Jan Zeevalkink

An assessment of existing and novel technologies

Energy from wet biomass waste

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20082

Energy from wet biomass

• Large potential of biomass/organic wastes with high water content (>50 %)

• Traditional, mature energy technology• Combustion: water content high• Anaerobic digestion: partial conversion of organics

• HydroThermal technology under development:• HTU® (HydroThemal Liquefaction) : diesel• Supercritical water gasification (SWG): H2/CH4

• Second generation option with no competition for food

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20083

Acknowledgment

• The evaluation was performed in the framework of the EMINENT 2 project, TREN/05/FP6EN/S07.56209/019886, funded by the European Community under the 6-th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development

• More information on www.eminentproject.com

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20084

Content• Introduction• Wet biomass• Technology for energy from wet biomass• Hydro thermal processes

• The HTU process• Supercritical water gasification

• Alternatives• Combustion• Anaerobic digestion

• Processing chains• Results• Discussion• Concluding remarks

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20085

Wet biomassExamples

• Wet solids, slurries with 10 to 50 % dry solids

• Organic fraction household waste (NL) `1.5 Mton/a (50 % dm)

• Road side grass (NL) 0.6 Mton/a (50 % dm)• Food and agro wastes (NL) 4.8 Mton/a (avrg 10 % dm)• Olive waste (EU) 3-5 Mton/a (dm)• Bagasse (world) 100 Mton/a (dm)

• Sustainable feedstock!

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20086

SUFFICIENT RESOURCES?(HTU® opportunities at < 2€/GJ)

EUROPE• Agricultural / Industrial Residues 200 Mton dm/a (Olive Oil Waste 3-5 Mton dm/a)

•WORLD• Agricultural and industrial residues 5,000 Mton dm/a(Bagasse 100 Mton dm/a)

Total = 70 EJ/a

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20087

POTENTIAL FOR ENERGY FROM BIOMASS

FROM POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE 250 EJ/YRLAND AREA

BIOMASS RESIDUES 70 EJ/YR

SHELL WORLD ENERGY SCENARIOS(spirit of the coming age) Biofuels 110 EJ/YR

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20088

Energy from wet biomass

• Existing mature technology• Combustion water content high• Anaerobic digestion partial conversion of organics

• Technology in development• HTU® (HydroThemal Liquefaction) : biocrude (comparable

with an heavy oil) for diesel production,..• Supercritical water gasification (SWG): H2/CH4

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 20089

Hydrothermal Processing

• Processing in hot compressed water, liquid or supercritical

• Developments:1. biomass pre treatment for cellulose hydrolysis: production of

sugars (200 °C , 20 bar) without acid addition2. HTU®: proces for diesel, kerosine production (330 °C, 150 bar)3. SWG: Supercritical water gasification for production of methane

and/or hydrogen (600 ° C, 300 bar)

• No feedstock drying required!• Fit very well in biorefinery schemes: residual biomass processing

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200810

Hydrothermal Upgrading

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200811

HTU®

• Hydrothermal Upgrading/liquefaction

• Conversion at approx. 330°C en 150 bar to biocrude and CO2

• Raw materials: • wide variety of (wet) organic materials

sugar beet pulp, road side grass and others• Wood (residues)

• Biocrude: • High calorific value: 30 GJ/ton• Immiscible with water• Liquid above 80 °C• 10 – 15 % O2• Raw material for diesel fuel: hydrogenation

• Aim: production of renewable fuel

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200812

HTU PRODUCT FLEXIBILITY

• Direct combustion as a liquid(replacement of fossil fuels)

• Combustion as a solid fuel (cofiring with coal)

• Emulsified fuel (type “Orimulsion”)

• Refinery feedstock

• Upgraded product

TP T

Heating

AutoclaveCollection vessel

Injector

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200813

PROCESS DESIGN CASE STUDY

Basic process design by Jacobs Engineering Nederland

Case study:Feedstock: Sugar beet pulp, 22 %w dry matterIntake Capacity: 130,000 tonnes/year (dry basis)

Focus on heat integration, thermal efficiency and cost:

energy efficiency 75 % - 80 %

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200814

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200815

HTU: business time line

Demonstration plant• 20 kton/a db (3 ton/hr db)• 17 Meuro capital investment

First commercial plant • 200 kton/a db (30 ton/hr db)• 32 Meuro capital investment

Pilot plant• 3 week trial run• 2 Meuro capital investment

Roll out in The Netherlands• 6 HTU plants 1,5 Mton/a db• 300 kton/a diesel (5 % of consumption)

First HTU consortium

New HTU consortium• Total, Paris• HVC, Alkmaar

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Lay out of demonstration plant (Jacobs Engineering)

Pilot plant at TNO Apeldoorn

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200816

Hydrothermal Processing

Pilot plant 100kg/hr dry matter

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200817

Supercritical Water GasificationConversion at approx. 600°C en 300 bar to H2, CH4 and CO2

• EC and national reseach projects with different feedstock• Ethanol, biodiesel, glycerol• Greenhouse waste (15 % slurry)• Diesel, gasoline

• Product gas: hydrogen, up to 60 % methane carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide C2-C4

• No tar, coke formation

• Very rapid reaction, mildly endothermic

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200818

Process scheme SWG

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200819

Supercritical Water Gasification• Aims

• development of multi-fuel processor

• production of high-pressure hydrogen as transportation fuel

• production of energy rich gas or SNG

• Specific advantage for• Wet feedstock

• Greenhouse waste• Household waste

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200820

Supercritical Water Gasification

Continuouspilot

5 l/hr

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200821

Economic perspective• 10 MWth output

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200822

Case organic household waste

• Typical mass flow 35.000 ton/a dry matter

• Feedstock composition:• water content 50 %• ash content 30 % of dm• organics 40 % dm basis;

• of which: volatile organics 50 %, digestible forbiogas formation

• Low Heating value 11,3 MJ/kg (dm)

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200823

Processing chainsShort name Step 1 2 3 4

Supercritical gasification SWG

Washing Wet milling SWG conversion

Gas combustion for power production

Hydrothermal liquefaction HTU®

Washing Wet milling HTU®

conversionCo

combustion for power production

Anaerobic digestion

Milling Anaerobic digestion

Gas engine for power production

Combustion Combustion Power generation

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200824

Energy outputs and products

ProductInterme

diateIntermediate

Electricity

Cost indication

MW MWe M€/a

SWGhydrogen,

methane 10.5 gas 3.1 4.3*

HTU®

liquid fuel for

transport 10.5 crude 4.1 3.9*

Digestion SNG 6.6 gas 2.0 2.5*

Combustion 10.1 heat 2.8*** 5.6**

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200825

Electricity output vs. water content

50 % water 70 % water 80 % water

SWG 3.1 3,1 3.1

HTU® 4.1 4.1 4.1

Digestion 2.0 2.0 2.0

Combustion 2.8*** 1.8 0.7

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200826

Discussion• HTU® and SWG perform better than the existing mature technologies

anaerobic digestion and combustion.

• Power production of the combustion technology is for a feedstock containing 50 % water not inferior

• Advantage of the novel technology is more evident with higher water content.This underpins the definition for “wet biomass” slurries to have more than 50 % water

• Electricity production also depends on selected conversion process. SWG has a higher conversion factor to electricity when co combusted in power station or if fuel cells could be applied.

• Anaerobic digestion results in compost, HTU® in an alternative liquid fuel, SWG in an energy rich gas or hydrogen or methane. It also depends on the anticipated applications of the product which conversion technology to select.

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200827

Conclusions• Hydrothermal processes provide efficient technology for the

conversion of sustainable biomass/organic wastes with a high water content

• HTU and SWG fit very well in biorefinery schemes for the processing of residual organic matter to obtain complete use of energy crops

• But: much R&D has to be done• HTU demonstration and product research• Research and development on SWG

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200828

Thank you for your attention

Jan.zeevalkink@tno.nl

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200829

AVAILABILITY OF ORGANIC RESIDUES IN THE NETHERLANDS

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

-6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6

wood waste

food ind. waste

verge grasswood cuttings

beet leaves

houshold waste

potato leavesstraw

energy farming(NL)

Cumulativekton/year (db)

Price ( $/GJ )

Gasification,PyrolysisHTU

Energy from wet biomass, 6 May 200830

SHELL WORLD ENERGY SECNARIOSspirit of the coming age

(in Exajoules/year) YEAR 2000 2050

WORLD PRIMARYENERGY DEMAND 400 1200

FOSSIL FUELS, 370 900Incl.Trad. Biomass & Nuclear

RENEWABLES 30 300

-HYDROPOWER 25 60

-BIOFUELS - 110

-OTHER RENEWABLES, INCL. BIOMASS POWER 5 130