devinder mahajan aec 2010 new york hilton new york november
TRANSCRIPT
Devinder Mahajan
AEC 2010 New York Hilton
New York
November 8-9, 2010
Atom Economical Biofuel Production from Biomass
Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers
BNL
Stony Brook U.
Our Location
JFK Airport
Acknowledgments
• National Science Foundation (NSF)• U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE)• BNL: Program Development • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)• SBU: Office of Vice President for
Research• Industry
The Group (BNL/SBU)
Students
- M. Eaton (Exxonmobil)- M. Anjom (SBU)RA- P. Kerkar (CSM)Graduate- Y. Hung- Kristine Horvat- S. Patel- S. Xiong- W. Nan- C. Okoli- Tshiung-Ming Yeh- Kurian KuttiyelUndergraduate5+ students/year (SULI and Battelle Fellowships)
Collaborators
• BNL• USDA• Columbia U.• NRL• Schlumberger Doll Research• Farmingdale State College• NC A&T
Biomass Feedstock
“Billion ton” study (USDA/DOE)• Agriculture: Corn stover, wheat straw, soybean residue, manure,
switchgrass, other energy crops.• Forest: Forest thinnings, fuelwoods, logging residues, wood processing
and paper mill residues, urban wood wastes.
Biomass: Structural Units
Cellulose: Polymer and cross-linkages among glucose units.
Hemicellulose: 5, 6 carbon sugars, sugar acids, acetyl esters- more complicated than cellulose.
Lignin: Phenolic polymers- impart strength to plants.
Typical compositionCarbohydrates/Sugars: 75% Lignin: 25%
Source: US DOE
“Biorefinery” Concept
Biomass to Biofuels: Possible Routes
gy
Solid Biomass(Wood, straw)
Sugar, Starch plants(sugar beet, cereals)
Oil Crops(rapeseed, other oils)
Resources
Combustion
Wet Biomass(organic waste, manure)
Conversion
Gasification
Pyrolysis
Digestion
Hydrolysis &Fermentation
Extraction &Esterification
Heat
Biogas
Fuel Gas
Bio oil
Bioethanol
Biodiesel
Product Market
Heat/CHP
Electricity
TransportationFuels
Chemicals
Source: Chemical Engineering, October 2006
Commercial Biofuels- Statistics BiodieselProduction (billion gallons):
- 0.7 (2008); ~0.5*(2009)# of plants: 176Capacity: 2 billion gallons
EthanolProduction (billion gallons): - 10 (2009) Capacity: 12.5# of plants: 180# of companies: 150
• 2010 Jobs Bill: $1/gallon credit!!!*Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS)
Biofuels Production: Challenges
Humanitarian
• Food vs Fuel debate (recent riots in Asia and other countries with rising fuel prices). • For each 1% rise in food prices, caloric intake among the poor drops 0.5% (World Bank Report). • By 2025, 1.25 billion people will go hungry.• ¼ US Production of grain (2009) = Feeding 330 million people
Center for Bioenergy R&D
Partner Universities• South Dakota School of Mines & Technology• North Carolina State University • U. of Hawaii• Stony Brook University • Kansas State University
Industry Members: 25+
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Thrust Areas in BioEnergy
BIOGAS BIO-OILSYNGAS
to FUELS
Pipeline quality gas from biogas. Transportation fuels- MeOH, DME,
Renewable diesel.
Economical Biomass Processing
50 miles
• Biomass collection• Process biomass on-site to bio-oil• Transport bio-oil to a nearby facility • Produce transportation fuels
USDA Model
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Task 1. Bio-oil Samples
► USDA Pyrolysis Pilot unit. Two samples:– Corn stover– Soybean straw
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Task 2: Bio-oil Characterization
Physical Property Corn Bio-oil Soy Bio-oil
Stability Unstable UnstablepH 2.37 2.41Viscosity (cSt)
@ 40°C 15.24 10.89@ 100°C 2.41 1.81
Pour Point (°C) -19 -17Density (@ 25°C) Kg/l 1.23 1.17
CompositionAsh (wt%) 0.05 0.06
Carbon (wt%) 40.81 42.64Oxygen (wt%) 51.21 49.54
Hydrogen (wt%) 7.29 6.94
Sulfur (wt%) 0.15 0.14Nitrogen (wt%) 0.54 0.74
Batch Unit
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Task 3: Batch Upgrading Data
Run#
Catalyst Solvent Sample Bio-Oil Pi (H2) Pf(H2)
pHi pHf CO2 CH4
(g) (ml) (ml) (psig) (psig) (%) (%)
1 NiCl2(0.5) PEG(25) Soybean Straw
25 468 430 4.11 3.87 8.63 0.99
2 NiCl2(0.4) PEG(20) CornStover
20 467 441 4.15 3.45 14.4 0.69
4 γ-Al2O3(1) PEG(90) CornStover
10 201 206 4.85 5.65 4.69 0
5 NiCl2(0.1)γ-Al2O3(1)
PEG(90) CornStover
10 199 197 4.81 4.67 8.16 0
Pi = Initial P at RT, Pf = Final P at RT. Run time: 5 hours at 250oC.
ApproachCombine new Process Engineering and Process Chemistry concepts.Process ChemistryLiquid Phase Low Temperature (LPLT) concept
- Single-site or Nano catalysisProcess EngineeringHeat management
- Microchannel Reactors
Challenge• Total Carbon Utility with Product specificity-
Atom Economy• Use non-food feedstocks
Future Effort in Biofuels Production
Research Facility• New York State funded $45 million at SBU.
- Build the Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center (AERTC) • NSF C-BERD will be housed in this building.
Characterization Facilities• Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)
- A U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE) $85 million facility at BNL.
Future: Facilities
AERTC CFN
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Application: Long Island's Smart Energy Corridor
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Summary
Bio-oil sample supply is obtained. Physical properties of bio-oils have been
measured. Run are underway for batch-mode upgrading
to liquid biofuels. Application to skid-mounted units and smart
grid.
Key PublicationsGuest Editor: D. Mahajan
Clean Fuels Methane Hydrates
20072005
Biomass to Fuels
2007
Journal of Renewable & Sustainable Energy (JRSE): Special Volume
2010