Report on Australian Pyrolysis Activities

Transcription

1 Report on Australian Pyrolysis Activities Damon Honnery Monash University On behalf of Bioenergy Australia

2 Implementing Bioenergy in Australia Key drivers for bioelectricity is the Renewable Energy Target (45,000 GWh/a by 2020), and in the longer term the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Bioenergy has provided nearly a quarter of all Renewable Energy Certificates surrendered under the MRET to date. Clean Energy Future for Australia report led by WWF found that for a deep carbon cut scenario by 2040 bioenergy could provide 29 percent of the generation mix. Clean Energy Council stationary bioenergy roadmap indicates a four fold expansion of bioenergy by Biofuels has soft target of 350 ML/a by One state NSW has provided a biofuels mandate only state so far.

3 Focus is on Reducing impact of coal based electricity production Current Australian electricity production is 234 TWh (11MWh/cap) Biofuel targets are modest, current production is around 1% of total liquid fuel consumption (~36GL) Biofuels are mostly ethanol and small amounts of biodiesel Fuels can contain up to 10% ethanol and around 5% biodiesel and still meet current standards. Second generation biofuels are now getting strong attention.

4 Bioenergy Support- Bioenergy Australia Established in 1997 as a government-industry forum to foster and facilitate the development of biomass for energy, liquid fuels, and other value added bio-based products. Bioenergy Australia is concerned with all aspects of biomass and bioenergy, from production through to utilisation, and its work embraces technical, commercial, economic, societal, environmental, policy and market issues. Bioenergy Australia 76 member organisations including government, private and university sectors. Holds regular meetings and an annual Australia wide conference Is a vehicle for IEA Bioenergy participation 5 Tasks Task 30 Short Rotation Crops for Bioenergy Task 34 Biomass Pyrolysis Task 38 Greenhouse Gas Balances of Bioenergy Systems Task 39 Commercialising 1 st and 2 nd Generation Biofuels Task 42 Biorefineries: Coproduction of fuels, chemicals, power and materials from biomass

5 Government Support Programs Gen-2 Biofuels $15 million grant program (includes pyrolysis) Climate Ready $2.9 million grant to Ethanol Technologies for lignocellulosic ethanol development Renewable Energy Demonstration program (REDP) (includes pyrolysis) Sate Government programs such as Victoria s Sustainable Energy large Scale Demonstration program (SELSDP). Clean Energy Initiative $2.425billion CCS Flagship, $0.465billion Renewables Australia (possibly pyrolysis)

6 Gen-2 Biofuels Pyrolysis Related Successful Grants Curtin University of Technology: The project will investigate the sustainable production of high quality second generation transport biofuels from Mallee biomass by pyrolysis and utilising the biorefinery concept. The project is also supported by Spitfire Oil Pty Ltd and located in Perth, Western Australia. Monash University : The Monash University project will aim to develop a pyrolysis biorefinery supported by the Renewable Oil Corporation and located at Monash University, Victoria. Pyrolysis grants secured 25% of the $15million available Industry partners will provide matching funds.

7 Curtin University Project: Sustainable Production of High-Quality Second Generation Transport Biofuels from Mallee Biomass by Pyrolysis Biorefinery Mallee produces 200GJ/ha with production energy ratio over 40, rain feed, 3-6yr harvest Reducing soil salinity is the most significant driver. Curtin research scale pyrolysis facility In Australia Biochar has much prominence ack_issues/gsm-jun09/index.html More than 14,000+ ha of mallee have been planted in WA

8 Monash University Project Australia has a round 1.63million tonnes/year construction wood waste 2Gen Pyrolysis Biorefinery Research is based on developing upgraded fuels, fuel testing and extraction of chemical coproducts In Australia there is 3.8million tonnes/yr of forestry residue. Pyrolysis is based on the Dynamotive system.

9 Examples of Current Pyrolysis R & D Monash University: bio-oil applications- diesel engines, sprays and combustion Curtin University- feedstock, pyrolysis and upgrades Renewable Oil Corporation- large scale industrial development Best Technologies- developing slow pyrolysis systems Crucible Carbon- developing new pyrolysis systems

10 Monash Bio-oil Research Spray and atomisation tests on (biodiesel rich phase of) biodiesel/bio-oil blends. Combustion and particulate formation of ethanol/bio-oil blends. Diesel engine tests: (i) diesel/bio-oil emulsions, (ii) model bio-oil/diesel blends and (iii) blends of diesel and the pyroligneous tar fraction of slow pyrolysis bio-oil. Droplet evaporation and combustion studies (underway) 44 micro seconds after SOI Fuel sprays, both here and in the USA (Argonne APS) have been done on biodiesel/biodiesel blends, left X-ray synchrotron, right ultra high-speed visible, far right APS high pressure X-ray facility

11 Curtin Bio-oil Research Curtin fluidised bed pyrolysis reactor Detailed studies on mallee have been undertaken Upgrading has focused on identification of the fuel like components in the dominant macro-chemical families Typical milled mallee ready for reactor

12 Renewable Oil Corporation Renewable Oil Corporation Pty Ltd (ROC) is developing a renewable energy business in Australia, based on innovative, commercially demonstrated pyrolysis technology. Mr Colin Stucley, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer ROC has an exclusive technology licensing agreement with Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation of Canada. ROC will establish a pyrolysis plant able to process 65,000 dry tonnes of biomass each year. ROC has been established in cooperation with Enecon Pty Ltd, who has specialised in bioenergy technologies and projects since Shown here is the Integrated Wood Processing plant WA.

13 Best Energies BEST's Slow Pyrolysis system creates syngas for electrical generation, char and waste heat for re-use in plant and for export to other users. Syngas can be used to dry the incoming feed material, fuel an engine or a gas turbine. Char is produced for use as carbon filtration media, pelletized fuel and carbon for soil enrichment Feedstocks Tested

14 Crucible Carbon Pyrolysis technology configured to produce gas, bio-oil and biochar. Current facility operates at kg/hr Commercial scale by 2010 of tonnes/day Larger scale facilities are envisaged to be able to produce 30,000 tonnes/yr of biochar

15 Examples of Asia/Pacific Region R & D New Zealand: Pukekohe pyrolysis plant, a mobile demonstration unit capable of processing one tonne of dry forest residues per day will yield around 600 kg of bio-oil and 200 kg of char. The plant is based on technology from Advanced BioRefinery Incorporated (ABRI) of Canada. New Zealand: Massey University Biochar Initiative. Activities planned are fundamentals and modelling of pyrolysis processes, pilot plant design with techno-economic assessment including co-product optimisation. A small pilot scale biochar pyrolysis plant is expected to be commissioned at Massey late China: Dynamotive announced in 2008 that it had formed a partnership with Great China New Energy Technology Services (Great China) to commence development of pyrolysis plants based on its technology in Henan province. Planning is still ongoing with agreements for a minimum of 15 plants within five years. China produces 900 million tons of agricultural residues each year China: Among the many small pyrolysis plants is the Key Laboratory for Biomass Clean Energy at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei runs a 20 tonne/day fluidised bed reactor pyrolysis plant. Feedstocks such as rice husk, corn stalk, cotton stalk and sawdust

16 Summary Recent award of two major pyrolysis research grants will see ongoing development of pyrolysis processes and applications. Industrial scale development (200tonne/day level) is underway but yet to be fully realised. Smaller scale development is taking place within the slow pyrolysis sector. Government support has increased and this should lead to stronger growth across all development scales. But clean coal remains the major energy focus. Biochar/agrichar is a strong driver for pyrolysis activity. Activity in China appears very strong, but not yet developed