CARBOHYDRATES TO PLATFORM CHEMICALS Challenges & Opportunities in developing Sustainable Green Technologies Pramod Kumbhar; Ph. D Executive Vice-President
Outline Praj and Praj Matrix Renewable chemicals : Perspective Conversion Technologies Levulinic acid/ethyl levulinate Summary
Praj Industries Limited - Background Established in 1984 1 st Company to avail of VC funding in India through ICICI Listed on Indian Stock Exchanges Business Lines BioEthanol Breweries Water and Wastewater Sugar and Ethanol Performance Enhancers Livestock Health and Nutrition Energy Crops Services Critical Process Equipment Over 500 references in 60 countries Over 275,000 sq ft of world class manufacturing facilities meeting global standards The largest resource base for the BioEthanol Industry with global experience over diverse feedstock Praj Proprietary and Confidential Information 3
Praj Matrix The Innovation Center US$ 25+ Million investment 80,000 sq ft of Labs, Pilot Plants, and Offices 115 technologists and growing 30 PhDs, 80 Masters 4 Technology COEs Biology, Chemistry, Engineering 16 Well Equipped Labs ISO-9001-2008 Analytical Labs Bench and Pilot scale facilities enable validation of scientific assumptions and rapid commercialization Praj Proprietary and Confidential Information 4
Praj Matrix Infrastructure & Capabilities Praj Proprietary and Confidential Information 5
Praj-Matrix : Focus areas Renewable Biomass Conversion Technologies Bio-chemical Fungal, yeast, bacteria Chemocatalytic Homogeneous catalysis Heterogeneous catalysis Downstream Processing Extraction Distillation Crystallization Membrane separations Products Fuels Ethanol, Advanced biofuels Chemicals Furfural Tetrahydrofuran Xylitol Ethyl levulinate 2,3 BDO/Butadiene/ Methyl ethyl ketone, Health and Nutrition Animal Probiotics, Pre biotics, Bacteriocins Human Phytosterol/tocopherol EPA-DHA Hyalurnoic acid 6
Hydrocrabon Vs. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates to chemicals : Is it new? No!! Mid to let 1800 s Methanol, acetic acid and acetone : Pyrolysis of pine wood Ethanol, butanol and acetone : Fermentation of sugar and starches Rayon, the first synthetic fabric, and celluloid, the earliest form of film stock : partially derived from bio-based sources.
Historical Perspective As recently as the late 1940s, the world depended on biomass to produce many chemicals Resurgence of renewable feedstock due to environmental and economic reasons
Challenge Cost Effective Scalable Green conversion Technologies Renewable Feedstock Fuels, Chemicals and Plastics
Design for green sustainable technology ROBUST Zero Waste SCALABLE FEED FLEXIBLE C H E M I C A L P R O C E S S A S P E R G R E E N C H E M I S T RY P R I N C I P L E S Atom Efficient CONTINUOUS COST EFFECTIVE
Options Bio-catalysis Chemo-Catalysis Pyrolysis Gasification Highly selective Low T (< 70 C) Aqueous phase Primarily batch processes Low productivity Highly Selective Moderate T (< 400 C) Various reaction medias Batch & continuous processes Non-selective High T (> 350 C) Decomposition Very high T (>800 C) Bio and Chemo-Catalytic processes score high on atom economy
Carbohydrate chemistry & catalysis : Challenges Conventional Catalysis Carbohydrate Catalysis Challenges Solutions ACTIVATION OF ALKANES, OLEFINS SINGLE FUNCTIONALITIES GAS PHASE SMALL MOLECULES NON AQUEOUS CHEMISTRY LARGE COMPLEX MOLECULES MULTIPLE FUNCTIONALITIES CARBOHYDRATES NONVOLATILE WATER INTEGRAL PART LIMITED SOLUBLITY IN NON-AQUEOUS SOLVENTS COMPETING REACTIONS BY PRODUCTS CATALYST POROSITY ACTIVE SITE & REACTION SPHERE CHEMISTRY SURFACE CHEMISTRY ADSORPTION /DESORPTION HYDROTHERMAL STABILITY CONDENSED/LIQUID PHASE REDESIGN CATALYSTS MESOPOROUS CATALYSTS DOWN STREAM PROCESS END PRODUCT SELECTION
Top 12 sugar based building blocks
Levulinic acid : Platform chemical Potential of 1MMTPA @ if made at low cost
Reaction Chemistry Etherification HUMINS Polymerization Complicated Ref.: Rackeman Chemistry D. W., Doherty W.O.S, Biofpr. 5:198-214(2011)
Technology wrap - up TECHNOLOGIES BASED ON MINERAL ACIDS Hazardous Ref.: and Rackeman highly D. corrosive W., Doherty systems W.O.S, Biofpr. 5:198-214(2011) Capital intensive
Technology wrap - up TECHNOLOGIES BASED ON SOLID CATALYSTS Ref.: Rackeman D. W., Doherty W.O.S, Biofpr. 5:198-214(2011) Lower yields Catalyst reuse and recyclability??
Biofine process Ethanol Ethyl Levulinate Highly capital intensive! Low productrivity Low yields
Praj Process for Ethyl Levulinate Feed Pretreatment (Optional) Reaction Downstream Processing LIQUID GLUCOSE DEXTROSE SYRUP DEXTROSE POWDER MALTO-DEXTRINS STARCH BIOMASS Ethanol + Proprietary Co-solvent and catalyst package ETHYL LEVULINATE ETHYL FORMATE BIOCHAR Proprietary catalyst and solvent formulation PATENT FILED
Salient features of the Praj Process Green Non corrosive Feed flexibility High selectivity Min. humin formation More than 80% carbon converted to value added products Lower ether formation
The Praj Biorefinery Ligno-cellulosic biomass Mechanical and Hydrothermal pretreatment C6 stream Enzymatic hydrolysis Step: I Dehydration C5 stream C5 sugars C6 sugars Furfural Step : II Catalytic Conversion Fermentation Chemical catalysis Fermentation Lignin and residues Feasibility stage Pre pilot stage Tetrahydorfuran (THF) Commercial Demo stage Xylitol Levulinic acid/ Ethyl Levulinate Bolt on to PACE Ethanol 2,3 Butanediol Phenolics / BTX 22 Power
Summary Renewable Chemicals : The Future is Now Efficient conversion technologies : key to the success Interdisciplinary (chemists, microbiologists and chemical engineers) team approach essential to make it happen No such thing as Green premium
Thank You Copyright 2011 Praj Industries Ltd. 24