-
Biofuel Made from Hydrothermal Polymerization of Cellulosic
Feedstock: Recycling and Harvesting
Value-added Products Amin Ghaziaskar, M.A.Sc. Candidate
Alexis Mackintosh, PCS Technologies Inc.Prof. Onita Basu,
Department of Environmental EngineeringProf. Glenn McRae,
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Prof. Edward Lai, Department of ChemistryCarleton University
-
Global Push Towards Green Energy
• Increased Energy Demand
• Need to reduce fossil-fuel Green House Gases
• Push towards carbon-neutral sources of energy, including these
solid biofuels •Wood pellets• Torrefied wood pellets•
Steam-explosion pellets
2
-
What is PCS Biofuel?
3
PolyCarbonSolid
-
PCS Biofuel•Not torrefied•High energy content•Various cellulosic
feedstock•Hydrophobic•Durable and non-friable pellets•Pellets
readily pulverized for combustion•Low ash (
-
● Coal fines are the ‘dust’ that 10% of mined coalbecomes
● 30–50 million tons of coal fines dumped into water bodies
annually
● Estimated 2.3 billion tons of coal fines have alreadybeen
dumped
PCS Biofuel as a Binder
5
http://www.therma-flite.com/Coal-Fines-Dryer-Article.php
-
PCS Biofuel as a Binder
http://www.therma-flite.com/Coal-Fines-Dryer-Article.php
6
-
5% Biofuel 95% Coal Pellets
7
-
Binder for Torrefied Wood
8
Torrefied wood + PCS biofuel Torrefied wood
-
Binder for Torrefied Wood
9
Torrefied woodTorrefied wood + PCS biofuel53 Days
-
Benefits of The Biofuel
●Diverts and removes organic waste from landfills
●Carbon neutral (no carbon tax)
●Can be produced locally ●e.g., in abandoned pulp and paper
plants
10
-
11
Process Overview
-
SOLID BIOFUELSEPARATION
BIOMASSPCS
BIOFUELREACTOR
PCSBIOFUELPELLETS
PATENTEDCATALYST (aq)
VALUABLE CHEMICALS
12
-
SOLID BIOFUELSEPARATION
BIOMASSPCS
BIOFUELREACTOR
PCSBIOFUELPELLETS
PATENTEDCATALYST (aq)
LIQUID RECOVERY
VALUABLE CHEMICALS
13
+
-
Biofuel Production
In October of 2015 several tons of biofuel were
produced.Feedstock tested:• Wood waste, including
bark• Organic solid waste• Food waste• Animal manure
Test Reactor in Suncheon, South Korea
14
-
SOLID BIOFUELSEPARATIONREACTOR
LIQUID RECOVERY
VALUABLE CHEMICALS
15
+
BIOMASSPCS
BIOFUEL
PCSBIOFUELPELLETS
PATENTEDCATALYST (aq)
-
The Experiment
16
-
The Experiment
• 16 consecutive cooks reusing over 90% of the recovered
liquid
• Bomb calorimetry test
•High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
•Chemical oxygen demand (COD) test
17
-
18
-
19
42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%
Fresh R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15
Mas
s yi
eld
Recycle number
Mass Yield vs Recycle Numbers
-
Calorimetry Test Results on the Biofuel
20
22
24
26
28
30
32
Fresh R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15
Ener
gy
cont
ent
(MJ/
Kg
)
Recycle number
Energy Content Mean
-
HPLC Sample Chromatogram
formicacid,400-600US$/ton
aceticacid,400-500US$/ton
levulinicacid,1000-2000US$/ton
5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF)2000-3000US$/ton
21
-
22
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Fresh R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15
Con
cent
ratio
n (g
/L)
Recycle number
Concentration of Formic Acid in the Recycled Liquid
Mean Formic acid
-
23
0
5
10
15
20
25
Fresh R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15
Con
cent
ratio
n (g
/L)
Recycle number
Concentration of Acetic Acid in the Recycled Liquid
-
24
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Fresh R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15
Con
cent
ratio
n (g
/L)
Recycle number
Concentration of HMF in the Recycled Liquid
-
25
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Fresh R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15
Con
cent
ratio
n (g
/L)
Recycle number
Concentration of Levulinic Acid in the Recycled Liquid
-
26
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Fresh R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15
CO
D (g
O2/
L)
Recycle number
Chemical Oxygen Demand
-
ConclusionsRecycling the catalyst will result in:• Increasing
mass yield
•Constant energy content
•Decreased formation rate of the byproduct chemicals
•COD growth slows down
27
-
Harvest or
Recycle?28
-
Implications•Recycle of the catalyst feasible•Lower cost of
energy•Lower water use•Lower cost of catalyst•Energy density of
biofuel stays the same
ØSuggests use of continuous flow reactors
29
-
References
[1] J.M. Craven, J. Swithenbank, V.N. Sharifi, D.
Peralta-Solorio, G. Kelsall, P. Sage, Hydrophobic coatings for
moisture stable wood pellets, Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 80,
September 2015, Pages 278-285, ISSN 0961-9534,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.06.004.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953415300180)
Keywords: Wood pellets; Hydrophobic coatings; Water resistant;
Biomass treatment [2] David A. Agar, A comparative economic
analysis of torrefied pellet production based on state-of-the-art
pellets, Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 97, February 2017, Pages
155-161, ISSN 0961-9534,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2016.12.019.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953416303920)
Keywords: Torrefaction; Economics; Pellets; Torrefied pellets; Wood
pellets; Biocoal[3] http://www.airex-energy.com/en/[4] Pak Sui Lam,
Pak Yiu Lam, Shahab Sokhansanj, C. Jim Lim, Xiaotao T. Bi, James D.
Stephen, Amadeus Pribowo, Warren E. Mabee, Steam explosion of oil
palm residues for the production of durable pellets, Applied
Energy, Volume 141, 1 March 2015, Pages 160-166, ISSN 0306-2619,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.12.029.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261914012860)
Keywords: Empty fruit bunch; Palm kernel shell; Pellet; Density;
Compression energy; Steam explosion [5]
http://hypertextbook.com
30
-
31
-
Biofuel Made from Hydrothermal Polymerization of Cellulosic
Feedstock: Recycling and Harvesting
Value-added Products Amin Ghaziaskar, M.A.Sc. Candidate
[email protected] Mackintosh, PCS Technologies
Inc.
Prof. Onita Basu, Department of Environmental EngineeringProf.
Glenn McRae, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Prof. Edward Lai, Department of ChemistryCarleton University
