Green biorefinery research in Austria- an overview...ISO 9001 certified … getting hooked on an...

Institute for Sustainable Techniques and Systems

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Green biorefinery research in Austria- an overview

Michael Mandl, Joanneum Research Stefan Kromus, BiorefSYS

IEA Task 42 Biorefinery Workshop Vienna


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… facing the change of agricultural structure

Where did we start ......

Sorce: BAL Gumpenstein ; K. Buchgraber

… looking for a vision for sustainable rural development

… defining a strategy


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… getting hooked on an idea

The Green Biorefinery R&D work was generally performed in three stages: — fundamental studies, — technology development and — optimization of processes.

In summary 7 R&D projects for various aspects have been performed .


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Green Biorefinery Austria

FibreProcessing

Fiberboards, Biocomposites, Insulation Materials,...

Green Biomass(e.g. Grass, Clover, Lucern,...)

Ensilage Process Mechanical Fractionation

Press Cake(Fibres)

Press Juice

Fine ChemicalsSeparation

Flavours, Chlorophyll, Pigments,...

Lactic AcidSeparation

Amino Acids Separation

Biogas

Amino Acids,Protein Products

Lactic Acid,Ethyl-Lactate,...

Electricity, Heat


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Optimizing processes— Mechanical fractionation

(pressing procedure)

— Processing of juice (LA and AA separation)


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— Silage: hydrolyzed proteins

— ~60% rel. recovery rate of amino acids from Silage

— All essential amino acids are contained

— from nutrition …personal care is feasible

— Complex juice composition !

State of the Art R&D: Amino Acids


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— ~85% recovery of lactic acid from silage feedstock

— Application: bulk chemical, solvent, bio-polymer (PLA)

— Combination of separation technologies (patent pending)

— Market perspective for LA promising

Lactic acid


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Recovery CP / Amino Acids

Recovery Rate Crude Protein (CP)Percentage of Crude Protein of feed which is transfered into the press juice

0102030405060708090

100

1- Klg 2- Klg 3- Klg 4- Klg 5- Klg 6- Luz 7- Luz 8- Luz 9- Luz 10- Luz

Clover-Grass Silage Alfalfa Silage

Rec

over

y ra

te C

rude

Pro

tein

[%]

Total, pressing 1+2 Preesing #1 Pressing # 2


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Recovery CP / Amino Acids

Absolute Crude Protein (CP) Yield of Press Juice

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260



Yiel

d of

Cru

de P

rote

in [k

g/t D

M fe

ed]

CP yield feed CP total yield juice 1+2 CP yield juice 1 CP yield juice 2


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Grass fibers utilization

— Press cake is a grass fiber fraction— Fundamental characterization was done — Various application have been tested

(fiber boards, fleeces, insulation material, building products…)

— Grass fiber products are not known on the market ( risky, economic aspects)

— Strategy to use press cake for biogas


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Examples Fiber boards

Querzugfestigkeit 3. Versuchsreihe

0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

80,0%

90,0%

100,0%

50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 62 63

Versuchspaltte Nr.

rel.

Que

rzug

fest

igke

it in

Bez

ug

auf M

DF- R

efer

enz

[%]

Dichte der Versuchsreihe 3

0,0

100,0

200,0

300,0

400,0

500,0

600,0

700,0

800,0

900,0

1000,0

50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 62 63

Versuchsplatten Nr.

Dic

hte

[kg/

m3]


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Region

Models for Green Biorefinery operation

Biorefinery in the center of a supply area

Biorefinery Juice seperation + Biogas plantSilage

JuiceBiogas

Biogas

Biogas

Possible Integration of surrounding region


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“Take home message…”

— Green Biorefinery is a technology concept for using the whole plant

— Logistics will become a part of the process; regional “embedding” of technologies

— Green Biorefinery apply future key-technologies for separating valuable substances

— Green Biorefinery can be easily linked to a biogas digester

— R&D: 5% inspiration; 95% transpiration


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Acknowledgement

We kindly acknowledge the support of the funding program

and our scientific partners

University of Natural Resources and Life Science Vienna

Institute for Resource Efficient and Sustainable Systems


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Recovery of Crude Protein in Pressjuice

Recovery Rate Crude Protein (CP)Percentage of Crude Protein of feed which is transfered into the press juice

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100



Rec

over

y ra

te C

rude

Pro

tein

[%]


Absolute recovery rate of 80- 120kg AA/ t DM


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Recovery of Lactic acid in Pressjuice

Recovery Rate Lactid Acid (LA)Percentage of Lactic Acid of feed which is transfered into the press juice

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100



Rec

over

y ra

te L

actic

Aci

d [%

]


Absolute recovery rate of 160- 200kg LA/ t DM


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Applying process synthesis on Green Biorefinery

— How does a optimal „vaule chain“ look like?

— Shall all processes taken place in a central plant or are decentral processes an option? (storage, mobile pressing of feedstock)

— Sensitivity of the system to certain parameters (prices)

— How does the system perform generally?


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Basic assumptions

— total silage feedstock is 35.500 t/y— local transport by tractors

(upto 10 km, max load is 5 t, average speed is 20 km/h)— central transport by trucks ,

(upto 60 km ,max load is 12 t, average speed is 50 km/h)— time limit for transportation is 2000 h/y for trucks and tractors— there may be up to 1 “central plant” (biogas + biorefinery)— there may be up to 5 “local plants” (biogas)— fractionation of silage either by a mobile press or by presses

in the “local” or “central” plants


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The „maximal structure“...

SC

CC

CF

JC

RFC

RFL

F

F

GBR

CJ

CTrJ

LF

S

CTrC CP

CBGGODMC

E

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5

LA

AA

MP CTrS

CTrRF RJC

S

LBG

GODML

E

CL1

SL CL JL

CL2 CL3 CL4

LTrJLTrCLTrS


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Result: optimal synthesis for the base case


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Sensitivity analysis: Food sector competition

•Central and decentral units

•Split utilisation of silage

Fodder pellets as a product


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Interesting results...

• De-central processes are not the rule– Silage (storage + reaction) is de-central– No mobile (de-central) press– No de-central biorefinery, no de-central biogas unit

• Fibres are „out“– At current European market price, biogas is more feasible

• The process is already economically viable– Profits are a healthy 0,6 M€ for 35.000 t/a silage


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What is different in processing renewables?

Conventional chemical processes

— Raw materials are standardised

— Raw materials are continuously available

— Raw materials have centralised sources

— Logistics play negligible role for process structure

Renewable resource processes

— Raw materials differ in quality

— Raw material availability shows strong time dependence

— Raw materials have decentral sources

— Logistics and storage have impact on process structure


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…some answers— Logistics need to be integrated in the process

design from the beginning

— Finding the right size for processes is essential economy of scale vrs minimal transport

— Utilizing agricultural wastes and minor quality products to avoid competition for resources

— Local production of renewable resources is important

— Security of raw material supply requires on the long run a sustainable agriculture


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What can you expect

— Some basic problems on renewable resources process

— Setup of the Austrian Green Biorefinery— Applying process synthesis to define a base

case— Optimizing processes— Summary


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The challenges


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Inhaltsfolie

—Renewables involve new questions


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Renewables involve new questions

Central vs. decentralWhy not bringthe process tothe raw material?

Storage vs. campain

Processes for renewables lack of experience; unknown heuristics

Adapt the process to the raw material?

Membrane technologies, chromatography, ...


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Basic logistic problems of renewable resources

...transport density

...short shelf life

...decentral production

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Green biorefinery research in Austria- an overview...ISO 9001 certified … getting hooked on an...

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