The role of thermochemical conversion in biorefinery concepts – not just combustion; ECN Biomass R&D in a biorefinery perspective J.H.A. Kiel

November 2015 ECN-M--15-052

www.ecn.nl

The role of thermochemical conversion in biorefinery concepts – not just combustion

Biorefineries – Science, Technology and Innovation for the Bioeconomy Jaap Kiel Concepción, Chile November 23rd, 2015

ECN Biomass R&D in a biorefinery perspective

Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) Bridge between science and corporate innovation

Mission We develop knowledge and technologies that enable a transition to a sustainable energy system

Not-for-profit research institute Founded in 1955 5 Commercial licensing deals / year 500 Employees +/-20 patents a year € 80 M annual turnover

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ECN Biomass R&D programme Biomass for chemicals, fuels, power and heat

•Characterization •Property databases

•Torrefaction •TORWASH •Pyrolysis •Fractionation

•Combustion •Gasification •Biorefinery

•Gas cleaning •Tar removal •Gas conditioning •Separation

•Biofuels (incl. Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG)

•Biochemicals & -materials

•Power & Heat

Feedstock Pre-treatment Conversion Separation Product

Synthesis

» Higher efficiencies, higher availability, lower environmental impact, higher public acceptance, lower CAPEX/OPEX, new applications

Focus on thermochemical processing

Policy and strategy studies, feasibility studies, techno-economic evaluations, LCA, sustainability assessments

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Biomass use – markets and preferred options

• Shift from focus on bioenergy to focus on biobased economy

• Use C and molecular capital • Aim for maximum added value

• But: – Energy sector more than an order of magnitude larger than chemical sector – We need all renewable energy options, we cannot exclude major ones – There is enough sustainable biomass to make biomass a major renewable energy

option (1/4 – 1/3 of future global energy use) – Some parts of the energy sector difficult to cover with other renewables (e.g., HT

process heat, biofuels for heavy vehicles, aviation and marine applications) – Not all biomass qualifies for high-value applications (e.g., heterogeneous and/or

contaminated streams)

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Renewables cost comparison For bioenergy, feedstock cost is a major cost factor

VGB survey 2012, Investment and operation cost figures, September 2012

Options to decrease bioenergy cost: • (Decrease CAPEX

and OPEX) • Maximise energy

efficiency / heat utilisation (CHP)

• Use less expensive biomass (residues)

• Co-produce high added value products

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Biorefinery concepts The traditional approach

• Two main conversion routes: – Sugar platform: (bio)chemical – Syngas platform: thermochemical

• Sugar platform: – Natural monomer structure largely preserved – Saving energy in production of heterogeneous

chemicals (containing e.g. O) – Small-to-medium scale (biochemical processing)

• Syngas platform: – Natural monomer structure fully destroyed (H2, CO) – Robust process, build on coal experience – Large scale (economy-of-scale in gasification and gas processing) – Biomass needs pretreatment because of logistics and gasifier requirements

(torrefaction, pyrolysis)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

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Biorefinery concepts The role of thermochemical conversion

• Biorefineries residues combustion not straightforward

• Other (more attractive) thermochemical options for biorefinery residues – Gasification – Pyrolysis

• Syngas platform not restricted to high-temperature entrained-flow gasification – High reactivity of biomass allows milder conditions

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 7

Energy island in biorefineries

• The energy island often is the single largest investment – Usually a CHP unit

• Biomass residues from production processes are burnt in the energy island at significant quantities – Lignin typically 15-25% of total biomass

composition

• Residues properties can vary substantially

• Technology providers are often not willing to guarantee performance of their boiler

Capital costs Lignocellulosic ethanol plant

1%

1%

10%

3%

0%

6%

47%

1%

6%

6%

2%

7%5%7%

Largest investment: CHP unit

2nd Largest investment: Pre-treatment and pre-hydrolysis unit

Source: Final report, EET project K01116, 2007 8

Residues for heat and power Large differences in (inorganics) composition

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

lignin 1 lignin 2 lignin 3

mg/

kg d

.b.

SNaZnPbPMnMgKFeCu

From: Beis et al. (2010), Bioresources 5(3), 1408-1424 9

Residues for heat and power Technical challenges

Residues

Physical properties

• High water content • Fibrous/tenacious/bulky • Finely dispersed/viscous

Pressing/evaporation

Energy density

Pumping/conveying

(intra-process) Storage

Size reduction (grinding)

Thermo- and Bio-chemical properties

• (earth-)Alkali (Na, K, Ca) • NH3 / Cl / S • Si and Al (sand or clays) • Microbiological content • Highly biodegradable

Slagging/fouling

Corrosion

Mineral residues utilisation

Microbiological risk

Emissions to air and water

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Lab-scale Combustion Simulators (LCS) Mimic pulverised-fuel and liquid fuel combustion conditions

Special reactor design: 1-2s residence times with only limited total reactor length

Staged gas burner: high heating rate + proper gas atmosphere

Particle sampling probe

Fouling probe 11

Lignin

Fractionated product recovery: combustible off-gas, liquid phenolic fractions and solid char

LIBRA – pyrolysis-based lignin biorefinery • LIBRA involves:

• Conditioning of lignin to prepare it for conversion by pyrolysis • Feeding the conditioned lignin into a bubbling fluidized bed pyrolyser via appropriate feeding protocols • Pyrolysis of lignin into gaseous and solid products • Recovery of products by fractionated condensation of pyrolysis vapors and active removal of solid char • Primary product upgrading (filtration, distillation, etc.)

• LIBRA lab-scale development

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• Gasification converts biomass into gaseous fuel

• Large feedstock flexibility (e.g. woody biomass, agricultural residues, but also wastes and waste-derived fuel)

• Opens the door to existing energy systems: – Boilers – Engines – Turbines – Chemistry – Fuels – Refineries – Steel industry

Syngas platform – gasification

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National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Entrained-flow gasification of biomass Produce syngas as chemical feedstock

Gas

& SteamOxygen

Slag

Fuel• Pressurized operation, steam/oxygen blown • Typical 1300°C • Syngas (mainly H2 , CO), no tars and other

hydrocarbons • Inorganic material melts, becomes slag • Complete fuel conversion • Scale > 100 MWth

• Pulverized fuel required (~ 50 micrometer) or liquid or slurry; biomass needs pretreatment: torrefaction or liquefaction (e.g. pyrolysis)

• Complex design (membrane wall) • Examples: Shell, Siemens, Chemrec (Black Liquor),

a.o. 14

Conversion vs. temperature Biomass and waste do not need severe conditions

100%

Gasifier temperature

Conv

ersio

n

Coal: temperatures need to be high to have acceptable conversion

Biomass/waste is easier to convert

than coal

More efficient, no need for ASU, and

great opportunity for chemistry

Devolatilization

Gasification

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Gasification for chemicals Two main options

chemicals by synthesis

chemicals by synthesis

chemicals by separation

Like naphtha cracking (to ethylene, propylene, BTX, …)

Like most methanol plants (natural gas “gasification” to syngas) and many coal-to-chemicals plants in China

(methanol, DME, NH3, SNG, … MtO)

Energy fraction in the gas

Gasification for chemicals (2) Two main options

• Chemicals by synthesis: – H2 + CO (syngas) chemicals like methanol,

ammonia, SNG, diesel – Mature and available technology – Syngas-to-chemicals ~80% energy efficient

• Chemicals by separation: – Separate already existing molecules from gas – Requires mild gasifier conditions (< 1000 °C) to keep hydrocarbons alive – Concerns mainly benzene, ethylene, methane – Matches very well with biomass/waste: low temperature suffices – Double energy benefit: not broken down in gasifier and not having to synthesize

from syngas – But may also include H2 and CO2

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Indirect fluidized-bed gasification Coupled fluidized-bed reactors

• Energy production and energy consumption processes in separate reactors

• Char serves as fuel for combustion reactor • Complete conversion • Air-blown, yet essentially N2-free gas • 5-200 MWth • Medium tar (10-50 g/Nm3) • Examples: Batelle/Rentech/SilvaGas (US),

FICFB/Repotec (A), ECN/MILENA (NL)

www.milenatechnology.com 18

Biomass indirect gasification Gas composition: small concentrations, high value

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0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

[volume%]

[energy%], LHV-basis

[income%], low-price scenario

Wood

Bioenergy Biochemicals 19

Biomass indirect gasification economics Impact of feedstock cost and chemicals co-production (low-price = based on fossil prices; high-price = 100% premium on syngas, 200% premium on methane, 30% premium on biochemicals)

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0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

wood input

wood output(low-price)

wood output(high-price)

SRF input

SRF output(low-price)

SRF output(high-price)

value [$/GJ input]

CO H2 CH4 ethylene ethane benzene toluene

Bioenergy Biochemicals

SRF = Solid Recovered Fuel = standardised paper-plastic residue 20

Gasification-based biorefinery “harvesting the chemicals”

Biomass gasification is the basis of a bio-refinery, similar to the biochemical (sugar-based) approach: • A sequence of harvesting “instant chemicals” and syngas-based products • But with the ability to convert all kind of (contaminated) low-quality

feedstock to high-value chemicals • Alternative feedstock: residues from biochemical bio-refineries, often

low-value lignins and humins • Chemicals fit current petro-chemistry

• So, biomass gasification becomes a way of producing chemicals, rather than only being a pre-treatment to produce an easy-to-use gaseous fuel from a difficult-to-use solid fuel

• Biomass gasification offers a new way of producing green chemicals

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Example: (ECN) Green Gas production

For power For (high-T) heat

For chemistry For transport

Using existing infra Including gas storage With quality system

And security of supply

Green Gas = bio-SNG = Renewable Natural Gas = bio-Methane

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Gasification: not too hot Instant methane is good for efficiency

70%

53%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Fluidized Bed gasification(~800°C)

Entrained Flow gasification(~1300°C)

methane yield (energy%)

SNG yield (energy%)

Source: C. M. van der Meijden et.al., Biomass and Bioenergy 34, pp 302-311, 2010 23

ECN Green Gas process Base case: everything converted into methane

Smart combination of endothermal reforming and exothermal methanation

Gasifier Tar removal Up-

grading

Metha-nation

CO2 removal

S removal

HDS Pre-reformer Metha-

nation Metha-nation

Gasifier: Fluidized Bed Gasifier operating at ~800°C HDS: HydroDeSulphurization (converting organic S molecules into H2S) BTX: Benzene, Toluene, Xylene (~90%/9%/1% in case of fluidized bed gasification at ~800°C)

BTX is converted

Needed to protect reformer catalyst

Little organic-S, but too much for reformer

Ni catalyst is not able to treat BTX nor ethylene

HDS also takes care of C2H4 C2H6

MILENA OLGA ESME

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… but the Green Gas business case can be further improved!

More valuable than CH4

Can be converted

into methanol,

…

“Instant” natural

gas

Value in EOR, P2G, bioCCS 25

Gasification-based green gas production Potential cost reductions

• Bio-BTX co-production • Bio-ethylene co-production (either separated or converted into

aromatics) • Bio-CO2 capture and storage • And more:

– H2/CO for bio-chemicals – Increasing bio-BTX yield – Increasing bio-ethylene yield – Accommodate excess (renewable) H2 to make methane and

solve the renewable power intermittency issue (P2G)

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Green Gas can become cheaper than natural gas!

ECN BTX separation process Benzene, toluene, xylenes

• First step after OLGA tar removal • Liquid BTX product: first liter in 2014 • >95% separation • B/T/X = 90/9/1 • Simplifies downstream process to SNG

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Co-production has potential In view of product prices, energy efficiency and process complexity

SNG: Synthetic Natural Gas; BTX: mainly benzene; C2H4: ethylene; MeOH: methanol

0

5

10

15

20

25

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

SNG BTX+SNG BTX+C2H4+SNG

BTX+C2H4+MeOH+SNG

prod

uct(

s) v

alue

[Eur

/GJ]

ener

gy e

ffici

ency

energy efficiency [%]

product(s) value [Eur/GJ product]

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Summary

• A clear split between (the development of) biochemical and thermochemical biorefinery concepts leads to suboptimal solutions – join forces

• The energy island of a biorefinery is a major part of the total investment and biorefinery residues utilisation for CHP is not straightforward

• Other thermochemical conversion options (gasification, pyrolysis) may create higher added value from biorefinery residues

• Proper (mild) gasification technologies allow for attractive co-production schemes including chemicals co-production by separation

• Example: Green Gas can become cheaper than natural gas

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Thank you for your attention!

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For more information, please contact:

Jaap Kiel Programme Development Manager Biomass T +31 88 515 45 90 P.O. Box 1, 1755 ZG PETTEN F +31 88 515 84 88 The Netherlands kiel@ecn.nl www.ecn.nl

Publications: www.ecn.nl/publications Fuel composition database: www.phyllis.nl Tar dew point calculator: www.thersites.nl IEA bioenergy/gasification: www.ieatask33.org Milena indirect gasifier: www.milenatechnology.com OLGA: www.olgatechnology.com / www.renewableenergy.nl SNG: www.bioSNG.com / www.bioCNG.com BTX: www.bioBTX.com

30 ECN 800 kWth MILENA gasifier