Biomass-to-Liquids
Gasification of biomass produces ‘synthesis gas’ from a variety of carbon containing feedstock, which can be converted to hydrocarbons through the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process. Such BTL fuels can deliver ~90% lifecycle greenhouse gas reduction over conventional fuels and what is more, they can be produced from a wide variety of biomass and waste feedstocks. We estimate that the opportunity for BTL fuels could be well over 5 million barrels per day.
Few technologies are currently emerging to deliver this but microchannel technology is a way to achieve it. Oil production is thought to have peaked, yet demand for diesel and jet fuel is booming, and this will define the market for BTL fuels.
Biomass by its nature is not very dense and is produced in a highly diffuse manner. But there is a vast resource of biomass waste around the world which is comfortably able to provide for a large proportion of world transport fuel demand. The transportation of biomass to central processing facilities is prohibitively expensive. This would make traditional FT processes uneconomic for BTL conversion. Microchannel technology however, is able to intensify the FT process to the extent that a plant of 500 barrels per day output can be economic, which would require around 500 tonnes per day of biomass.
Distributed BTL also can enable the reuse of a broad variety of carbon containing waste, and recycle that biomass to a highly fungible, high quality product, which will also help to satisfy the demands of both landfill avoidance and biofuels mandates around the world.
Imagine a distributed BTL facility at the waste processing facility of every large town or city, anywhere in the world, and the production of a fuel that can be used by the local community or sold for its economic benefit. We are working to make this a reality. Related to the Biomass-to-Liquids process is Coal-to-Liquids. The same hardware that can convert waste biomass via gasification and FT can be used to convert coal to liquid fuels, even at small scales, meaning that an abundant resource in many oil-deficient but fuel-hungry nations can be used for transportation.