Advanced  Biofuels:  The  Road  to  Commercializa9on  

George  Philippidis,  Ph.D.  Director,  Alterna6ve  Energy  Research  Center  Associate  Professor,  Biofuel  Engineering  

USF  Polytechnic  

Biofuel  &  Bioproduct  Markets  

•  USA  –  136  billion  gal/yr  gasoline  +  45  bgy  diesel  

•  At  E10  level:  14  bgy,  $50  billion  •  Federal  gov’t  calls  for  36  bgy  by  2022  

–  21  bgy  advanced  biofuels  (cellulosic  and  algal)  –  Value:  $74  billion  

•  Bioproducts:  mul6-­‐billion  dollar  markets  (plas6cs,  resins,  nutraceu6cals)  

•  Globally,  even  bigger  markets  

Biorefinery:  New  Paradigm  

Power  

Chemicals  

Hydrocarbons  

Biodiesel  

Ethanol,  butanol  

Fuels  Biorefinery  

(renewable  products)  

Biomass  Conversion  

BIOMASS  

Alcohols  Renewable  Hydrocarbons    

Bioproducts  

Pretreatment   Enzyma9c  Hydrolysis  

Fermenta9on  

   Dis9lla9on  CHEMICALS  STEAM  

Cellulose  

Lignin  

Xylose  

Electricity  

Cogenera9on  

ENZYMES   MICROORGANISMS  

Fer9lizer  Water  (reuse)  

Algae  Conversion  

ALGAE  

Jet  Fuel  Military  Fuel  

Separa9on  Screening  &  Characteriza9on  

Harvest  Cul9va9on  

NUTRIENTS  

Animal  Feed  

Sugars  

CHEMICALS  

Biodiesel  

Trans-­‐  Esterifica9on  

SUNLIGHT   CO2  

Cataly9c  Reforming  

WATER  

Glycerin  

Key  Issues  

•  Feedstock  availability  –  Reliable  supply  –  Consistent  quality  (single  or  mix)  

•  Scalable  technology  –  Effec6ve  conversion  – Off-­‐the-­‐shelf  scalability  

•  Promising  economics  –  Reliable  baseline  – Gradual  op6miza6on  

Feedstock  

•  Type    –  Single  feedstock  e.g.  bagasse,  woody,  energy  crops  – Mix  of  feedstocks  

•  Reliability  – Millions  of  tons  annually  –  Economies  of  scale  –  Supply  control  

•  Consistency  –  Varia6ons  in  composi6on  –  Process  adjustments:  difficult  and  costly  

Technology  

•  Effec6ve  &  Efficient  – High  sugar  yield  

•  Maximize  C6  and  C5  sugars  –  Fermentable  sugars  with  minimal  processing  – Water,  energy,  and  waste  management  

•  Readily  scalable  –  Simple,  non-­‐exo6c  equipment,  off-­‐the-­‐shelf  

•  Reliable  opera6on  – Minimize  moving  parts  

Economics  •  Reliable  baseline  

–  Con6nuous  opera6on  at  pilot  scale  –  Real  world  condi6ons  – Manageable  response  to  opera6onal  upsets  

•  Promising  economics  – Minimize  capital  cost  

•  Co-­‐loca6on  (sugar  mill,  pulp  mill,  corn  mill)  •  Non-­‐exo6c  materials  of  construc6on  

– Minimize  opera6ng  cost  •  Mild  condi6ons,  energy  efficiency  •  By-­‐products,  recycling  

•  Economics  will  improve  over  6me  

Commercializa9on  Path  

Feedstock   Technology  Economics  

Loca6on   Financing   Risk  Management  

Commercial  Development  

Biomass  Industry:    Why  in  Florida?  

– Abundant,  sustainable,  inexpensive  –  Source  of  ethanol,  hydrocarbons,    bioproducts,  power  –  Florida:  #1  in  the  USA  in  annual  biomass  genera6on  

•  Favorite  climate  year-­‐round  •  Agricultural  residues  (citrus,  bagasse)  and  yard  biomass  •  Land  availability  •  Entrepreneurial  focus  on  biomass  and  bioenergy    •  Partnerships  with  the  private  sector  •  Educated  workforce,  I-­‐4  High  Tech  Corridor  •  Strategic  loca6on  for  produc6on  and  land/sea  logis6cs  

Biomass  Technology  Development  

Biomass  Pilot  Facility  operated  jointly  by  USFP  and  Florida  Crystals  Corp.  

Agricultural  Residues  

 Yard  Waste  

Pretreated  Biomass  

Sugars  Biofuels    Bioproducts  

Algae  Industry:    Why  in  Florida?  

–  Source  of  fuels  (jet,  military,  biodiesel)  and  bioproducts  –  Florida:  Best  place  in  the  USA  for  algae  business  

•  Warm  weather,  sunlight,  marginal  land  (e.g.  phosphate  mines)  •  High  yield  projec6ons  •  CO2  from  industrial  opera6ons  (fer6lizer,  cement,  power  plants)  •  Entrepreneurial  focus  on  algae  •  Partnerships  with  the  private  sector  •  Educated  workforce,  I-­‐4  High  Tech  Corridor  •  Strategic  loca6on  for  produc6on  and  land/sea  logis6cs  

Algae  Technology  Development  

Outdoor  Ponds  

Lipids    Proteins    Sugars  

Jet/military  Fuels    Biodiesel    Bioproducts  

Algae  

Global  Cleantech  Market  

Energy Efficiency

§  Lighting §  Appliances §  Building materials

Emissions

§  Carbon trading §  CO2 capture and

sequestration §  Emissions control

Energy Storage

§  Advanced batteries §  Fuel cells §  Other technologies

Renewable Energy

§  Biofuels §  Solar §  Wind §  Geothermal §  Wave, Tidal

Smart Grid

§  Advanced metering §  Management software §  Network infrastructure

Source:  New  Energy  Finance  (2009)  

USFP  Energy  Niches  •  Systems  engineering,  integra6on,  and  scale-­‐up  •  Technology  demonstra6on  and  commercializa6on  •  R&D  and  scale-­‐up  facili6es  •  Integra6on  of  new  energy  sources  into  exis6ng  infrastructure  

•  Specialized  educa6on  in  biofuels  and  renewable  energy  

•  Partnerships  with  the  private  sector  •  Start-­‐up  incuba6on  services  

Contact  George  Philippidis,  Ph.D.  Director,  Alterna6ve  Energy  Research  Center  Associate  Professor,  Biofuel  Engineering  USF  Polytechnic  4100  S.  Frontage  Road,  Suite  1116  Lakeland,  FL  33815    (863)  904-­‐6691  (o)  (305)  606-­‐9998  (c)    gphilippidis@poly.usf.edu