paper mills, biofuels, & the biorefinery · mill? •a supply chain to grow, harvest, and...
TRANSCRIPT
Paper Mills, Biofuels, & The Biorefinery:What’s the Deal? What’s the Status?
What Are the Implications for YOUR Career?
Dr. Med ByrdTAPPI-PIMA Student Summit
January 15-17, 2011
Bioenergy ProgramDepartment of Forest Biomaterials
Bioenergy Projects -- ~ $1.5
million/year• Bioethanol Pilot Plant
• Wood-to-Ethanol Research Consortium
• Value Prior to Pulping (VPP)
• Ethanol from Transgenic Hardwoods
• Ethanol from Coastal Bermuda Grass
• Enhancing Wood Penetration for More Efficient Hydrolysis and Optimized Saccharification
• Opportunities with Dissolved Wood for the Forest Biorefinery
• Validation of Therminator Syngas Cleanup
• Advanced Technology for Low Cost Ethanol from Engineered Cellulosic Biomass
• Economics and Feasibility of North Carolina Biomass Conversion
• Producing Ethanol from Biomass by Extracting Value Prior to Extraction
• Low Cost Conversion of Industrial Sludges to Ethanol
• Integrated Torrefaction-Gasification for the Production of Biofuels
• Economic Analysis of Pine Biomass Varieties for Ethanol Production
• Life Cycle Analysis for the Production of Transportation Fuels
• Fast Pyrolysis of Forestry Biomass
Outline
• “Bio” 101
• Biofuels Explained
• “Ethanol 101”
• Implications for the paper industry
• What’s the current state?
• What does it mean for your career?
The New “Bio” World
• Biomaterials – Plant- or biomass-derived materials that displace those made from petrochemicals or non-renewable resources
– Fibers; films; structures; composites
• Biofuels – Plant- or biomass-derived fuels intended to reduce fossil fuel use
– Fuel for direct combustion or energy generation
– Liquid transportation fuels
The New “Bio” World
• Biomaterials – Plant- or biomass-derived materials that displace those made from petrochemicals or non-renewable resources
– Fibers; films; structures; composites
• Biofuels – Plant- or biomass-derived fuels intended to reduce fossil fuel use
– Fuel for direct combustion or energy generation
– Liquid transportation fuels
The Biorefinery
NREL
The Biorefinery
NREL
Why So Much InterestIn Liquid Fuels?
• The bulk of US energy consumption comes from transportation fuels
• Liquid bio-fuels can be transported
• Can be put into automobiles
• Worth $$$$$$
Types of Liquid Bio-Fuels
• Ethanol
• Bio-diesel
• Fisher-Tropsch liquids (liquids from gases)
Types of Liquid Bio-Fuels
• Ethanol
• Bio-diesel
• Fisher-Tropsch liquids (liquids from gases)
Not relevant for wood biomass…is madefrom fats or oils
Ethanol – C2H6O
• A critically-important biofuel
• Produced naturally from yeast- or bacteria-based fermentation of sugars
• A liquid at room temperature -- easily transportable
• Can be burned in most petro-based equipment
Ethanol Production -- General
C6H12O6 2C2H6O + 2CO2
Glucose Ethanol CarbonDioxide
yeast orbacteria
“Sugar” – from corn, grain, sugar cane juice, etc.
Fermentation
What About Biomass?
• Biomass (like wood) is made up of a lot of CELLULOSE
• Cellulose = polymer of glucose
• Must first break cellulose down into glucose sugar prior to fermentation
• Hemicelluloses are are also made up of sugars
Biomass To Ethanol
Sacchari-fication Fermentation Distillation
Ethanol
Yeast or Bacteria
Simple
Sugars
Cellulosic
Biomass
Acid Enzymes
Biomass To Ethanol
Sacchari-fication Fermentation Distillation
Ethanol
Yeast or Bacteria
Simple
Sugars
Cellulosic
Biomass
Acid Enzymes
The Challenge
• Enzymes are large molecules
• Difficult to access cellulose
– Raw material often has small pores
– Crystalline structure very tight
– Lignin is enmeshed around the cellulose
• Some type of intensive pretreatment is required
to “open up” the cellulose structure
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Cellulase
Cellulose
Substrate
The Challenge
• Enzymes are large molecules
• Difficult to access cellulose
– Raw material often has small pores
– Crystalline structure very tight
– Lignin is enmeshed around the cellulose
• Some type of intensive pretreatment is
required to “open up” the cellulose structure
Biomass To Ethanol
Sacchari-fication Fermentation Distillation
Ethanol
Yeast or Bacteria
Simple
Sugars
Cellulosic
Biomass
Enzymes
Pretreatment
Biomass To Ethanol
Sacchari-fication Fermentation Distillation
Ethanol
Yeast or Bacteria
Simple
Sugars
Cellulosic
Biomass
Enzymes
Pretreatment Pulp Mill????
Implications for the Paper Industry
Two Main Opportunities
• Enhance the profitability of a mill by producing liquid fuels in addition to paper
• “Re-purpose” a mill for the production of liquid fuels
Standard Kraft Mill
WOOD
PulpingPaper-
making
Chemical
RecoveryBoiler
Spent
Chemicals
Hemi-
Cellulose +
Lignin
Steam
Electricity
Cellulose $ Paper
Regenerated
Chemicals
Modification #1 – Added Value
PulpingPaper-
making
Chemical
RecoveryBoiler
Spent
Chemicals
Lignin
Steam
Electricity
Cellulose $ Paper
Regenerated
Chemicals
HemicelluloseExtraction
Wood
Sacchari-fication
Fermentation$ EthanolHemicellulose
VPP – “Value Prior to Pulping”
PulpingPaper-
making
Chemical
RecoveryBoiler
Spent
Chemicals
Lignin
Steam
Electricity
Cellulose $ Paper
Regenerated
Chemicals
HemicelluloseExtraction
Wood
Sacchari-fication
Fermentation$ EthanolHemicellulose
Modification #2 – Added Value
PulpingPaper-
making
Chemical
RecoveryBoiler
Spent
Chemicals
Lignin
Steam
Electricity
Cellulose $ Paper
Regenerated
Chemicals
HemicelluloseExtraction
Wood
Sacchari-fication
Fermentation$ EthanolHemicellulose
Modification #3 – “Re-purposing”
Pulping
Chemical
RecoveryBoiler
Spent
Chemicals
Hemicellulose &
Lignin
Steam
Electricity
$ Energy
Chemicals
Wood
Sacchari-fication
Fermentation$ Ethanol
Cellulose
Why Repurpose An Existing Pulp
Mill?
• A supply chain to grow, harvest, and deliver biomass is already in place.
• When kraft mills are permanently closed, significant equipment assets are left behind, such as woodyard, digesters, evaporators, power and waste treatment plants.
• Moreover, kraft mill closures typically require environmental remediation and demolition costs in excess of $US 10 Million.
Why Repurpose An Existing Pulp
Mill?
• Much of the process equipment in a repurposed
kraft mill has little technology risk.
• Since pulp is not being produced for
papermaking, undebarked chips and significant
levels of harvest residues may be used as raw
material.
Challenges
• Capital costs
• Enzyme costs
• Pretreatment of Wood
Challenges
• Capital costs
• Enzyme costs
• Pretreatment of Wood
Possible Pretreatments for a
Repurposed Mill
• Prehydrolysis
• Sodium Carbonate
• Green liquor
• Prehydrolysis/green liquor
Summary – Laboratory Trials
Pretreatment Sugar Recovery
Prehydrolysis 45%
Sodium Carbonate 50%
Green Liquor 80%
Prehydrolysis-Green Liquor 74%
Summary – Laboratory Trials
Pretreatment Sugar Recovery
Prehydrolysis 45%
Sodium Carbonate 50%
Green Liquor 80%
Prehydrolysis-Green Liquor 74%
Green Liquor = Na2CO3 + Na2S
Summary – Laboratory Trials
Pretreatment Sugar Recovery
Prehydrolysis 45%
Sodium Carbonate 50%
Green Liquor 80%
Prehydrolysis-Green Liquor 74%
Incredible Potential!
Financial Results – Mixed Southern HardwoodAll Financial Poor to Mediocre – GL Repurpose Best
Financial Results – Mixed Southern HardwoodAll Financial Poor to Mediocre – GL Repurpose Best
Model Base Case Mill
39
Causticizing
Clarification
Calcining
Cooking
Recovery Evaporation
WBL
SBL
Storage
Storage
Bleaching
Chips
WBL
Causticizing
Modified Mill
40
Clarification
Calcining
Cooking
Recovery Evaporation
WBL
SBL
Enzyme 2
Enzyme 1
Bleaching
O2 Delig
Sugars /Lignin
Biomass
WBL
Wash Press
So…What’s The Status?
Value Prior to Pulping
• Lots of interest across the industry – and by the US government
• Consortium has been formed by several companies, DOE, universities
• At least one mill doing basic trials
• Rumors of other mills moving in that direction
Mill Repurposing
• At least two shut-down mills in the US have been evaluated for ethanol re-purposing
• Preliminary analysis is positive
• Business/commercial issues have prevented implementation at this time
Other….
• A handful of pulp and paper companies experimenting with some type of biofuel or biomaterial modification to an existing facility
– Black liquor gasification
– Extraction of value-added components, such as from black liquor or wood
What Are the Implications…For YOUR Career?
Alternative Jobs Are Out There
• Enzyme companies
• Startup ethanol companies
• R&D Organizations
Pulp & Paper Manufacturing
• You may find your “normal” process engineering job at a mill to involve biofuels or biomaterials
• You may find yourself at a mill slated for re-purposing
Advice for the Future
• Educate Yourself!
• Take risks…but be aware of the risks
• THERE ARE RISKS!
Thank You!Questions?