Status, Trends, and Future of the South

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Status, Trends, and Future of the Souths
Forest and Agricultural BiomassAugust 29-31,
2005University of Georgia Center for Continuing
EducationBiomass and Carbonaceous Materials to
Clean Energy Fuels

• Laurence W. Stewart, Principal
• William Eng, Principal
• 6185 NW 107th Terrace, Parkland, FL 33076
• Tel [phone] Fax [phone]
• Email info_at_phoenixcgi.com
• www.phoenixcgi.com

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Biomass Evangelists Creed

• Perhaps the most significant non-technical
  barrier to using biomass...for energy is the lack
  of creativity and negativity in attitudes. Too
  many people know what cant be done.
• Lynn L. Wright, Demonstration and Commercial
  Production of Biomass for Energy, 1995, National
  Renewable Energy Labs, Golden, Colorado

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The Future

• Thirty years from now there will be a huge
  amount of oil and no buyers. Oil will be left
  in the ground. The Stone Age came to an end, not
  because of a lack of stones, and the Oil Age will
  come to an end not because of a lack of oilOn
  the supply side it is easy to find oil and
  produce it, and on the demand side there are so
  many new technologies (emphasis added)
• Sheikh Zaki Yamani
• Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia (1962 1986), June
  2000

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.. Is Here Today Highlights

• BCT solves problems through a family of
  technologies that convert any kind of carbon
  containing waste to clean energy
• Family of Proprietary Technologies
• Proven, flexible and scalable plants can use a
  variety of biomass and agricultural feedstocks as
  well as any kind of carbonaceous material from
  biosolids, to MSW, and fossil fuels
• Energy output can be in the form of
• liquid fuels (ethanol, methanol),
• electricity,
• hydrogen, and
• Syngas, natural gas or LNG
• Compelling Economics with IRRs of 30 to 100

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Technology Family

• Patented Pyrolytic Steam Reforming Gasifier
  (PSRG) featuring a Staged Temperature Reaction
  Process (STRP)
• Produces Medium to High BTU, Clean Syngas
• Minimizes Tar in Produced Syngas
• Handles a variety of materials singly or in
  combination
• Catalytic Alcohol Reactor featuring a Trade
  Secret High Throughput Catalyst
• Converts Syngas to Ethanol and higher alcohols
  Catalytically
• Produces approximately 70 Ethanol and 30
  Methanol
• Proprietary Methanation Reactor
• Flexibly and Economically Enhances BTU of syngas
  to pipeline quality for use as NG replacement
• Or enhance other characteristics of syngas, e.g.,
  increase production of hydrogen

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Gasifier Technology (contd)

• Pyrolytic Steam Reforming Gasifier (PSRG) with
  Staged Temperature Reaction Process
• The BCT system typically generates syngas from
  biomass, coal, coal slurry, coal fines and other
  carbonaceous feedstocks with energy content in
  the range of 400-600 BTU/ft3 at an average
  thermal energy conversion efficiency of 75.
• The BCT system has the highest energy
  efficiency of any system under consideration
  and the highest syngas energy content of any
  thermochemical biomass conversion system that has
  been developed for biomass inputs of less than
  1,000 tons/day.
• As yet unpublished study evaluating the BCT
  system and others for a large west coast waste
  water treatment utility district.

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BCT PSRG / STRP Gasifier
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Gasifier Technology (contd)

• First Stage Devolitization Reactor
• Forces out the oxygen entrained with feedstock
• In a reducing environment, raises the temperature
  of the feedstock in three or four distinct stages
  to just below combustion temperature, which
• Releases the volatiles (VOCs) which
• makes their energy available for subsequent
  reforming or energy production, and
• Avoids the production of excess heat, CO2 and
  other combustion products
• Eliminates flash pyrolysis and run away
  combustion
• Eliminates slag
• Greatly reduces ash production
• Greatly reduces production of CO2

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Gasifier Technology (contd)

• Second Stage Reforming Reactor
• Entrained Flow Design
• Combines feedstock (char) with superheated steam
  at 1500º F which results in
• Lower operating temperatures Reforming
  temperatures are lower within a controlled
  environment.
• Lower soot production This is partly due to
  lower maximum temperatures and partly due to
  higher steam carbon ratio which reduces soot
  production.
• Lower emissions The gas composition is different
  when steam is added as a gasification agent. The
  H2 content is increased and the CO2 content is
  lowered. The results in a faster combustion and
  lower emissions of CO and NOx.

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Gasifier Technology (contd)

• Benefits of BCT Two Stage Reactor Approach
  include
• Very high conversion efficiency,
• Tar content in produced gas is extremely low.
• A unique feature specific to the Klepper/BCT
  system is that the cyclones and water condenser
  are integrated and contained within the biomass
  gasification chamber. This design conserves
  space and reduces the loss of heat energy
• Integrated Gas Cleanup and Conditioning produces
• Ultra Clean Syngas with
• No particulates
• No tar
• No alkali metals
• Low NOx, SOx, and CO2

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Typical Syngas Composition

• Analysis of Syngas from Gasification of Wood
  Waste (sawdust)
• About 525 (/-) BTU

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Custom Syngas Properties
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Very Low Emissions

• Test Results Show Very Low Emissions 8hr test
  of Wood Waste at rate of 7.5 tons/day
• NOx 0.22 tons per year
• SO2 0.001 tons per year
• CO 0.42 tons per year

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Catalytic Ethanol Reactor(Optional)

• Breakthrough Catalytic Process
• Standard refining technology proprietary
  catalyst
• Produces 70 Ethanol and 30 Methanol
• Why Ethanol?
• Ethanol offers highest value end-product
• Large and growing market (additive to gasoline)
• Can produce at much lower cost than competitive
  processes, e.g., fermentation

Commercial Scale Testing Ethanol Reactor
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Ethanol Price Forecast

• Prepared by California Energy Commission

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Options other than Ethanol

• Syn-Gas can be custom designed to power an
  Internal Combustion Engine Generator gas Turbine
• The Syn-Gas can also be enhanced to pipeline
  quality with our proprietary Methanation reactor
• The Syn-Gas can be compressed and sold as CNG /
  LNG
• The Syn-Gas can be sold for use in a biorefinery
  or other chemical processes

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No Derate Required

• Can be used to power an IC or Turbine Genset with
  no derate.

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Materials Testing Facility(Small Gasifier)
Controls
Instrumented testing facility allows small-scale
test of any potential feedstock to determine
empirical ethanol production results
Small Ethanol Reactor
Small Gasifier
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Materials Testing Facility(Big Gasifier)
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Pilot Demonstration Facility
Pilot testing facility allows short-term design
testing of feedstock to optimize process design
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Production Units
15 to 250 ton/day Custom-built Systems
15 ton/day wood waste to electricity system built
for Government of Saskatchewan
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Rice Straw Demonstration

• Rice Straw to Ethanol Demonstration October 8,
  2004, for the city of Gridley, California
  arranged by their consultant, TSS Consultants.
  (www.tssconsultants.com)

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Gridley Team Objectives

• Gridley retained TSS Consultants to
• Identify the most viable emerging waste biomass
  to energy and fuel conversion technologies for
  the recovery of value from rice straw and other
  biomass resources in terms of
• Economic (E1) Viability
• High Energy (E2) Efficiency
• Least Impact on the Environment (E3)
• Most Effective (E4) Solution

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TSS Technology Assessment Approach

• Gridley Chose TSS because
• In the past several years TSS had critically
  assessed approximately 350 biomass conversion
  systems from suppliers/developers worldwide over
  the past several years
• Five candidate systems were chosen by TSS for an
  in-depth comprehensive technical and business
  analysis using the 4E assessment models for
  quantifying their potential economic viability
• (E1) Economic Efficiency
• (E2) Energy Efficiency
• (E3) Environmental Friendliness
• (E4) Effective in the conversion of waste biomass
  to energy and fuels.

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MethodologyTechnology Assessment Approach

• TSS mandate from the City of Gridley was to
• Consider all relevant technologies currently
  available for the conversion of fossil and
  renewable carbonaceous biomass materials to
  energy and fuels developed by
• Private organizations
• Government agencies, commissions and
  departments
• Academic institutions
• Non-government organizations
• Research institutes and non-profit
  organizations
• Select candidate conversion technologies for 4E
  assessment studies, testing, further development
  and validation

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Key Processes Under Evaluation and Development
for Biomass Conversion Technologies to Energy
and Fuels

• TSS Evaluated the Suitability of the Technologies
  for the Following Processes
• Biomass Conversion Processes (Combustion)
• Syngas and Natural Gas for Heating, ProcessSteam
  and Cooling
• Conversion of Syngas and Natural Gas to
  Electricity
• Conversion of Syngas and Natural Gas to Fuels
• Conversion of Syngas and Natural Gas for Heating,
  Process Steam and Cooling

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Candidate Biomass Conversion Technologies Under
Consideration

• TSS Examined the Following Technologies
• Thermal Gasification (Syngas Production)
• PSRG / STRP Gasification (Syngas Production)
• Thermal Oxidation (Energy Production by
  Incineration)
• Integrated Thermal Gasification and Oxidation
  (Energy Production)
• Thermogenic Anaerobic Digestion (Methane
  Production)
• Hydro-Gasification (Syngas Production)

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And the Winner is..
TSS Selected the PSRG / STRP Waste to Energy
System as Best of Breed and the Recommended
System
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Evaluation ConclusionsConversion of Waste
Biomass to Energy and Fuels

• TSS Concluded
• PSRG/STRP Gasification has been found to be the
  most promising technology to date. This process
  can produce synthetic natural gas (syngas) that
  is
• Economically competitive with natural gas (E1)
  (5.00/MM BTU)
• Energy efficient (E2) for Syngas Production
  (71-75)
• Environmentally friendly minimal gas-phase or
  particulate-phase pollutants are emitted (E3)
• Effective in terms of its future high potential
  for the conversion of waste and fossil biomass to
  energy and fuel (E4)

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BCT in the News

• The BCT Gasifier has been chosen as the key core
  component in a mobile version of BCTs gasifier
  (Min. 22 units) by the Department of Defense to
  convert waste generated by our troops in
  Afghanistan and Iraq to electrical power.
• BCT Mobile Technology has been identified as the
  preferred method for disposing of forest slash
  generated in the effort to thin western forests
  and prevent forest fires and is the centerpiece
  of a demonstration project in Jefferson County,
  CO.
• BCT technology has been identified as the
  preferred technology to convert agricultural
  waste (rice straw) to higher value liquid fuels
  (ethanol) by a California agricultural
  cooperative.
• RDIUP or Remotely Deployable Integrated
  Utilities Package

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The Future..

• Weve embarked on the beginning of the Last Days
  of the Age of Oil. Nations of the world that are
  striving to modernize will make choices different
  from the ones we have made. They will have to.
  And even todays industrial powers will shift
  energy use patternsThe market share for
  carbon-rich fuels will diminish, as the demand
  for other forms of energy grows. And energy
  companies have a choice to embrace the future
  and recognize the growing demand for a wide array
  of fuels or ignore reality, and slowly but
  surely be left behind.
• Mike Bowlin, Chairman and CEO, ARCO, and
• Chairman, American Petroleum Institute February
  9, 1999

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For More Information

• Laurence W. Stewart, Principal Cell (954)
  304-0113
• William Eng, Principal Cell [phone]
• 6185 NW 107th Terrace, Parkland, FL 33076
• Tel [phone] Fax [phone]
• Email info_at_phoenixcgi.com
• www.phoenixcgi.com