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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0365.002 2004-2006 • • The Co-Production of Ethanol and Electricity From Carbon-based Wastes A Report on a New Technology that addresses multiple Energy and Waste Disposal solutions BioEnergy Hawaii a joint venture of Pacific Waste, Inc. 808.326.4911 BioConverter LLC 310.822.1960 BRI Energy LLC 323.650.5095 www.brienergy.com July 2005 (I-- Comm. No. W ~ • Z. Ref. To: r e Ref. Date_,IJ,JI 21 BRI ENERGY, LLC THE CO-PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL 8~ ELECTRICITY FROM CARBON-BASED WASTES Carbon-based wastes represent one of the world's most promising and virtually untapped renewable energy sources. In the United States, more than 1.5 billion tons of municipal solid waste, biosolids, agricultural, forestry and other waste products are generated each year. There is a growing awareness that new and environmentally sensitive means of waste disposal must be developed. For example, methane generated from the decomposition of Iandfilled wastes contributes to global warming, and when wastes are burned, they create potentially toxic pollutants in particles and gases. During the past 25 years, government and private industry in the United States have spent some $9 billion attempting to develop economic and environmentally sound methods for the production of electricity and liquid energy from organic materials, and thus, free society from its dependence on fossil fuels The State of Hawaii, which currently generates an estimated three million tons of municipal solid waste per year, is an example of a region in critical need of domestic energy sources. Isolated geographically, Hawaii relies on imported petroleum for 90% of its energy. It has no conventional energy resources such as oil, coal or natural gas. Hawaii uses 24.6% of its imported oil to generate 85% of its electricity (the nation as a whole uses only 3.2% of its petroleum resources to generate electricity). The state's on-road gasoline usage will increase from 455 million gallons in 2004 to 550 million gallons by 2015. Meanwhile, jet fuel accounts for 32% of the state's total energy consumption. The State has now mandated the 10% blending of ethanol, although it has no domestic ethanol production. If no domestic production is developed, 10% blending of ethanol will require the importation of at least 50 million gallons of ethanol. Therefore, to encourage the domestic production of ethanol, Hawaii has instituted a 30- cent per gallon ethanol facility tax credit, which is in addition to the 51-cent per gallon federal subsidy. Ethanol has a major role to play in the mix of alternate energy sources. It acts as a volume extender when blended with gasoline, it improves octane performance and operates as an oxygenate, reducing automobile emissions and COz when produced from biomass. The blending of ethanol with gasoline is already an established practice in the United States. It is being used around the world in gasoline blends of 10-85%. Today's automobiles can operate efficiently on blends of 20% or higher. (Brazil has set of goal of operating its vehicles on 100% ethanol by 2007.) 2 However, ethanol, to date, has been produced chemically from ethylene or biologically from the fermentation of sugars from carbohydrates found in agricultural crops like corn kernels. Sugar fermentation has been the only process to commercially produce ethanol from biomass. However, it is inefficient and uneconomic. Not a single gallon would be produced in the United States today without state and federal subsidies (a 51- cent per gallon federal tax credit, plus additional incentives ranging from five to 28- cents per gallon in the corn-producing states). Further, the fact that, to date, it has only been produced from corn kernels (and sugar cane in Brazil) has limited its potential as a substitute for gasoline. For example, only about 6-8 billion gallons could be produced from available cropland in the United States (only 4% of the nation's current demand for fuel), without impacting the price and availability of corn in other products and markets. If electricity and ethanol could be produced profitably from biomass, it could expand the nation's supply of electrical energy, supplement gasoline, convert vast quantities of organic waste into energy and contribute meaningfully to the nation's goal of energy independence. This BRI Renewable Energy Process makes these goals achievable. The BRI Renewable Energy Process A new gasification/fermentation process developed for BRI Energy, Inc. ("BRI") by a team led by Dr. James L. Gaddy of Fayetteville, Arkansas, makes possible the co- production of electricity and ethanol from any carbon-based materials, including: • Municipal Solid Waste • Biosolids & Animal Wastes • Green Waste • Agricultural residues • Used Tires & Plastics Timber and Wood Wastes • Coal, natural gas and other hydrocarbons • Refinery Tars & Waste Oils Efficient and economically viable, the BRI process utilizes an enzyme from patented bacteria, which ingests synthesis gas (gasified wastes) and emits pure ethanol at a yield of 75 gallons or more per dry ton of biomass. From used tires or hydrocarbons it can yield 150 gallons or more per ton. Unlike combustion processes, thermal gasification decomposes organic materials into their basic molecular structure at temperatures of up to 2,200°F in a reducing, oxygen- starved atmosphere. Before being introduced to the bacteria in a fermentation tank, the synthesis gases (CO, HZ and CO2) must be cooled to approximately 98°F-a process that generates an enormous amount of waste heat that can be used to create high temperature steam to drive electric turbines. 3 In the fermentation step, the patented bacteria ingest the syngas and emit ethanol and water, which is then distilled away to produce pure industrial or fuel-grade ethanol. Contrary to current sugar fermentation technologies, the process is odorless. The bacterial culture is anaerobic and dies when exposed to air. It has a Biosafety Level 1 health hazard rating (the lowest possible for microorganisms). The process creates no environmental or health hazards, ground or water contamination, and minimal air emissions. Its residue is anon-hazardous ash. When biomass is used to co-produce ethanol and electricity, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved. The BRI process will gasify any carbon-based material whose moisture content is less than 40% (by weight). Feedstocks need not be chipped, shredded or sorted to remove metal and glass, and they can be blended. Any mixture of plastics, tires, manure, paper or yard wastes, construction debris, furniture, hazardous wastes, crop residues, timber slash, etc., can be converted into synthesis gas, and then to ethanol. Only the inorganic fraction is not converted. For example, sewage sludge and used tires could be blended to reduce the average moisture content to 40% or less. BRI's plants will also operate on natural gas, petroleum and coal--and these hydrocarbons can be blended with biomass to increase by up to 100% the overall gallon-per-ton output of the plant. With nominal ash content of five-to-ten percent of the organic fractions, the process will normally convert more than 90% of the waste it receives. The remainder, which is non- hazardous, is discharged from the gasifier to be landfilled or recycled in products like cement blocks or paving. The net effect is that the BRI process can extend substantially the effective life of a landfill (and it can reclaim materials already residing in landfills). This will significantly reduce the amount of valuable and potentially productive land that must be set aside for this purpose. The utilities used in operating a BRI plant, with the exception of water, are supplied internally from the plant's waste heat. The entire process, from the time the waste material is fed into the gasifier to the creation of ethanol, takes less than seven minutes. Current biomass ethanol technologies that use corn kernels or sugar cane as their feedstocks require 36-48 hours for sugar fermentation alone. This is one of the great strengths of the BRI technology, because this rapid biochemical conversion, plus the fact that the process creates at least three revenue sources, makes the technology highly profitable, even without subsidies. Ethanol futures trading began in May, 2004. If and when fuel cells become available to power automobiles, the BRI process can also be used to create hydrogen. 4 A Typical BRI Renewable Energy Plant Plant design is governed by the maximum size of today's gasifiers, Therefore, BRI's plants will be modular and their capacities can be readily expanded. A single module will combine two gasifiers, each with a capacity of 125-150 tons of waste per day, and two biocatalytic reactors. Depending upon the feedstocks used, each module will process some 85,000 tons of biomass annually to produce from 6.8 to 8.0 million gallons of ethanol, also generating approximately 5 MW of power. The amount of ethanol and electricity to be produced by any module can be varied according to energy demand. Among other configurations, amid-sized BRI Renewable Energy Plant could process 760,000 tons of municipal solid waste, waste tires and/or wood wastes per year, producing 50 million gallons of ethanol and generating 35 MW of power, 22 MW of which is excess to the operation of the plant. The plant would require seven modules and approximately 16 acres. The combination of electrical generation and low-priced ethanol production (even if federal subsidies were to be phased out) makes possible long-term firm and stable contracts for the generation and sale of "green power" to utilities at rates in thee range of 5-10 cents per kWh. On the ethanol side, the fact that the BRI process uses wastes rather than corn kernels means that feedstock costs are as much as $1.00 or more below the older traditional corn kernel-based sugar fermentation technologies. Status of Technology The first bacteria culture to convert synthesis gas into ethanol was isolated by Dr. James L. Gaddy and his technologists about 15 years ago. Worldwide, some 50 patents have been awarded or are pending for the microorganisms, process and methods. BRI has proven the process and bacterial culture, and has been producing ethanol at its pilot plant for the past four years. Since November, 2003, when BRI added a prototype Consutech gasifier, the pilot plant has been operating the complete ethanol production cycle, from waste gasification through the delivery of fuel-grade ethanol in a single integrated process. The waste-to-electricity and ethanol filtration elements of the process have been in commercial operation for a number of years. The technology simply enables the reconfiguration of these proven technologies in a new and economically viable process. The technoloov is now at the point of commercialization. Approximately $15 million in investment, DOE grants and internally generated funds have supported its development. In June, 2004, BRI completed for Sealaska Corporation a successful 180-day steady state test that included wood waste that had been immersed in salt water for twelve months or longer. As the feedstock qualities and feed rates were varied during the tests, the synthesis gas created from this timber slash validated the robust nature of the bacteria. 5 In July, 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a grant in the amount of $2.4 million, which is enabling Bioengineering Resources, LLC to test corn stover as a feedstock to create electric power and ethanol using the BRI Process. In so doing, BRI is investigating the feasibility of locating a corn stover ethanol facility next to a conventional grain alcohol plant in the corn belt, and the synergies involved with such co-location, such as the utilization of waste heat and power from the BRI plant. Chippewa Valley Ethanol, a Minnesota corn producer cooperative, and the engineering firms of Katzen International and Burns & McDonnell are also participants in the project. Having studied the technology in depth under full non-disclosure, the Parsons Corporation, one of the world's leading engineering firms, has entered into a Letter of Intent to design, construct and operate BRI Energy's plants. They bring to the process a worldwide reputation and expertise well developed over sixty years. Katzen International, aCincinnati-based engineering firm that is renowned for the efficiency of their ethanol separation and distillation technologies, has been closely involved with the BRI process during its entire pilot plant phase. Katzen has designed 70 ethanol plants around the world. Their technology and expertise will be utilized to extract commercial grade ethanol from the fermentation tanks. Katzen will be responsible for the process design for BRI's plants. In December, 2004, Parsons Corporation and Katzen completed a feasibility study for BRI's first commercial plants. Parsons is currently completing the necessary emissions tests required to design the environmental control systems for the standard BRI plant module, following which BRI will complete the permitting processes for its initial commercial plants. These plants will consume municipal solid waste and auto fluff as their feedstocks. The combination of Parsons and Katzen provides BRI Energy significant depth in the design, construction and operation (design-build-operate/DBO) of its plants. Chemineer, the manufacturer of the fermentation tanks, has guaranteed the ability to sustain the same environment that was successfully achieved in the pilot plant in their commercial-sized tanks. All of the equipment utilized in the BRI process is "off-the- shelf." The company is now positioned to provide the nation with much-needed relief from the escalating costs of electric power and liquid energy, and its dependence upon foreign oil. Biomass Resources in America Carbon-based wastes represent one of America's most promising and virtually untapped domestic energy sources. More than 1.5 billion tons of municipal solid waste, green waste, sewage sludge, plastics, auto fluff, used tires, agricultural, forestry and other waste products are generated in the United States each year, 320 million tons of which are readily available for use in the production of liquid and electric energy. 6 In addition, America has a three hundred year supply of coal, the combustion of which represents one of its most destructive sources of industrial pollution. Millions of dollars are being spent to develop coal gasification projects, but these technologies must still combust the resulting syngas to generate electricity. The BRI Renewable Energy Process will create electricity without combustion. The BRI process could turn states like New York and California into net exporters, rather than importers, of ethanol. Last year, California consumed some 950 million gallons of ethanol, only 8 million gallons of which was locally produced. There is enough post- recycled organic waste available in California to produce two billion gallons of ethanol per year. In summary, there is enough readily available biomass in America to produce some 22.5 billion gallons of ethanol and make the nation energy self-sufficient. The complete development of the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve would provide only two percent of America's liquid energy needs. It is realistic to project that the BRI process could deliver 10% of America's liquid energy requirements from domestically- produced waste products within ten years and to eliminate the nation's dependence on foreign oil within twenty years. Potential of Ethanol According to an analysis conducted by John Urbanchuk with LECG, LLC, establishing an 8 billion gallon RFS between 2005 and 2012 would: • Spark $6 billion (2005 dollars) of new investment to build 4.3 billion gallons of new ethanol capacity. • Add nearly $200 billion (2005 dollars) to GDP. • Generate an additional $43 billion (2005 dollars) of household income for all Americans. • Create more than 230,000 new jobs in all sectors of the economy. • Displace more than 2 billion barrels of crude oil. • Reduce the outflow of dollars largely to foreign oil producers by $64.1 billion (2005 dollars). • Lessen America's dependence on imported oil from an estimated 67.4 percent to 62.3 percent. Summary The BRI Renewable Energy Process will: • Make possible the consistent, low-cost generation of electrical energy, while assisting government agencies in dealing effectively with some of their most vexing problems-the disposal of municipal solid wastes and sewage sludge, and the proliferation of landfills. • Revolutionize the disposal of such organic materials as urban wastes, agricultural residues, timber slash, wood and plastics. 7 • Respond to government mandates that call for the introduction of renewable fuels and the generation of green power. • Utilize several of the world's most abundant resources to profitably produce fuel- grade ethanol, a truly sustainable liquid energy source, priced competitively with gasoline. • Strengthen the security of nations now dependent on imported oil. • Provide energy industry employment for the domestic work force. • Improve the economics of farming by providing additional income for farmers from the sale of their agricultural wastes. • Make an important and lasting improvement to the environment, reducing greenhouse gases by destroying a meaningful portion of the world's organic waste stream, and doing so with minimal and manageable ground, air or water emissions. TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY THE BRI PROCESS The Gasification/Biocatalytic Process All ethanol processes require two steps: a step to convert raw materials into intermediates, followed by an ethanol synthesis or production step. Traditional ethanol processes produce sugars as intermediates, followed by fermentation. An alternative involves gasification of the raw material to produce synthesis gas. The synthesis gas results from the breakdown of complex carbon molecules and allows the production of ethanol in a reactor vessel. There, either a chemical catalyst or a biocatalyst is used to produce the ethanol. The chemical catalytic process has been practiced in large scale in South Africa for many years; but the ethanol specificity of the catalyst is low and a variety of other alcohols and hydrocarbons are produced, resulting in a low ethanol yield. The BRI Process is a biocatalytic process that involves the fermentation of syngas. The biocatalytic process is highly selective or specific and only ethanol is produced, resulting in high yields, while avoiding the costly additional processing that would otherwise be required to separate the ethanol from other lower grade products. Gasification is a commercial technology that has been applied to coal, biomass and a variety of other carbonaceous materials. Gasification of solids or liquids produces synthesis gases containing monoxide (CO), hydrogen (HZ) and CO2. BRI has developed a process to convert these gases into ethanol using a patented microorganism and process. Since all of the carbon and hydrogen in the raw material is gasified and can be converted into ethanol, this process has very high yields (at least 75 gallons per ton, 150 gallons per ton or more for used tires and other high-BTU content feedstocks). 8 Biological Process for Ethanol Production from Biomass BRI has selected atwo-stage gasifier that raises the syngas temperature as high as 2200°F in the second stage to enable cracking of any heavy hydrocarbons to CO and HZ, maximizing the ethanol yield. There are hundreds of these units in operation with a demonstrated reliability of 95 percent. The hot gases are then cooled to 98° F and introduced into the biocatalytic reactor where ethanol is produced. Nutrients are added to provide for cell growth and automatic regeneration of the biocatalyst. A dilute, aqueous stream of ethanol is continuously removed through a membrane that retains cells for recycle to maximize reaction rates. Anhydrous ethanol is produced by conventional distillation followed by a molecular sieve, using the waste heat from the process. Water, with nutrients, is recycled from the distillation bottoms back to the biocatalytic reactor. Swam Paver ~ %Y. Euwnol lJuhiea,e Anhydrous m ~ Ethanol _ Daum Y. EMmnol Sbem tl BiORISE3 V GRS Purge Wumr Racyc{e Ash Biological Process for Ethanol Production from Biomass The process is simple and well defined, breaking complex molecules into CO, HZ and C02, and then reconstructing them back into a single product. Ambient temperature and pressures are used, and capital and energy costs are minimized. The primary disadvantages of most biological processes are slow reaction rates and the requirement for sterilization, neither of which are a factor in the BRI technology. For example, the typical sugar fermentation requires 36-48 hours. Reactor design for the syngas fermentation has been studied extensively in our laboratories and fermentation times of a few minutes have been achieved. Also sterilization is not necessary, since the CO in the syngas eliminates most contaminants. 9 Co-Generation Of Power The cooling of the syngas (from as high as 2200° to approximately 100°) before it is sent to the fermentation vessel creates the opportunity to produce steam and generate electricity. The primary requirement is that installation of a high pressure steam boiler rather than normal low pressure equipment. The quantity of heat from the hot syngas is somewhat dependent upon the gasified selected and the quantity and temperature of the syngas. In general, this source can supply 50 M BTU (as steam) per gallon of ethanol produced. The normal design of about 75 percent would provide 76 M BTU (as syngas) per gallon of ethanol produced. With conversion efficiencies of about 30 percent, this process will produce about 1.3 MW per million gallons of ethanol, after supplying the internal energy requirements of the process. Turbine exhaust steam can then be used as a source of heat for ethanol purification, feedstock drying, air pre-heating, etc. Environmental Considerations The BRI Renewable Energy Process is environmentally superior to any other technology currently being utilized to dispose of organic wastes, create fuel or produce electric power. It will destroy organic wastes before they can decompose and produce electricity without combustion, thus reducing both the need for landfills and multiple sources of greenhouse gases, COz and methane. Further, BRI's patented microorganism (the breakthrough element that makes the entire process possible) is anaerobic, meaning that it dies when exposed to the atmosphere. It has a Biosafety Level 1 health hazard rating (the lowest possible for microorganisms). The entire recycling and energy production process creates no environmental hazards, ground or water contamination, and minimal air emissions. Emission Sources There are four sources of emissions from the gasification and energy production processes: the solid ash from the gasifier, the residues resulting from the scrubbing of the synthesis gas, a liquid purge from the bioreactor and the minimal emissions that could result from the secondary production of electricity. Gasification is not incineration. Gasification occurs in a reducing atmosphere, without production of NOx, SOx, dioxins or other pollutants. The gasifier ash (inorganic fraction) is non-toxic, with component concentrations well below EPA requirements, and has been disposed of in non-hazardous landfills for years. Gasification There are no air emissions (zero emissions) from the gasification step, as the synthesis gas does not enter the atmosphere when it leaves the gasifier. Further, electricity can be produced without combustion. The syngas is cooled, "scrubbed," treated through activated carbon filtration, and then fed directly to the bacteria culture. 10 The gas produced at the high secondary temperature is essentially free of hydrocarbons. The synthesis gas is scrubbed to remove any residual components and these gases have been shown to be non-toxic or inhibitory to the biological culture. Electricity Generation Waste heat from the cooling of the synthesis gases is used to create high temperature steam. There is no combustion associated with this step of the electricity generation process. The syngas gas remaining after passing through the bioreactors (less than 15%) contains a high percentage of marketable hydrogen. The technology could also additionally use the remainder gas to create ammonia for the production of fertilizer. Alternatively, this syngas could be mixed with natural gas and combusted to produce additional high temperature steam, but as the synthesis gas will already have been scrubbed and will have passed through activated carbon filtration, it will burn 70% cleaner than the natural gas. Waste Streams Inorganic Material Inerts such as metals or glass will be ejected for recycling or landfilling after the first stage of thermal gasification. By weight, these will comprise approximately 12.5% of the materials found in municipal solid waste. Ash Only 5% of the organic material will remain as anon-hazardous ash following the gasification process. This ash can be used in such products as building blocks or paving, or it could be placed in a sanitary landfill. Wastewater The syngas is "scrubbed" prior to entering the biocatalytic reactor. Scrubber water will contain chlorides and sulfides, which are neutralized before discharge. BRI will pre-treat the waste stream before it is recycled or sent to a public wastewater treatment plant. The metals removed during this common industrial process will either be recycled or landfilled, which would have occurred anyway if the BRI process did not exist. Bioreactor Purge The liquid purge from the bioreactor will contain spent cell components and nutrients, which can be sold as protein for animal feed. Environmental Impact. The widespread application of this novel technology can have significant positive environmental impact in many areas. Landfills for MSW are rapidly becoming filled, 11 requiring longer and longer transportation routes and higher costs. Land application of biosolids and animal wastes is coming under increased scrutiny to reduce leaching and runoff. These negative-cost raw materials are ideal candidates for conversion into ethanol and power, eliminating the environmental problems with current disposal methods. Most electric power and liquid fuel is produced from fossil fuels today, with attendant emissions of CO2. Landfilling and land application also result in the greenhouse gases, COZ and methane. A ton of coal burned to produce electricity produces about 2.4 tons of COZ. A ton of dry biomass placed in a landfill will produce, over time, about 1.2 tons of mixed COZ and methane. The collection and suitable disposal of this COZ is the subject of intensive research today. One viable solution, perhaps the only realistic long-term solution, is the substitution of biomass as fuel, with the subsequent re- assimilation of CO2 as biomass through photosynthesis. For example, if the biomass that is landfilled or plowed under as agricultural residue were diverted to an ethanol plant, one ton would produce 82 gallons of ethanol and about 165kWh of electricity, reducing CO2 by a net amount of about 40 percent. This comparison does not include the COZ re-assimilated as biomass. When added, the result is that each ton of biomass used to produce ethanol results in the net reduction of about one ton of COz produced from coal or gas fired power production, auto emissions, etc. Ethanol, blended with gasoline has been shown to reduce auto emissions and, as a result, oxygenated fuels have been mandated in most metropolitan areas. Traditional ethanol production methods have been criticized for air emissions from drying of biosolids for animal feed. It should be noted that the gasification /fermentation process does not include such a drying step. It is also argued that ethanol from grain is not renewable and that more energy is consumed than produced, when the energy for farming, production, etc. is considered. The gasification/fermentation process utilizes urban wastes, agricultural residues and other wastes, and generates all its own energy and exports electricity and steam. Therefore, no new external energy is required in the BRI Process. James L. Stewart Vice President & Director of Marketing BRI Energy LLC 3142 Brookdale Road, Studio City, California 91604-4207 323-650-5095; 818-261-2599 (mobile) Please visit BRI's web site at: www.brienergy.com 12