Advanced Liquid Biofuels Developments in the USA

Transcription

1 Advanced Liquid Biofuels Developments in the USA James D. (Jim) McMillan, Ph.D. Bioenergy Australia 2016 Conference Brisbane, Queensland, Australia November 15, 2016 NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

2 Positive US remains world s largest producer, producing over 50 B L ethanol and 6 B L diesel biofuels o 10% ethanol blend wall fracturing o Momentum for higher blends building Science and technology continues to advance o Many routes and bio/catalysts improving, increasing efficiency, reducing production costs Commercialization of cellulosic ethanol operations progressing o e.g., DuPont, POET-DSM and QCCP Paris COP21 agreement reflects growing consensus to address/mitigate climate change. Synopsis : Exciting but Challenging Times * RFS2 = Renewable Fuel Standard * RFS2 = Renewable Fuel Standard * RD&D = Research, Development and Demonstration Negative Oil prices remain too low for most advanced biofuels to be economical o Many technology developers/ producers are halting biofuels RD&D, redirecting efforts to higher value non-fuel products o Abengoa, INEOS plants idled & for sale o Norway out of Task 39 (oil price impact) Production of cellulosic and advanced biofuels lags RFS2 targets; obligated volumes lowered for Bioenergy held to higher standard than other technologies. Concerns about: o Carbon neutrality, food vs. fuel, etc. Other challenges o Polarized administration and congress o No value/price on reducing carbon emissions despite mounting global warming Atmospheric CO 2 > 400 ppm Great barrier reef dying (bleaching) 2016 on track to be hottest year yet 2

3 3 Outline Current drivers, energy landscape and production levels Cellulosic biofuels options, challenges and progress Thermochemical, biochemical and hybrid routes o2012 NREL biochemical cellulosic ethanol demonstration Process relevant performance data that s in the public domain Illustrates the power of sustained, focused, well-funded R&D Emerging Adv. Biofuels Technologies & New Initiatives Summary and outlook

4 4 Biofuels Support National Priorities The use of renewable biomass as as a feedstock for producing fuels and chemicals supports United States national priorities Reduce dependence on nonrenewable petroleum supplies Promote use of domestic and renewable (sustainable) energy resources Create a new bio-industry, foster science & engineering, and create new jobs Reduce carbon emissions from energy and fuel production and consumption

5 The Challenge and Opportunity in the USA Biomass resources Biofuels could can displace help mitigate 30% of petroleum liquid transportation dependence fuels and by GHG 2030 emissions 5 Bioenergy Technologies Office THE CHALLENGE More than $1 billion is spent every three days on U.S. crude oil imports Transportation sector accounts for 67% of petroleum consumption and 26% of GHG emissions in the U.S. THE OPPORTUNITY More than 1 billion tons of biomass could be sustainably produced in the U.S. 1 Billion tons of biomass could displace 30% of U.S. petroleum use by 2030 and reduce annual GHG emissions by 400 million tons

6 6 Transport Fuel is a Big Part of U.S. Energy Mix U.S. Energy Use in 2015 (97.5 Quads) (Quadrillion Btu) Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, (

7 District) are available in XLS. U.S. Fuel Ethanol Production Capacity (2015) U.S. Nameplate Fuel Ethanol Plant Production Capacity as of January 1, 2015 PAD District Number of Plants 2015 Nameplate Capacity 2014 Nameplate Capacity (MMgal/year) (mb/d) (MMgal/year) (mb/d) PADD PADD , , PADD PADD PADD U.S. Total , , Nameplate Capacity: volume of denatured fuel ethanol that can be produced during a period of 12 months under normal operating conditions Source: Form EIA-819M Monthly Oxygenate Report Source: US EIA. 7

8 8 US Commercial Ethanol Production Plants Source: Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), 2016:

9 Millions of Gallons per Year U.S. Diesel Biofuels Production Biodiesel (FAME & HEFA) production levels reached and 1.4 billion gallons in 2013 and 2014, respectively, with NBB estimates much higher than EIA s. Annual production levels highly constrained feedstock supply NBB 2015 EIA AEO 2014 Need alternative feedstocks to enable major growth Sources: National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2014 (AEO 2014), NBB: AEO: Table 11. Petroleum and Other Liquids Supply and Disposition

10 Cellulosic Biofuels Options, Challenges and Progress

11 11 Cellulosic Biofuels Technology Routes Biochem, Thermochem & Hybrid Approaches Biochem Feedstock Supply Logistics, Preparation & Handling Gasification Pyrolysis Thermochem Pretreatment & Enzymatic Hydrolysis/ Saccharification Hybrid Thermochemical Synthesis Gas Production/ Gasification Pyrolysis Biomass Sugars Hydrolysate Conditioning / Detoxification Aqueous Phase Reforming Syngas Cleanup & Conditioning/ Tar Reforming Bio-oil Stabilization Biomass Sugar Fermentation Syngas Fermentation Syngas Catalytic Upgrading/ Product Synthesis Bio-oil Upgrading To Fuel Product Recovery/ Purification, Storage & Distribution

12 12 Biochemical Conversion Flow Diagram Feedstock Variation Feedstock Quality Feedstock Cost Enzyme Production Enzyme Cost Simultaneous Saccharification and Co fermentation Pretreatment Conditioning Enzymatic Hydrolysis Cofermentation of C5 & C6 Sugars Product Recovery Products Sugar Losses Xylose Yield Xylose Degradation Solids Loading Reactor Costs How can research reduce cost? Glucose Yield Solids Loading (titer) Ethanol Yields Ethanol Concentration Rate Hydrolyzate Toxicity Residue Processing By-products

13 Ethanol Yield (%) 13 Technical Barriers Biochemical 1. Plant cell wall recalcitrance Deconstruct secondary cell wall sugarbased polymers to fermentable sugars (and lignin?) at high yield and low cost (low energy and other inputs) 2. Carbohydrate heterogeneity Ferment all biomass sugars to ethanol at high yield, i.e., both hexoses (glucose, galactose, fructose and mannose) and pentoses (arabinose and xylose) 3. Process integration and scale up Cost effectively test/qualify process options; close mass balance; demonstrate process robustness, scalability Design-Expert Software Ethanol Yield X1 = B: Conditioning X2 = D: Strain Actual Factors A: Hydrolysate Strenght = C: Added Glucose = Ov erliming Neutralization P.s Z. m. 8b 7 7 Broin S.c. S.c. D5A

14 14 USA s CE Development Timeline (40+ Years!) 1970s Oil shocks spur search for renewable liquid fuels supply 1990s Sugars cofermenting microbes developed (ethanol) 2000s Hydrolytic enzyme cost reduced fold 2006 US admits it s addicted to oil; aggressively funds cellulosic ethanol (CE) Integrated BioRefineries (IBRs) 2010s Scaled up commercial production begins

15 15 Cellulosic Ethanol Development Timeline (2) 1970s Oil shocks spur search for renewable fuel supply 1990s Sugars cofermenting microbes developed (ethanol) 2000s Hydrolytic enzyme cost reduced fold; 2006 US admits it s addicted to oil; aggressively funds cellulosic ethanol (CE) Integrated BioRefineries (IBRs) 2010s Scaled up commercial production begins NREL pilots BC (and TC) CE processes, achieving performance consistent with a modeled production cost of US $2.15/gallon Operating conditions for NREL s BC pilot CE demonstration Feedstock: Corn stover (i.e., the agricultural residue after harvesting the corn grain) Pretreatment: 160 C, 10 minutes, ~0.35% (w/w) H 2 SO 4 acid in aqueous reaction, in some cases after first applying an NaOH alkaline washing deacetylation step Enzymatic hydrolysis: Novozymes CTec2 cellulase, 20% total solids loading (~12% insoluble solids), 50 C, ph controlled with NH 4 OH Fermentation: DuPont s cofermenting Zymomonas mobilis A7, 33 C, ph 5.8 controlled with NH 4 OH, 10% (v/v) inoculum (~0.5 g/l initial cell density, dry basis)

16 Concentration (g/l) Pilot Process - SHF Concentration Data 100 Enzymatic Hydrolysis Fermentation Glucose Xylose Arabinose Ethanol SHF mode 1000 L scale Time (h) Enzyme: Ctec2 loaded at 19 mg cellulase/g cellulose; substantially lower w/ Ctec3 16

17 Minimum Ethanol Selling Price (2007$ per gallon) 17 History of CE Technology Improvement $10.00 $9.00 $9.16 Bench Scale - Enzymes Conversion Feedstock $8.00 $7.00 $6.90 Scale Up Pretreatment $6.00 $5.33 Scale Up Enz Sacch/Ferm $5.00 $4.00 $3.00 $2.00 $4.27 $3.85 $3.64 $3.57 $3.18 $2.77 $2.56 $2.15 $1.00 $

18 18 Commercial CE Plants (partial list) COMPANY LOCATION CELLULOSIC FEEDSTOCK TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM SIZE (MGY) Abengoa Hugoton, Kansas, USA Ag. residues, energy crops Biochem 23 Chemtex Crescentino, Italy Wheat straw, Arundo donax Biochem 20 DuPont Nevada, Iowa, USA Corn stover Biochem 25 Enerkem* Edmonton, Alberta, Municipal solid Canada waste Thermochem 10 Fiberight Blairstown, Iowa, USA Municipal solid waste Biochem 6 GranBio São Miguel dos Campos, Sugarcane Alagoas, Brazil bagasse Biochem 20 Ineos Bio Vera Beach, Florida, Municipal solid USA waste TC-BC Hybrid 8 POET-DSM Emmetsburg, Iowa, USA Corn stover Biochem 20 Quad County Corn Processors Raízen (Iogen) Glava, Iowa, USA Corn kernel fiber Biochem 2 Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil Sugarcane bagasse Biochem 10 Total * Market target is ethanol albeit near term focus is methanol; MeOH à EtOH in progress.

19 Emerging Technologies & New Initiatives

20 20 Emerging Technologies & New Initiatives Current RD&D focused on drop-in infrastructure compatible biofuels; higher ethanol blends also in the mix Science and process technology are improving, but economics remain challenging given market conditions Highlight developments: Pyrolysis oil coprocessing in petroleum refineries (Ensyn) Gasification + Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (Fulcrum) Combined optimization of advanced fuels and advanced engines (USDOE s Co-optima initiative) Schematic of Petrobras demo-scale FCC unit. Source: A.R. Pinho et al. Fuel 188 (2017)

21 21 Refinery Co-processing Pathway Advancing Source: A.R. Pinho et al. Fuel 188 (2017)

22 22 Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines better fuels. better vehicles. sooner. Draws on collaborative expertise of two DOE research offices, nine national laboratories, and numerous industry and academic partners. Crosscutting project tackling fuel and engine innovation to co-optimize performance, maximize transport efficiency. Advancing R&D to: Bring affordable, scalable advanced biofuels and advanced engine solutions to market more quickly Improve fuel economy 15% 20% beyond targets of BAU R&D efforts Reduce petroleum use, achieve massive cost savings annually via improved fuel economy Dramatically decrease transport sector pollutants and GHG emissions

23 Summary and Outlook

24 24 Cellulosic Ethanol Commercialization Status o Abengoa, DuPont, INEOS Bio and POET-DSM progressing CE plant start ups; production remains well below design capacity o DuPont seeks to license to China and Macedonia; no licenses yet but agreements in place to enable this o Technology robustness and economic viability remain to be fully demonstrated for ag. residue and woody feedstocks o Corn ethanol dry mills now implementing production of CE from corn fiber (cellulosic fraction of DDGs) FAME and Renewable Diesel o VO, FOG-based FAME and HEFA production growing however volumes constrained by feedstock supply Other advanced routes also progressing but performance info proprietary, not public) o Syngas fermentation (e.g., LanzaTech) o Gasification + Fisher-Tropsch (e.g., Fulcrum) o Pyrolysis + Refinery Coprocessing (e.g., Ensyn)

25 25 Situation and Outlook Terrestrial and aquatic biomass remains our only renewable source of carbon; it can also be carbon neutral or carbon sequestering. CE technologies progress shows power of sustained, focused R&D, with multiple feedstock x conversion process options now being commercialized o Sugar platform approaches dominate but hybrid and thermochemical gasification routes also progressing o Economics challenged by low oil price & policy uncertainty o Market success needed to re-frame biofuels image and demonstrate that advanced biofuels can be done right Commercialization of drop-in hydrocarbon biofuels at earlier stage, with TC routes now predominant Supportive policies like U.S. s RFS2 and CARB LCFS are key to expanding advanced biofuels deployment - Needed to ensure a market and foster investment

26 26 More Information National Renewable Energy Laboratory USDOE s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) USDOE BETO Peer Reviews (2011, 2013, 2015) project-peer-review USDOE-USDA Biomass R&D Initiative Alternative Fuels Data Center

27 27 Thanks for Your Attention! Questions?

28 Acknowledgments 28 Funding: US DOE EERE BioEnergy Technologies Office (BETO) Data: NREL s Biochemical Cellulosic Ethanol Demonstration Project Team (Daniel Schell et al.) Refinery Coprocessing: NREL s Helena Chum & Michael Talmadge