Biofuels and Synfuels Topic

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
GCC:
Enerkem proposes CAD$875-million biofuel plant in Varennes, Québec; 33 million gallons per year

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/12/20201209-enerkem.html


. . . Varennes Carbon Recycling (VCR) will produce biofuels and renewable chemicals made from non-recyclable residual materials as well as wood waste. The plant will leverage green hydrogen and oxygen produced through an 87MW electrolyzer, transforming Québec’s excess hydroelectricity capacity into value-added biofuels and renewable chemicals. VCR will be a major creator of quality local direct and indirect jobs during its construction and operation.

The water electrolysis plant will require an investment of about $200 million from Hydro-Québec, which will be the sole shareholder. The plant will generate some 11,100 metric tonnes of hydrogen and 88,000 metric tonnes of oxygen annually. . . .
 
GCC. 'Lab' results, so usual caveats:
USC study shows promising potential for giant-kelp-based biofuel with depth-cycling approach

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/03/20210303-kelp.html


Scientists at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Santa Catalina Island, working with private industry, report that a new aquaculture technique on the California coast significantly increases kelp growth, yielding four times more biomass than natural processes.

The researchers used a depth-cycling approach—i.e., physically moving the macroalgae between deep nutrient-rich water at night and shallow depths within the photic zone during the day to optimize growth. An open-access paper on their work appears in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. . . .

If it lives up to its potential, kelp is a more attractive option than the usual biofuel crops for two very important reasons. First, ocean crops do not compete for fresh water, agricultural land or artificial fertilizers. And second, ocean farming does not threaten important habitats when marginal land is brought into cultivation. . . .

However, farming kelp requires overcoming a few obstacles. To thrive, kelp has to be anchored to a substrate and only grows in sun-soaked waters to about 60 feet deep. But in open oceans, the sunlit surface layer lacks nutrients available in deeper water.

Marine BioEnergy invented the concept of depth-cycling the kelp, and USC Wrigley scientists conducted the biological and oceanographic trial.

The kelp elevator consists of fiberglass tubes and stainless-steel cables that support the kelp in the open ocean. Juvenile kelp is affixed to a horizontal beam, and the entire structure is raised and lowered in the water column using an automated winch.

Beginning in 2019, research divers collected kelp from the wild, affixed it to the kelp elevator and then deployed it off the northwest shore of Catalina Island, near Wrigley’s marine field station. Every day for about 100 days, the elevator would raise the kelp to near the surface during the day so it could soak up sunlight, then lower it to about 260 feet at night so it could absorb nitrate and phosphate in the deeper water. The researchers continually checked water conditions and temperature while comparing their kelp to control groups raised in natural conditions. . . .

Cindy Wilcox, co-founder and president of Marine BioEnergy, estimates that
it would take a Utah-sized patch of ocean to make enough kelp biofuel to replace 10% of the liquid petroleum consumed annually in the United States. One Utah would take up only 0.13% of the total Pacific Ocean.

The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy invested $22 million in efforts to increase marine feedstocks for biofuel production, including $2 million to conduct the kelp elevator study. The Department of Energy has a study to locate a billion tons of feedstock per year for biofuels; Cindy Wilcox said the ocean between California, Hawaii and Alaska could contribute to that goal. . . .
 
All GCC:
Phillips 66 progressing its conversion of California refinery to renewable fuels

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/05/20210504-p66rodeo.html


In August 2020, Phillips 66 announced that it planned to reconfigure its San Francisco Refinery in Rodeo, California, to produce renewable fuels. The plant will no longer produce fuels from crude oil, but instead will make fuels from used cooking oil, fats, greases and soybean oils. (Earlier post.)

In April, the company completed the diesel hydrotreater conversion, which will ramp up to 8,000 bbl/d (120 million gallons per year) of renewable diesel production by the third quarter of 2021.

The renewable feedstocks will be primarily delivered across the Marine Terminal. Renewable feedstocks will also be delivered to the Rodeo facility using the existing railcar infrastructure, modified to reflect the elimination of butane exports. Existing equipment will also be modified to enable the offloading of local renewable feedstocks by tanker truck.

Upon completion of the roject the Rodeo facility will no longer process conventional or nonconventional crude oils, will operate fewer fired heaters, and will no longer export butanes across the existing rail rack.

The project includes other changes to Phillips 66’s facilities. The Santa Maria facility in San Luis Obispo County that currently provides crude oil feedstocks to the Rodeo facility will be idled and decommissioned. The existing Phillips 66 crude oil pipeline network from the gathering fields in central California to the Rodeo facility will no longer be necessary to support the reconfigured facility and will be active, but out of service.

To account for the idling of the Santa Maria facility and to maintain production levels during the transition process, the Project proposes to increase deliveries of crude oil across the Marine Terminal on a short-term and transitional basis.

Subject to permitting and approvals, full conversion of the refinery is expected in early 2024. Upon completion, the facility will have more than 50,000 bbl/d (800 million gallons per year) of renewable fuel production capacity.

The conversion is expected to reduce the facility’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and help California meet its lower-carbon objectives. . . .



Bosch, Shell, and Volkswagen develop renewable gasoline with 20% lower CO2; rollout of Blue Gasoline this year

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/05/20210504-bluegasoline.html


Following on the introduction of R33 Blue Diesel (earlier post), Bosch, Shell, and Volkswagen have now developed a low-carbon gasoline. The new fuel, called Blue Gasoline, similarly contains up to 33% renewables, ensuring a well-to-wheel reduction in carbon emissions of at least 20% per kilometer driven.

This means a fleet of 1,000 VW Golf VIII 1.5 TSIs alone could save more than 230 metric tons of CO2 per year, assuming an annual mileage of 10,000 kilometers each. Shell will offset the remaining carbon emissions from the use of Blue Gasoline through certified offset arrangements. The initial plan is to make the fuel available at regular filling stations over the course of the year, starting in Germany. . . .

The proportion of up to 33 percent renewables is made up of biomass-based naphtha or ethanol certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system. One source of such naphtha is what is known as tall oil, a by-product in the production of pulp for paper. But naphtha can also be obtained from other residual and waste materials. . . .
 
GCC:
MBL begins first test of tropical seaweed farming for biofuels production

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/05/202105167-mbl.html

A team of researchers led by Loretta Roberson, associate scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, has installed the first seaweed farm in Puerto Rico and US tropical waters. The research array furthers the design and development of a system for offshore cultivation of tropical seaweeds to support large-scale production of biomass for biofuels and other valuable bioproducts. . . .

The ultimate goal of the project is to cost-effectively produce biomass at scale in underutilized areas of the Gulf of Mexico and tropical US Exclusive Economic Zones where year-round production is possible.

MBL received funding for this research from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) competitive Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program. . . .
 
Both GCC:
SCA and St1 enter joint venture to produce and develop renewable diesel and biojet fuels

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/09/20210921-sca.html


Forest products company SCA and St1 have entered a joint venture in Sweden to produce and sell renewable HVO diesel and biojet fuel. SCA will supply tall oil to the joint venture for feedstock and will invest approximately SEK 0.6 billion (US$71.7 million) in the company. SCA and St1 will be equal shareholders of the joint venture, which will itself have a 50% share in the St1 Gothenburg Biorefinery.

The new biorefinery is under construction on the St1 refinery site in Gothenburg and will have a total capacity of 200,000 tonnes of liquid biofuels, with a total investment cost of SEK 2.5 billion (US$299 million). The new biorefinery will be operational in Q2 2023.

The joint venture will have access to SCA’s tall oil, a by-product from the kraft pulp production at SCA’s mills in Östrand, Obbola and Munksund. The biorefinery will also be capable of using a wide range of other feedstocks and is expected to be operational in Q2 2023.

As part of the agreement, St1 also becomes a 50% owner of SCA Östrand Biorefinery. The Östrand biorefinery project has recently received environmental permits for the production of 300,000 tonnes of liquid biofuels based on black liquor (a by-product from kraft pulp production) and solid biomass (such as sawdust or bark).

The biorefinery in Östrand is a development project where a number of technological challenges remain to be solved before a project design can be finalized. . . .




Shell aims to produce ~2M tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel per year by 2025

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/09/20210921-shell.html

. . . It also aims to have at least 10% of its global aviation fuel sales as SAF by 2030. . . .

The announcement came as Shell published two reports looking at how the aviation sector can accelerate its progress towards decarbonization.

Decarbonising Aviation: Cleared for Take-off is a joint report by Shell and Deloitte, based on the views of more than 100 aviation industry executives and experts. It says that the current global industry targets are not ambitious enough, and that the aviation sector should aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The report outlines 15 ways to reduce emissions between now and 2030 that will help aviation to reach net zero by 2050.

Shell’s companion report Decarbonising Aviation: Shell’s Flight Path outlines how Shell, as one of the world’s largest suppliers of aviation fuel and lubricants, can help its aviation customers decarbonise. It announces Shell’s ambition to produce around 2 million tonnes of SAF a year by 2025. Currently, Shell supplies SAF made by others. Achieving the new ambition would make Shell a leading global producer of SAF and support the decarbonization of the aviation sector.

The SAF production ambition would align with Shell’s target of becoming a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, in step with society.

The ambition was announced the week after Shell said it will build a biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the ability to produce 820,000 tonnes of low-carbon fuels a year, including SAF.

Compared with conventional jet fuel derived from fossil fuels, when used neat SAF has the potential to cut life-cycle emissions from aviation by up to 80%. It can be used immediately as a drop-in fuel, blended with conventional jet fuel, without the need for a fundamental change in infrastructure or aircraft design.

To accelerate the decarbonization of aviation, Shell believes a comprehensive regulatory regime is needed, one that encourages consistent customer demand and provides fiscal support to drive infrastructure development, new technologies and SAF production plants. To this end and to stimulate demand, Shell has been calling for and fully supports the introduction of ambitious and feasible SAF blending mandates.

Key highlights from the Decarbonising Aviation: Cleared for Take-off report include:

Aviation has often been considered a sector that will decarbonize later than others. This attitude should be replaced by a greater sense of ambition.

Choosing SAF as the primary means of decarbonization has the advantage of avoiding the need to redesign aircraft or airport infrastructure.

More ambitious efforts are required and investments must start sooner if SAF is to be adopted at scale within 15 years.

The uptake of certified carbon offsets must significantly increase in the short term, so they can play as full a role as possible in the early stages of decarbonization.

In parallel, there is a need to invest in less mature propulsion technologies like electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, and for these to play a role in short-haul flights before 2050.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be made from plant or animal material. Research and development is also underway to find ways to produce industrial quantities of SAF synthetically, using hydrogen obtained from low-emission sources and carbon dioxide captured from other industrial processes or the air.

Shell has invested in SAF-producer LanzaJet and hydrogen-powered aircraft developer ZeroAvia.
 
GCC:
Maersk invests in electrofuels startup Prometheus Fuels

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/09/20210924-maersk.html


Maersk Growth has made a leading venture investment in Prometheus Fuels, a Silicon Valley-based startup with a promising direct air capture-technology to enable cost efficient, carbon neutral eFuels for shipping (earlier post). . . .

Maersk expects several fuels to exist alongside in the future fuel mix and has identified 4 potential fuel pathways to decarbonization; biodiesel, alcohols, lignin-enhanced alcohols and ammonia.

The investment supports Maersk’s efforts with electrofuels which include alcohols produced from renewable energy. Along with biodiesel, alcohols including green methanol are feasible fuel technologies already today. . . .

Prometheus’ fuel production process starts with direct air capture of CO2, which is then moved to an electrochemical stack where the carbon is combined with hydrogen molecules from water to create long-chain alcohols. The alcohols are filtered out from the process water, and then a final catalyst step combines the alcohols and recovers the water. This step can be customized to produce a variety of hydrocarbon electrofuels.

Maersk expects synthetic alcohols and other electrofuels to play a big role in the decarbonization of shipping, due to its long-term scalability advantages compared to biobased fuels. Produced from renewable energy and water and ambient CO2 from direct air capture, e-fuels have the potential to offer infinite availability regardless of geographic scope. . . .

In August Maersk ordered 8 green-methanol-fueled ocean-going vessels to be delivered from Q1 2024. (Earlier post.) Earlier this month Maersk invested in WasteFuel, a California-based startup producing green bio-methanol from waste. (Earlier post.)
 
Both GCC:
Eni launching sustainable aviation fuel production

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/10/20211016-eni.html


Italy-based integrated energy company Eni is launching the production of alternative sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Eni has been producing Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biofuel in its Venice and Gela bio-refineries since 2014 via its proprietary Ecofoning technology; it can also produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from waste and plant-based raw materials using the same technology.

Eni SAFs are produced exclusively from waste and residues, in line with the company’s strategic decision not to use palm oil from 2023.

Eni plans to double its current bio-refining capacity of 1.1 million tonnes/year within the four-year period and increase it to 5-6 million tonnes/year by 2050. Biojet will play a significant role in the product mix, in line with industry scenarios and market trends, and the aim is to reach a production capacity of at least 500,000 tonnes/year of biojet by 2030. . . .

Initially, SAF is being produced at the Eni refinery in Taranto, with a 0.5% share of UCO (used cooking oils), contributing to the 2% share of bio component proposed as part of the EU “Fit For 55” package. This is a first step and part of Eni’s commitment to the decarbonization of all its products and processes by 2050 for all sectors, including some of the most challenging such as the aviation, heavy vehicles and marine sectors.

SAF from the Taranto refinery is currently produced through a 0.5% UCO co-feeding process for conventional plants. According to the Renewable Energy Directive II, the bio share in the product typically allows for a more than 90% reduction in GHG emissions compared to standard fossil mix feedstock. This product, already available in Taranto refinery tanks, will be sold to major airlines, firstly ITA, thanks to the support of leading operators in the sector such as Aeroporti di Roma.

Eni’s SAF production will continue to grow with the start of production of over 10 thousand tonnes/year of SAF at Eni’s Livorno refinery in early 2022, through the distillation of bio-components produced in Eni’s bio-refineries in Gela and Porto Marghera (Venice) using Eni’s proprietary Ecofining technology. The raw materials used will be exclusively waste products such as UCO or fats. This product, called “Eni Biojet”, contains 100% biogenic component and can be combined with conventional jet fuel in an up to 50% mix. . . .




UGA study: carinata-based SAF can deliver about 65% relative carbon savings compared to conventional jet fuel

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/10/20211017-uga.html


A team at yhe Universiy of Georgia has estimated the break-even price and life cycle carbon emissions of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) derived from oil obtained from Brassica carinata—a non-edible oilseed crop—in the Southeastern United States. The open-access study is published in GCB Bioenergy.

Carinata has the potential as a feedstock for SAF production in the Southeastern US due to higher yield, low fertilizer use, co-product generation (animal feed, propane, and naphtha), and compatibility with current farming practices, the researchers said. The system boundary for the life cycle analysis (LCA) started at the farm and ended when the SAF is delivered to an airport.

Among the top findings:

Without co-product credit or other subsidies such as Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credit, carinata-based SAF was more expensive ($0.85 L-1 to $1.28 L-1) than conventional aviation fuel ($0.50 L-1).

With co-product credit only, the break-even price ranged from $0.34 L-1 to $0.89 L-1.

With both co-product and RIN credits, the price ranged from -$0.12 to -$0.66 L-1.

The total carbon emission was 918.67 g CO2e L-1 of carinata-based SAF. This estimate provides 65% relative carbon savings compared with conventional aviation fuel (2618 g CO2e L-1).

Sensitivity analysis suggested a 95% probability that relative carbon savings can range from 61% to 68%. . . .
 
GCC:
Twelve produces first batch of E-Jet fuel from CO2 electrolysis; partnership with USAF; electrifying fuel, not planes

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/10/20211019.html


. . . Global aviation produces 1.2 billion tons of CO2emissions per year and represents one of the hardest-to-abate sectors, since it is technically unfeasible to electrify long-haul planes at scale due to power density challenges. Twelve’s jet fuel, produced using its carbon transformation technology in partnership with Fischer-Tropsch conversion experts Emerging Fuels Technology (earlier post), is a fossil-free fuel that offers a drop-in replacement for petrochemical-based alternatives without any changes to existing plane design or commercial regulations. . . .

Twelve has developed an efficient polymer-electrolyte membrane (PEM) CO2 electrolyzer that uses proprietary CO2-reducing catalysts to split CO2 with just water and renewable electricity as inputs, syngas (CO and hydrogen) as the output, and pure oxygen as the only byproduct. For the USAF project, Twelve and EFT upgrade the syngas to aviation fuel. Twelve says that its technology connects to any source of emissions, is completely modular, and integrates seamlessly into existing industrial systems at any scale.

Twelve worked in partnership with the Air Force’s Operational Energy office through a joint contract with AFWERX, a program office at the Air Force Research Laboratory, and SBIR, the Small Business Innovation Research program. . . .
 
GRA said:
oxothuk said:
electrifying fuel, not planes
That much is certainly true.

Not practical, though, unless we can make electricity MUCH cheaper than it is today.


Current renewables are already <=$0.02/kWh. How low do you think they need to be?
Intermittent renewables on their own are worthless - they only have value when combined on the grid with other sources or storage to produce reliable energy.

On what grid can you find electricity for $0.02/kWh?
 
oxothuk said:
GRA said:
oxothuk said:
That much is certainly true.

Not practical, though, unless we can make electricity MUCH cheaper than it is today.


Current renewables are already <=$0.02/kWh. How low do you think they need to be?
Intermittent renewables on their own are worthless - they only have value when combined on the grid with other sources or storage to produce reliable energy.

On what grid can you find electricity for $0.02/kWh?


I've posted links to various RE articles talking about current costs, either in the PV or H2 topics. IIRR, one array in Portugal holds the current PV record @ $0.0131/kWh. The intention in most of the articles I've linked is to build electrolysis plants adjacent to or at least served by cheap RE.
 
GRA said:
oxothuk said:
GRA said:
Current renewables are already <=$0.02/kWh. How low do you think they need to be?
Intermittent renewables on their own are worthless - they only have value when combined on the grid with other sources or storage to produce reliable energy.

On what grid can you find electricity for $0.02/kWh?


I've posted links to various RE articles talking about current costs, either in the PV or H2 topics. IIRR, one array in Portugal holds the current PV record @ $0.0131/kWh. The intention in most of the articles I've linked is to build electrolysis plants adjacent to or at least served by cheap RE.
Do these plants run 24/7 (connected to the grid) or only when the adjacent RE is available? The former is just greenwashing.
 
oxothuk said:
GRA said:
oxothuk said:
Intermittent renewables on their own are worthless - they only have value when combined on the grid with other sources or storage to produce reliable energy.

On what grid can you find electricity for $0.02/kWh?


I've posted links to various RE articles talking about current costs, either in the PV or H2 topics. IIRR, one array in Portugal holds the current PV record @ $0.0131/kWh. The intention in most of the articles I've linked is to build electrolysis plants adjacent to or at least served by cheap RE.
Do these plants run 24/7 (connected to the grid) or only when the adjacent RE is available? The former is just greenwashing.



Limited for time today so can't search for many, but found this one and how they plan to deal with intermittency: https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=14744&p=603479&hilit=$13.1/MWh#p603178
 
ADM, Gevo sign MoU to produce up to 500M gallons of sustainable aviation fuel

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/10/20211026-gevo.html


. . . The MoU contemplates the production of both ethanol and isobutanol that would then be transformed into renewable low carbon-footprint hydrocarbons, including SAF, using Gevo’s processing technology and capabilities. About 900 million gallons of ethanol produced at ADM’s dry mills in Columbus, Nebraska, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as well as its Decatur, Illinois, complex, is expected to be processed utilizing this technology, resulting in approximately 500 million gallons of SAF and other renewable hydrocarbons.

The isobutanol is expected to be produced at a proposed new facility in Decatur that would employ ADM’s carbon capture and sequestration capabilities. . . .

Demand for SAF is expected to increase as major US airlines, airports, shippers and the US government have agreed to work together to advance the use of cleaner sustainable fuels. The US and the EU have set goals that together would support almost 4 billion gallons of annual SAF production in 2030, and more than 45 billion by 2050.

The companies intend to work together to determine full commercialization plans and enter into definitive agreements enabling a timeline such that production of SAF can begin in the 2025-2026 timeframe.
 
oxothuk said:
GRA said:
ADM, Gevo sign MoU to produce up to 500M gallons of sustainable aviation fuel

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/10/20211026-gevo.html
Sorry - any process using corn ethanol as the feedstock is not sustainable IMHO.


I'm not a big fan of using food to produce something else, but if you can do it without depleting the food supply or the soil (both certainly questionable in the case of industrial ag), then sure. It's up to governments to decide what is and isn't sustainable.
 
GRA said:
oxothuk said:
GRA said:
Sorry - any process using corn ethanol as the feedstock is not sustainable IMHO.


I'm not a big fan of using food to produce something else, but if you can do it without depleting the food supply or the soil (both certainly questionable in the case of industrial ag), then sure. It's up to governments to decide what is and isn't sustainable.

Oddly, nature gets the last word.
 
Depending on how good our decisions are, we will or won't survive and will enhance/diminish the quality of life for millions or billions as well as affecting the planet's ecosystem, for better or worse.
 
Back
Top