Biofuels MR V5
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GLOBAL WATCH MISSION REPORT Second generation transport biofuels – a mission to the Netherlands, Germany and Finland MARCH 2006 Global Watch Missions DTI Global Watch Missions enable small groups of UK experts to visit leading overseas technology organisations to learn vital lessons about innovation and its implementation, of benefit to entire industries and individual organisations. By stimulating debate and informing industrial thinking and action, missions offer unique opportunities for fast-tracking technology transfer, sharing deployment know-how, explaining new industry infrastructures and policies, and developing relationships and collaborations. Around 30 missions take place annually, with the coordinating organisation receiving guidance and financial support from the DTI Global Watch Missions team. Disclaimer This report represents the findings of a mission organised by the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC) with the support of DTI. Views expressed reflect a consensus reached by the members of the mission team and do not necessarily reflect those of the organisations to which the mission members belong, NNFCC or DTI. Comments attributed to organisations visited during this mission were those expressed by personnel interviewed and should not be taken as those of the organisation as a whole. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this report is accurate and up to date, DTI accepts no responsibility whatsoever in relation to this information. DTI shall not be liable for any loss of profits or contracts or any direct, indirect, special or consequential loss or damages whether in contract, tort or otherwise, arising out of or in connection with your use of this information. This disclaimer shall apply to the maximum extent permissible by law. Second generation transport biofuels: – a mission to the Netherlands, Germany and Finland REPORT OF A DTI GLOBAL WATCH MISSION MARCH 2006 1 SECOND GENERATION TRANSPORT BIOFUELS: – A MISSION TO THE NETHERLANDS, GERMANY AND FINLAND CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 4 3.1.5.1 Hydrotreating using 27 traditional hydro- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 desulphurisation catalysts 3.1.5.2 Hydrotreating of 28 1 INTRODUCTION 10 separated product 3.1.5.3 Zeolite cracking 28 1.1 Background 10 3.1.5.4 Gasification of bio-oil 28 1.2 Limitations of first generation 10 and synthesis of biofuels transport fuels 1.3 Second generation biofuels 11 3.2 Liquefaction 28 1.4 Biofuels in context 13 3.3 Gasification 29 3.3.1 Status of biomass 29 2 CURRENT STATUS OF 14 gasification technology UK BIOFUELS 3.3.2 Synthesis gas quality 31 3.4 Synthesis of transport fuels 31 2.1 Legislation and government policy 14 3.5 Bioenergy system 34 2.2 Biofuels 15 3.6 Bibliography of further reading 35 2.3 UK production facilities 15 2.4 Biofuel production 15 4 ENGINEERING, PLANT DESIGN 36 2.5 Limitations 16 AND TECHNICAL ISSUES 2.5.1 Fuel standards 16 2.5.2 Available land 16 4.1 Towards commercial scale biofuel 36 2.5.3 Cost 17 plants 2.5.4 Environmental impact 18 4.2 BTL plant design 36 2.5.5 Availability of technology 18 4.2.1 Biomass feedstocks 36 4.2.2 Biomass pretreatment 36 3 THERMAL BIOMASS 20 4.2.3 Conversion 37 CONVERSION TECHNOLOGIES 4.3 BTL development considerations 38 FOR TRANSPORT FUELS 4.4 Technical issues in BTL 42 4.5 Catalysts 42 3.1 Pyrolysis 21 4.5.1 Conditioning of the gas 43 3.1.1 Fast pyrolysis 21 4.5.2 Removal of trace impurities 43 3.1.1.1 Principles 21 4.5.3 Downstream synthesis 43 3.1.1.2 Reactors 22 4.6 Risk sharing 44 3.1.1.3 Pyrolysis liquid – bio-oil 24 4.7 Summary 45 3.1.1.4 By-products 24 3.1.2 Bio-oil upgrading 25 5 IMPLICATIONS FOR ENGINE 46 3.1.3 Intermediate and slow pyrolysis 26 MANUFACTURERS 3.1.3.1 Screw pyrolysis 26 3.1.4 Torrefaction 26 5.1 The internal combustion engine’s 46 3.1.5 Transport fuels from bio-oil 27 contribution to reducing CO2 by upgrading emissions 2 SECOND GENERATION TRANSPORT BIOFUELS: – A MISSION TO THE NETHERLANDS, GERMANY AND FINLAND 5.2 First generation biofuels 46 8 ECONOMICS, SOCIO- 64 5.3 Second generation biofuels 47 ECONOMIC BENEFITS AND 5.4 Impact on conventional 47 COSTS compression ignition (diesel) engines 8.1 Overall economics 64 5.5 Impact on compression ignition 48 8.1.1 Comparison with GTL 64 (diesel) strategies for future and CTL emission standards 8.1.2 ECN economic data 65 5.6 Quantifying impact of new fuels 49 8.1.3 Synthetic diesel from BTL 65 8.2 Socio-economic benefits 65 6 FEEDSTOCK AND A 50 8.3 Commercial concepts 65 SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN 8.3.1 Small scale production 66 8.3.2 Large scale centralised 66 6.1 Introduction 50 conversion plant 6.2 Feedstock potential 50 8.3.3 Biorefineries 67 6.3 Available feedstocks 51 8.4 Barriers and issues for second 68 6.3.1 Industrial waste 51 generation biofuels 6.3.2 Agricultural and forestry 51 8.4.1 Feedstock availability and 68 residues costs 6.3.2.1 Straw 52 8.4.2 Transport issues 68 6.3.2.2 Woodfuel 52 8.4.3 Conversion costs 69 6.3.2.3 Wet agricultural 52 8.5 Summary 69 residues 6.3.3 Dedicated energy crops 53 9 POLICY AND INCENTIVES 71 6.3.3.1 Perennial grasses 53 6.3.3.2 Short rotation coppice 53 9.1 Scenarios 71 (SRC) 9.1.1 UK biomass for UK biofuel 71 6.3.3.3 Oil palm co-products 54 production 6.3.3.4 Microalgae 55 9.1.2 UK processing of imported 72 6.4 Supply chains 56 biomass 6.4.1 Biomass sources 57 9.1.3 UK import of synthetic 73 6.4.2 Logistics and storage 57 biofuels 6.5 Summary 58 9.2 Potential deployment of second 74 generation technology 7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 59 9.3 Existing policy measures and 74 impact on encouraging second 7.1 Background 59 generation technologies 7.2 CO2 emissions 59 9.4 Proposals to encourage second 75 7.3 Other air pollutants 61 generation biofuels 7.4 Land 61 9.4.1 Linking support to GHG 75 7.5 Water 62 benefits 7.6 General considerations 62 3 SECOND GENERATION TRANSPORT BIOFUELS: – A MISSION TO THE NETHERLANDS, GERMANY AND FINLAND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 10 CONCLUSIONS 77 The mission team would like to express its sincere thanks to the many individuals and 10.1 General 77 bodies that made this mission possible: 10.2 Feedstock 77 10.3 Process technologies 78 • The UK Department of Trade and Industry 10.4 Economics 78 (DTI) Global Watch Service that provided 10.5 Policy 79 the financial support 11 RECOMMENDATIONS 80 • The National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC) that acted as the principal 11.1 General 80 coordinating body for this mission 11.2 Feedstock 80 11.3 Process technologies 80 • The DTI International Technology 11.4 Economics 80 Promoters (ITP) network, and particularly 11.5 Policy 80 the ITP for Environmental and Sustainable Energy Technologies in Europe, Nicola APPENDICES 82 Smoker A Visit reports 82 • Stephen Conlon, Deputy Head of Trade and B Mission team and ITP 103 Investment and Kirsi-Mari Sykes of the C Current UK biofuel support 106 British Embassy, Helsinki instruments D Glossary 107 • Hugh Ellis, Senior Trade Adviser of the E Some figures and conversion 112 British Embassy, The Hague factors F List of exhibits 113 • Andie Killick of the Saxony State Ministry for Economic Affairs and Labour • Kerstin Rath of the British Embassy, Berlin • All the individuals and companies the team visited, for an open and constructive exchange of information and for the time that they devoted 4 SECOND GENERATION TRANSPORT BIOFUELS: – A MISSION TO THE NETHERLANDS, GERMANY AND FINLAND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Second generation transport biofuels offer a gasification of biomass and also several number of key benefits over both classes of organic and municipal waste in conventional fossil transport fuels and the several institutes and companies. While much current generation of biofuels. These benefits of the basic technology is similar, and many include the ability to achieve significant ‘well- technological barriers have been successfully to-wheel’ reductions in greenhouse gas overcome, some issues such as adequate (GHG) emissions, combined with dramatically gas clean up to remove the greater level of reduced land requirements compared with tar from the biomass derived syngas still first generation biofuels since most biomass, remain to be proved. One of the key including many organic wastes, can be used technologies, Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis, as feedstock. Additionally, second generation is well established in gas to liquid (GTL) and biofuels are better internal combustion (IC) coal to liquid (CTL) applications for the engine fuels than first generation fuels since production of liquid fuels, but with few they shouldn’t present any of the technical commercial plants. Following cleanup there problems of degradation and material are negligible differences between syngas incompatibility associated with first from different feedstocks. generation biofuels. A number of European countries are pioneering the development of The first steps towards commercial use of next generation biofuels, and the first these technologies with biomass feedstock demonstration plants are now beginning to are now being taken, with Choren Industries' appear. construction of its 13,000 tonnes per year (t/y) SunDiesel beta plant, and plans for A DTI Global Watch Mission to Finland, the 200,000 t/y gamma plants. Even these, Netherlands and Germany in March 2006 however, are still relatively small scale in the evaluated the status of research and context of transport fuel requirements, and development (R&D) and likely time scales to scaling to commercial sized plants remains to commercialisation of next generation be demonstrated.