Fast pyrolysis: A sustainable new industry for South Australia

Transcription

1 Fast pyrolysis: A sustainable new industry for South Australia Presentation by Colin Stucley Director, Enecon Pty Ltd Bioenergy Australia Business Breakfast Adelaide, 25 May 2017.

2 Fast pyrolysis converts renewable biomass into a liquid fuel, for flexible heat & power, transport fuels and chemicals. o Introduction o Pyrolysis technology o Market overview o Dispatchable electricity and trigeneration o Transport fuels & biorefineries May

3 Enecon working around Australia since 1998 Bioenergy: Combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, fermentation. Heat, power, liquid fuels, charcoal, activated carbon. Engineering: Bioenergy, process engineering, dangerous goods, minerals industry. May

4 Pyrolysis is heating in the absence of oxygen. Slow pyrolysis focus on combustible gas and char ( biochar ), at the expense of liquid yield. Fast pyrolysis - up to 70% or more of dry biomass becomes liquid product. Balance becomes char and gas. May

5 Dozens of different lignocellulosic feeds trialled successfully Across South Australia: Plantation residues Saw mill residues Construction wood waste Crop stubble New tree crops (e.g. wheatbelt mallees) May

6 Pyrolysis oil: a flexible, renewable fuel: Commercial producers routinely make stable oil of consistent quality. The oil can be transported and stored, for use when and where it is needed. Made at significantly lower cost than ethanol, biodiesel, algal fuels. So what is the technology status? May

7 Limited commercial experience overseas New technology cost improvements expected with commercial roll-out, just as has occurred with wind and solar. May

8 Learning by doing: commercial experience lowers costs Solar energy, well known example: May

9 Most modern commercial pyrolysis plant in the world: Empyro fast pyrolysis plant in The Netherlands, built by BTG-BTL. Identical plants possible for Australia. May

10 Biomass feeds Proven commercial plant 25,000 tpa of oil Markets May

11 Pyrolysis oil has multiple possible markets: 1. Food flavourings? 2. Industrial heat - fuel for boilers? 3. Upgrade to drop in transport fuels? 4. Chemicals? 5. Dispatchable energy - power, heating, cooling May

12 Flexible renewable power and cogeneration Use pyrolysis oil in industrial gas turbines. Opra turbines: multiple fuels and reliable operation in extreme conditions. May

13 Dispatchable power for grid support Pyrolysis oil in turbines (and engines): Easier to vary output than with baseload combustion plants. Provide flexible, carbon-neutral distributed generation. Complements wind and solar. Replaces fossil fuels. Wide range of scales. Think natural gas-fired turbines, only carbon-neutral. May

14 Dispatchable generation for major customers Biomass 1. Renewable fuel production, close to biomass Fast pyrolysis plant 3. Power generation at large customer Fuel storage Industrial gas turbines Waste heat Heat recovery and ORC Unit Excess electricity Electricity Dispatchable, carbon-neutral power Additional electricity May

15 University of Adelaide commercial project assessment o Large-scale o Carbon-neutral o Dual-fuel capability o Electricity or trigeneration o Expand to adjacent sites May

16 Future: Drop in transport fuels o o o Upgrade pyrolysis oil to hydrocarbon transport fuels. Drop in replacement fuels, not blends like ethanol or biodiesel. Major oil & gas tech companies scaling up processes: Good yields Modify existing equipment Green chemicals also made Co-process or stand-alone May

17 Future developments 1. Supply chain and plant efficiencies 2. Improving power generation Use slow/medium speed diesel engines instead of GTs Single cycle electrical efficiency over 40% From few hundred kw to 100 MW or more 3. Biorefineries: When making oil for electricity extract high value chemicals first When upgrading to transport fuels recover chemicals May

18 Thank you. Questions? Particular thanks to the South Australian Government for the Low Carbon Entrepreneurs Award part of the Carbon-neutral Adelaide initiative. Colin Stucley, Enecon Pty Ltd Canterbury Rd - Surrey Hills, Vic AUSTRALIA Tel May