The partnership will facilitate the installation of ClearFuels’ biomass gasification system in Rentech’s Commerce City, Colo., product demonstration unit (PDU). The gasifier will be attached to Rentech’s syngas-to-liquid technology, which is based on the Fisher-Tropsch process. The PDU has been producing drop-in synthetic fuels from natural gas but the integration will allow production of fully renewable fuels from wood waste, sugarcane bagasse and other virgin biomass.
“Clearly, we think it is a major step forward to show essentially a shoot-to-tank demonstration from wood waste and sugarcane bagasse to RenDiesel and RenJet coming out the back end of the plant,” says Harold Wright, Rentech’s chief technology officer. The fuel produced currently with Rentech’s technology is certified and ASTM-approved. RenJet was tested in April on an engineering validation flight by United Airlines, marking the first time a commercial airline has used synthetic fuel in flight, according to Rentech, although that fuel was made with natural gas. “We’re substituting CO (carbon monoxide) and hydrogen from biomass,” says ClearFuels CEO Eric Darmstaedter. “It doesn’t matter where it comes from. The end product—the fuel—is the same. The fuel is already certified, whether it comes from coal, natural gas or biomass, it doesn’t matter. Once we integrate with Rentech, it’s a fully renewable fuel.”
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How the Process Works
Rentech believes its PDU is the only fully integrated synthetic transportation fuels facility in the U.S., producing about 420 gallons per day of fuels and chemicals. The technology uses a cheaper, proprietary iron-based catalyst and has a unique proprietary design, Wright says. “The beauty of our technology is it will work on a wide variety of renewable feedstocks as well as fossil-based feedstocks like natural gas,” he says. Rentech chose ClearFuels’ technology from a pool of more than 200 candidates because it has the capacity to maximize liquid yields and hasn’t been deployed on a demonstration scale, according to Wright. “We had made an investment in ClearFuels’ technology because of its ability to integrate well in an integrated biorefinery to produce high volumes of liquids,” he explains.
ClearFuels’ gasifier, dubbed High Efficiency Hydrothermal Reformer, is characterized as an indirect-fired steam reformer. With steam instead of oxygen or air, the system does not process nitrogen and needs no oxygen plant for operation, Darmstaedter says. It also allows for control of the residence time of the biomass and steam inside the reformer to adjust the syngas characteristics without redesigning the reformer. “We can operate it in one configuration to make 65 percent hydrogen,” he explains. “In another configuration, we can make 40 percent hydrogen and 40 percent carbon monoxide. That’s the same reformer.” ClearFuels focuses only on unprocessed biomass such as crop residues, corn stover, sawdust and bark to allow for the simplest possible process and operation.
Coupling the two technologies results in the highest yield at the lowest cost for the best fit. “It’s a great integration of our technology to theirs,” Darmstaedter says. “We just happened to come together and see the fit.” The project received $23 million from the U.S. DOE, and is one of 19 biorefinery endeavors to receive a total of $564 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate construction and operation of pilot, demonstration and commercial-scale systems.
“Our focus on advanced biofuels really has been one that’s based on energy independence, and the idea is to replace foreign sources of fuel with domestic sources of fuel,” says Valri Lightner, acting biomass program manager for the DOE. “Biofuels offer a near-term, clean, domestic source of liquid transportation fuel.” The program’s overall goals include achieving energy security, developing clean energy, advancing science and technology, and creating jobs, she says, adding that biofuels support all of them.
The DOE is currently cost-sharing 27 biorefinery projects, one of which is operating now—Verenium Corp.’s 1.4 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant in Jennings, La.—and the rest scheduled for operation by 2011 or 2013, Lightner says. The ARRA funding recipients were chosen through a four-step process beginning with a compliance review, which includes basic criteria such as ensuring all the proper forms were completed and submitted. Next is the technical merit review, where external experts evaluate the technical merit and rationale for the project, ensure it demonstrates credible economics and a competitive advantage, and assess the project management and execution. The policy review by DOE staff follows, ensuring geographic and technological diversity, and evaluating how well the project fits the DOE portfolio as well as its ability to meet the ARRA schedule. Last, a selection official makes the final decision based on all the criteria. Sustainability is an important aspect of a project’s viability, Lightner emphasizes, saying the department considers 100 million dry metric tons per year of available feedstock to be a good standard.
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