BIOMASS MEETING THE BIOTECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE

Transcription

1 BIOMASS MEETING THE BIOTECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE

2 DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCE THROUGH ENTERPRISING R&D

3 o help meet growing global energy demand, Total is working to develop new energies that emit less greenhouse gas and can partner the oil and gas we supply. Biomass makes up around 10% (1) of the world energy consumption and is currently used mostly for heating and cooking. It is the only renewable alternative to fossil fuels for transportation fuels, such as biodiesel, bioethanol and bio-jet fuel, for lubricants, and for the building block molecules used by the chemical industry to produce solvents and polymers. Together with solar, biomass is a strategic growth area for Total in new energies. We have launched several ambitious R&D programs and formed innovative industrial partnerships to identify, test and commercially scale up the most socially, environmentally and economically promising biomass conversion pathways. In our view, large-scale biomass conversion is an industrial and technological challenge that must reconcile the following requirements: Technical performance: Technological differentiation and compatibility with current equipment and industrial processes. Environmental performance: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, combating deforestation and soil erosion, and protecting the natural environment and the water cycle. Social acceptability: Compatibility with the food needs of populations and a driver of economic and social development in host country communities. Economic viability. ABUNDANT, RENEWABLE AND STORABLE, BIOMASS IS A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO THE PLANET S GROWING ENERGY NEEDS. TOTAL IS FULLY COMMITTED TO BIOMASS, THROUGH INDUSTRIAL PARTNERSHIPS AND ENTERPRISING RESEARCH PROGRAMS. Biomass R&D demands a wide range of technical and scientific capabilities, in biology, genetics, chemistry, agronomy and more. Through an open innovation research strategy, Total has entered into a number of international partnerships with universities and private laboratories and acquired equity interests in innovative start-ups. (1) IEA, World Energy Outlook

4 CO 2 PHOTOSYNTHESIS Sugar beets PLANT SUGARS AND STARCH BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAY (pages 8 and 9) EXTRACTION Sugar cane Grains SUGARS Wood LIGNOCELLULOSIC SUGARS Farming waste (straw, bagasse and corn stover) Energy plants (miscanthus) DECONSTRUCTION - JBEI(1), Futurol(2) PHOTOTROPHIC PATHWAY (pages 10 and 11) MICROALGAE SELECTION AND GENETICS - CEA Microalgae (1) Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in the U.S. (2) Partnership between Agro-Industrie Recherches et Développements, Champagne Céréales, Confédération Générale des Planteurs de Betteraves, Crédit Agricole du Nord-Est, IFP Énergies Nouvelles, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Lesaffre, Office National des Forêts (ONF), Tereos, Total and Unigrains. (3) Galactic/Total joint venture. 2

5 TOTAL IS CONDUCTING A VARIETY OF R&D PROJECTS TO BECOME PROFICIENT IN THE TECHNOLOGIES NEEDED TO DEVELOP BIOMASS CONVERSION PATHWAYS. Downstream processing (conversion) Amyris, Futurol (2) MOLECULES OF INTEREST BIOETHANOL FERMENTATION USING GENETICALLY MODIFIED MICROORGANISMS Gevo ISOBUTANOL ADDITIVES GASOLINE Amyris FARNESENE BIO-JET FUEL LACTIC ACID BIODIESEL Futerro (3) LUBRICANTS GROWING ALGAE IN BIOREACTORS - AlgaePARC OILS PLASTICS 3

6 AMYRIS AND ITS CUTTING-EDGE BIOTECHNOLOGY PLATFORM Created in 2003, Amyris has developed an innovative technology to convert sugar to building block molecules for fuels and chemicals. Active across the biotech value chain, Amyris has both research laboratories and a production plant. Since June 2010, Total has been the California company s lead industrial shareholder, with an 18.5% equity stake as at January 1, Teams from Total and Amyris are working on joint research programs whose primary aim is to develop and market new molecules to produce biofuels and feedstock for green chemicals. AMYRIS LABORATORY, EMERYVILLE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES. 4

7 myris technology is based on using sugar from starch or sugar plants, such as the sugar cane produced in Brazil. Eventually it will be able to convert sugar extracted from the non-food parts of plants, or lignocellulose, using fermentation techniques (see page 8) Specifically, Amyris has a cutting-edge synthetic biology platform that can engineer and screen faster microorganisms such as yeast strains that are able to cost-effectively convert sugar to various molecules of interest. Amyris has research laboratories and a pilot unit in California and a demonstration facility and production plant in Brazil. Commercial-scale production of its flagship molecule, farnesene (see page 6), began at the Brotas plant in Brazil in early AMYRIS EXPERTISE: SCREENING AND ENGINEERING A YEAST STRAIN USING SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY 1 DNA Analysis Identify the best biological pathway 2 to produce the target molecule. Molecular Biology Engineer a large number of strains using this biological pathway. 3 Screening Test the most efficient strains for producing the target molecule. Researchers seek to obtain a stable microorganism (such as a yeast strain or bacteria) that can produce the molecule of interest for chemical applications. To do that, they must fully identify the cellular metabolic pathways to be able to reprogram the microorganism, to optimize production of the target molecule, as illustrated in the diagram above. 5

8 FROM FARNESENE TO FARNESANE Farnesene, Amyris flagship molecule, has a very broad range of applications, from cosmetics to biofuels. Farnesene molecules can be hydrogenated into farnesane, which can be directly blended into diesel or aviation fuels and does not require technical modifications to engines. Farnesane has properties that are superior to the fatty acid methyl esters that currently account for most of the biodiesel market, specifi cally better cold resistance and the ability to be blended in higher proportions into conventional diesel. BUS OPERATED BY THE SAO PAULO, BRAZIL TRANSIT AUTHORITY, RUNNING ON AMYRIS BIODIESEL. Biodiesel The biodiesel fuels on the market today consist primarily of vegetable-oil fatty acid methyl esters, which have different properties than conventional diesel, limiting them to 7% of the final fuel s energy. Our goal is to market biodiesel with higher biofuel content than current blends. In Brazil, Amyris has initiated tests on the largescale use of farnesane; its marketing affiliate has been supplying the Sao Paulo transit authority with biofuel containing 10% farnesane since September THE TOTAL-AMYRIS TEAM RACES ON BIODIESEL At the Monte Carlo New Energies Rally (RAMCEN) in March 2012, Total and Amyris proved the mettle of their 45%-farnesane blend, made by converting sugar cane, for the first time under real racing conditions, on an open road with a series-produced car. 6

9 Around 6% (compared to 2% today) Percentage of biofuel in the energy used for transportation worldwide in 2035 (1) (1) IEA, World Energy Outlook % The target percentage of renewables, mainly biofuel, in transportation fuel in 2020, set by European Union Directive 2009/28/EC. The current percentage in Europe is 4.5% (2). (2) Source: EurObserv ER, NEW AMYRIS SUGAR CANE FERMENTATION PLANT IN BROTAS, BRAZIL. Aviation Fuel With sales of more than 10 million tons in 2011, Total is one of the world s biggest suppliers of aviation fuel, or jet fuel. We are looking for solutions to meet airlines growing demand while curtailing carbon emissions. The air transportation sector has set a goal of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (2005 baseline). To meet the stringent standards of the industry and the requirements of engine makers, bio-jet fuel must have the same technical properties as fossil-based fuels. Farnesane is a sustainable alternative to fossilbased jet fuel. The bio-jet developed by Amyris and Total and produced using the Direct Sugar to HydroCarbons (DSHC) pathway is currently being specified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), a standards and specifications organization in the United States. DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT USING BIO-JET FUEL During the Paris Airshow 2013, Total and Amyris supplied renewable jet fuel, composed of 10% farnesane, for the first demonstration flight in Europe. The Airbus A321 made a successful flight between Toulouse and Paris proudly sponsored by the «Joining our Energies - Biofuel Initiative France» involving Airbus, Air France, Safran and Total. 7

10 BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAY: HARNESSING THE ENERGY OF SUGAR The biochemical pathway uses microorganisms (yeast or bacteria) to ferment biomass and convert it to a variety of molecules usable for fuel and chemical production. One of the research goals is to develop microorganisms that are genetically modified to produce new molecules, then optimize them to obtain efficient, robust strains. In addition to our research with Amyris, we are exploring other biochemical pathways, in particular to convert the non-food part of the plant (lignocellulose) into sugar. Our biotech R&D teams are working in partnership with European and American laboratories and start-ups. Gevo: Total has acquired an interest in the U.S. startup Gevo, which is developing a process to convert sugar to isobutanol, for use in fuels or petrochemical production. The first commercial plant started up in Luverne, Minnesota in May Total is also interested in microorganisms that can convert gas containing carbon monoxide like that produced by the metalworking industry, refineries or gasification of agricultural waste, municipal solid waste or coal into molecules of interest to the chemical industry. 8

11 Futerro: Created in 2007 by Belgium s Galactic and Total, Futerro is a joint venture that can produce bioplastics from lactic acid. Futerro has the capability to manufacture a complete line of products for the packaging market, especially food packaging, that also have applications in such areas as textile fibers and cell phone casings. Toulouse White Biotechnology (TWB): Total is an industry partner of the TWB project launched by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in early It aims to develop new sustainable pathways to produce chemicals, biofuels and biomaterials, using enzyme biocatalysis or the microorganism fermentation of renewable resources. EXTRACTING LIGNOCELLULOSIC SUGARS FROM THE PLANT Crop Plant cells Main wall of plant cells Hemicellulose Cellulose Sugar molecules Lignin Sourcing feedstock is a major challenge for biochemical biomass conversion processes. To promote sustainability, Total is actively researching the use of lignocellulose, the non-edible part of plants. Lignin, an extremely hard-to-break-down molecule, is a fi brous component that helps give plants their structure. Expensive, energy-intensive processes are required to break it and allow hydrolysis of the cellulose and hemicellulose to release sugars, such as glucose and xylose. Once extracted, the sugars can be fermented into farnesene-type molecules (see Amyris, page 6) or bioethanol. Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI): Total is a major strategic partner of the Joint BioEnergy Institute led by Dr. Jay Keasling. This cutting-edge synthetic biology research center was created by the U.S. Department of Energy to advance R&D to enable the wide-scale use of lignocellulosic biomass as biofuels. Futurol: Total sits on Futurol s Scientific Committee and provides industrial expertise in blending bio-components into existing fuels. Futurol aims to produce bioethanol from lignocellulose by An industrial pilot was launched near Reims, France in Total and the JBEI are collaborating on three major research programs: converting biomass, developing new synthetic pathways to produce molecules for our chemicals business and increasing the tolerance of microorganisms for the molecules produced. 9

12 PHOTOTROPHIC PATHWAY: FROM MICROALGAE TO MOLECULES OF INTEREST Phototrophs like microalgae are microorganisms that can produce molecules of interest for fuels and chemical manufacturing directly, by means of photosynthesis, which uses sunlight as a source of energy and carbon dioxide as a source of carbon. Microalgae could be grown on non-arable land to avoid interfering with food crops. Per-acre yields for microalgae could be much higher than with the land-based plants currently used to produce biodiesel. Total is working to leverage these advantages in an exploratory research program to select the most efficient species, optimize their biology through genetic engineering and fine-tune commercial scale-up processes by studying molecule treatment and extraction methods and related environmental impacts. A host of potential applications could ultimately involve all of our business lines, including biofuels, lubricants and molecules for chemicals. We are partners in various research projects to assess the long-term feasibility of microalgae technologies. 10

13 Oxygen O 2 Photons Carbon dioxide CO 2 fixing BUSY MICROALGAE FACTORIES, PRODUCING LIPIDS THAT CAN BE CONVERTED DIRECTLY TO FUELS OR LUBRICANTS BIO-JET FUEL BIODIESEL Photosynthesis LIPIDS OILS Water (H2O) SUGARS PROTEINS LUBRICANTS A MICROALGAE CELL Nutrients (inorganic salts: iron, nitrogen, phosphate, etc.) Using microalgae to produce biofuels may turn out to be a promising pathway. Further research and development are needed before it will be feasible to use microalgae technologies for the large-scale, cost-effective, energy-efficient production of molecules useful in making fuels and chemicals. AlgaePARC Total is collaborating with Wageningen University in the Netherlands on the Algae Production And Research Centre (AlgaePARC) project. AlgaePARC aims to design, by 2015, a reactor model and a cultivation process whose performance is more sustainable from a technical, financial and energy efficiency standpoint than conventional processes, while expanding our knowledge base in preparation for the technology s commercial scale-up. CEA and CNRS partnership R&D teams from Total and CEA have developed a joint research program on the optimization of photosynthetic organisms (microalgae). The objectives are to enhance their properties and raise their efficiency to lower production costs, too high today to address the commodity markets. Research, involving researchers from CEA, CNRS and TOTAL are conducted at the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology & Plant (LPCV) a unit of the Research Institute of Science and Technology (irtsv) at CEA Grenoble, France. 11

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15 GLOSSARY Biofuel: A liquid or gaseous fuel for transport produced from biomass (European Union Directive 2009/28/EC). Biochemical conversion: Conversion of energy sources (usually biomass) through biological transformation (reactions in living organisms). Examples include fermentation (in the presence of enzymes). Biodiesel: A biofuel used in diesel engines and produced by the conversion of vegetable oils, sugars or synthetic gas. Bioethanol: A biofuel miscible in gasoline produced by fermenting or distilling sugars from biomass (sugar plants or lignocellulose). Bio-jet fuel or biokerosene: A biofuel for aviation use. Biomass: Biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues of biological origin from agriculture (including plant and animal substances), forestry and related industries, including fisheries and aquaculture which, through chemical transformation, can become beneficial molecules (carbon molecules) for the production of fuels and specialty chemicals (European Union Directive 2009/28/EC). Biotechnology: The application of science and technology to living organisms, as well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or non-living materials for the production of knowledge, goods and services (OECD 2005). Distillation: The process of separating a liquid mixture through vaporization. Substances vaporize at different boiling points, allowing them to be collected separately. Fermentation: A biochemical reaction that converts the chemical energy in a carbon source (often sugar) to another form of energy (alcohol) through interaction with yeast or bacteria. Hydrolysis: The breakdown of a substance by splitting water molecules into hydrogen (H+) and hydroxyl (OH-) ions. Lignocellulose: Lignocellulose makes up the wall of plant cells. In the biofuel sector, this term is used to designate wood and straw, two resources that can be used for biofuel production. Lignocellulose can be gasified (thermochemical conversion) or split into its basic components (sugars from cellulose and lignin) in order to transform them through biochemical conversion. Photosynthesis: The chlorophyll found in plants is capable of capturing light energy. The captured energy is used to make sugar molecules from water taken from the soil and carbon dioxide found in the air. The sugars produced are then distributed through the plant and the oxygen is released into the air. Phototrophic organisms: Living organisms such as plants and microalgae that make their organic matter by drawing energy from light via photosynthesis. 13

16 See you at New Energies Total Marketing Services Headquarters: 24 cours Michelet Paris La Défense cedex - France Phone: +33 (0) Share capital: euros RCS Nanterre Design and Production: Studios Menthe&Chocolat. Photo Credits: Total Photo Library. E. Maillard, M. Roussel, F. Laeuffer, Stephan Gladieu, Marco Dufour All rights reserved to Fetranspor, A. Guillaumot/DPPI Media, Amyris, Inc. All Right Reserved, AIRBUS S.A.S. - photo by exm company / P. MASCLET All rights reserved to AZUL Linhas Aéreas, istockphoto, Getty Images (N. Rowe, Imagebroker RF, LWA), X, All rights reserved. Graphics: StudioV2. Printed on Satimat Green, a paper manufactured from 60% recycled fi bers and 40% FSC-certifi ed virgin fi bers. Printed in France. May 2014.