas)
Synthetic Natural Gas (compressed)
Plant oils, waste fats/oils,
(Algae, not yet commercial)
Anaerobic DigestionMunicipal / Industrial higher moisture:
food and processor residues, manures, green and mixed waste, landfill
and digester gas, etc. Hydrogen
Gasification (with post processing)
Pyrolysis(Bio-Oils)
Hydrotreatment/Cracking(i.e., Petroleum Refinery
Operations)Diesel and Gasoline
Cellulosic Ethanol: Hydrolysis (Enzymatic/Acid)
followed by Sugar Fermentation
Lignocellulosic matls.Stover, cobs, straws, etc. wood residue &
Energy crops: switchgrass etc., short
rotation trees, etc.
Biofuel PathwaysFeedstocks Conversion Fuel Product
Ethanol Fermentation: Starch/Sugars• Well known technology (glucose fermentation)• Basis for corn grain-ethanol industry• Sugar feedstocks similarly fermented (e.g. sugar from sugar cane in Brazil,
sugarbeets possible)• Efficiency improvements continuing• Uncertainties regarding sustainability (Carbon charge from indirect land use effect
(ILU) for California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is large: Corn EtOH is ~ same as gasoline for lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions)
• Ethanol is not fungible with petroleum distribution – pipelines
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
2 3 4 5Corn Price ($ per bushel)
Etha
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rodu
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ost (
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$8/MMBtu gas
Photo; B.M. Jenkins
Conventional Biodiesel• Mono-alkyl esters of fatty acids derived from plant oils and animal
fats. • Sometimes called FAME (for fatty-acid-methylester)
– Fatty acid ethylester (FAEE) • Some potential for cold weather flow ability problems• Can have oxygen stability problems (shorter shelf life)• Production to ASTM standards important – Engine OEMs hesitant to
warranty due to off-spec product in the market.• Considered Commercial Process but product is not fungible with
current petroleum pipeline distribution system• Many oil companies not interested in biodiesel- - want a
hydrocarbon product from biomass that can be mixed / produced atthe refinery and distributed w/ fossil products (engine OEMs would be happier too)
• Cellulose, hemicellulose is the feedstock • Bound by lignin – tough to get at – and lignin passes
through process as a residue• Needs Pretreatment and Hydrolysis (cellulose
depolymerization--glucose release) to get to sugar molecules
• Opportunity to use– the whole plant (corn + stover)– Non-food ‘energy’ crops– Biomass residue (large potential amount)for biofuel production
• Should have improved lifecycle greenhouse gas performance compared to starch/sugar-to-ethanol
• Improved per acre biofuel yield for case of energy crops (sustainability issues need to be understood).
Not yet (again) commercial• Acid hydrolysis of wood one of earliest technologies for
fuel/industrial ethanol (WW I)• US DOE, NREL, Novozymes, Genencor work on
cellulase enzymes (enzymatic hydrolysis)• DOE has awarded $$ to multiple cellulose to ethanol
demonstrations (“Commercial Scale”)• Much entrepreneurial interest and venture capital
Cellulosic Ethanol Fermentation Using Lignocellulosic Feedstocks
Acid Hydrolysise.g., BlueFire Ethanol
Enzymatic Hydrolysis
• “Drop-in” Fuels or hydrocarbons (compatible with distribution and current engines)• Fischer-Tropsch diesels from gasified biomass (syngas : CO and H2)
– FT diesels sulfur free– Wide product spectrum including gasolines, diesels, alcohols, waxes, aviation fuels, higher value
consumer products– Yields expected to be 60 -80 gallons liquid hydrocarbon product per dry ton biomass
• Hydrotreatment, is hydrothermal upgrading of vegetable oils and animal fats, other lipids and esters (e.g. Shell, Neste, Petrobras, UOP) as well as Bio-oils from fast pyrolysis
• Low life-cycle greenhouse gas footprints• Capital intensive
– Desire large plant for economies of scale– Therefore requires large flow of feedstock
Renewable Diesel or Renewable Synthetic Diesels include(these are the hydrocarbon liquids oil companies are looking for):
Biomass
Pyrolysis(heating in absence of
oxygen)
Gasification
(partial oxidation)Synthesis Gas[CO, H2]
Gas Cleaning and ‘shifting’
This area requires much R&D for biomass systems
Synthesize with catalysts
Pyrolysis Oil(“Bio-Oil”)
Upgrading [e.g., Petroleum
Refinery]
Fuels:DieselGasolineAlcoholsMethaneHydrogen
Fuels:DieselGasoline
Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) from thermal gasification of biomass:Recent awards from the Energy Commission (Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program)
Dual Bed Gasifier
Gas cleaning, tar reforming
Reform to Methane
CO2 scrubbing
Bio - SNG
G4 Insights Inc.
“Forest biomass conversion to compressed biomethane”(Placer County?)
$1.2 million award
Harvest Power / Agnion / City of San Jose“Urban wood waste to biomethane”(San Jose)
$1.9 million award
California Air Resources Board – LCFS various reports- see: http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs.htm
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WELL-TO-WHEELS ANALYSIS OF FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE FUELS AND POWERTRAINS IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT http://ies.jrc.cec.eu.int/media/scripts/getfile.php?file=fileadmin/H04/Well_to_Wheels/WTT/WTT_Report_030506.pdf
Relative Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Alt. Fuels compared to conventional gasoline/diesel
DOE Cellulosic Ethanol Cost Targets ($/gallon of ethanol)
* http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lswethanol.pdf
*
Source: DOE EERE Office of the Biomass Program, Multi-year Program Plan, App. C
($9/gge)
($4/gge)($3/gge)
(~$2.24/gge)
DOE production cost goals Ethanol prices and
* Source; Anex, RP et al., 2010 (Iowa State, NREL & ConocoPhillips)
Assumptions•Corn Stover•2200 BDT per day feedstock (~725,000 BDT/year)•$75/BDT feedstock gate price•~37 MM gallons gasoline equivalent (gge) per year
DOE 2012 Target costNear-term Assumptions by technology
Capital ($MM)
Yield (gal/BDT)
Yield (gge/BDT)
Cellulosic Ethanol 390 68 45Gasification then Fischer-Tropsch(BTL)
560 49 53
Fast Pyrolysis then hydroprocessing 280 49 53
New Study (2010 “In Press”*): Estimates cost of production for near-term biomass-to-liquid fuels (advanced) technology
Company Proposed Location Method Proposed Feedstocks Proposed Capacity(MM gpy)
Abengoa Bioenergy Kansas Combined Thermo- and Biochemical Stover, straws, switchgrass, other 11.4
Abengoa Bioenergy Nebraska Biochemical Stover, straws, switchgrass, other 11.5
AE Biofuels Montana Enzymatic Hydrolysis -Fermentation Switchgrass, seed, straw, stover small scale
BlueFire Mississippi Concentrated Acid- then Fermentation Sorted green and wood waste 19
BlueFire California Concentrated Acid- then Fermentation Sorted green and wood waste 3.1
Coskata PA Fermentation Biomass, MSW, Ag residue (40 thousand gpy)
Dupont TN Enzymatic Hydrolysis - then fermentation Switchgrass, stover, corn cobs (250 thousand gpy)
Ecofin, LLC Kentucky Altech solid state fermentation Corn cobs 1.3
Fulcrum Bioenergy Nevada Gasification / catalytic upgrade MSW ?
G4 Insights Inc. Canada / California Gasification to Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) Woody residues Small demo
Harvest Power/ Agnion California / Europe Gasification to SNG Urban wood waste , maybe biosolids Small demo
ICM Missouri Enzymatic Hydrolysis -Fermentation Switchgrass, forage, sorghum, stover 0.5
Lignol Innovations Colorado biochem - organosolve Woody biomass, ag. residues, hard and soft woods 2.5
Mascoma New York Enzymatic Switchgrass, paper sludge, wood 5
New Planet Energy Florida Gaddy - BRI (gasification, ferment syngas MSW, demolition debri, green waste 8-100
New Page Wisconsin Black Liquor gasification -to -liquid woody biomass , mill residues 5.5
Pacific Ethanol Oregon Enzymatic - then fermentation wheat straw, stover, poplar residues 2.7POET Iowa Enzymatic - then fermentation corn fiber, cobs, and stover 31Range Fuels (Announces some methanol
produced – in startup- Aug, ’10) Georgia Gasification / catalytic upgrade Purpose grown trees and forest wood wastes 20
Rentech California, Mississippi Gasification / catalytic upgrade MSW, demolition debri, green waste 10West Biofuels California Gasification / catalytic upgrade Woody biomass, agr. and urban residues (100 thousand gpy)Zeachem Oregon Poplar, sugar and wood chips 1.54
(Some) US Cellulosic Biofuel Projects under development
California Air Resources Board – LCFS various reports- see: http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs.htm
Thank You
Rob Williams
Development EngineerBiological and Agricultural EngineeringCalifornia Biomass CollaborativeUniversity of California, Davis
Email: [email protected]: 530-752-6623Web: biomass.ucdavis.edu
EISA* 2007 Biofuel Volume Mandates
* Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/federal_biomass.html
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Ethanol
BTL-Syndiesel
Ethanol
Bio-Electricity
Hydrogen FuelCell
Bio-Electricity
Miles per dry ton of biomass
(35% efficiency, IGCC/cofiring)
(62 kg H2/ton)
(25% efficiency, current)
(110 gallons/ton)
(80 gallons/ton)
(63 gallons/ton)
Based on hybrid vehicle with 44 miles per gallon fuel economy on gasoline, 260 Wh/mile battery (source: B. Epstein, E2). Electricity includes generating efficiency, transmission, distribution, and battery charging losses. Ethanol, BTL-Syndiesel, and H2 include fuel distribution transport energy.
Miles per dry ton biomass (lignocellulosic)
Source: B.M. Jenkins