Linde Engineering Dresden Breathes New Life into Carbo-V Technology

We’ve discussed in previous blog posts how the broad definition of ‘gasification’ covers many diverse processes with different end goals.  These various processes can have different benefits and costs, but the distinction is ultimately at the chemical level. The sophisticated manipulation of the chemical process used in the Carbo-V Technology has particularly held our interest since Linde Engineering Dresden announced it was licensing the technology for use in a Biomass-to-Liquid (BtL) plant last week.

Courtesy: Linde Engineering Dresden; Biomass Energy.

Carbo-V Technolog is described as a multi-stage gasification processes that was originally developed by CHOREN Industries, and acquired by Linde in February 2012 after CHOREN went bankrupt. The subsidiary of The Linde Group announced it was licensing the technology to Finnish Forest BtL for use in a 480 MW plant to be built in Kemi, Northern Finland and is expected to be operational by the end of 2016.

 The Carbo-V Technology claims to have overcome the tar and methane obstacles that frequently prohibit syngas from being used in Fischer-Tropsch applications for the production of synthetic fuel. The multi-stage process appears to use a sophisticated form of partial oxidation while borrowing elements from steam reformation and re-injecting carbon into the gas cleanup cycle.

Feedstocks suitable for the Carbo-V Technology include rice husks, wood chips, lumber and other wood residues. Process heat is used to dry the feedstock to 15 percent water content before passing it through a low-temperature gasifier (400-500 degrees Celsius), where the biomass is thermally broken down into volatile gases and solid bio-coke or char. At the same time, a mixture of O2/CO2 and steam is injected into the chamber.

A drawing of the Carbo-V Process by CHOREN. 

In the next stage, the partially deconstructed biomass is sent through a partial-oxidation combustion chamber that reaches 1400 degrees Celsius to continue breaking down the tar and long chain C-H molecules. The char that has resulted from the first stage is ground to powder and blown into the hot exit gases below the combustion chamber in a chemical endothermal quenching process that reduces the gas temperature almost instantaneously to approximately 900 degrees Celsius. This elimates unnecessary temperature cycling of the char and improves Carbo-V’s cold gas efficiency.

The resulting syngas is fed through a Fischer-Tropsch process to convert the carbon monoxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons. CHOREN’s white paper says that the syngas may contain small traces of contaminants that could be harmful to sensitive Fischer-Tropsch catalysts and says they do use scrubbers before compressing the syngas for the Fischer-Tropsch reactor they used when producing SunFuel, before declaring bankruptcy in 2011.

BETTER BTU TAKE: The Carbo-V Technology is a unique manipulation of the traditional partial-oxidation process. In this tricky economic environment, companies may falter, but a good technology will ultimately survive and it looks like Linde Engineering Dresden is breathing new life into this technology with its announcement of the licensing agreement with Finnish Forest BtL. Our only concern is that a 480 MW plant will require 1.5 million tons of wood to produce its projected 130,000 tons of biodiesel and naptha. The project is being funded by the European Union’s NER300 for innovative, low-carbon technologies and we’ll continue to monitor the project and bring you updates on our project blog.

Recommended Reading:

Linde and Forest BtL Sign Licensing Agreement for Carbo-V Techonolgy – The Linde Group (Jan. 24, 2013)

Linde Buys CHOREN’s Carbo-V Technology – Renewables International, The Magazine (Feb. 15, 2012)

Sustainable SunFuel from CHOREN’s Carbo-V Process – By Tom Blades, Matthias Rudloff and Olaf Schulze, CHOREN Industries (Sept. 2005)project blog

Rentech in Reverse

While most companies in the gasification industry are concentrated on proving the technology and securing commercial contracts, Rentech, Inc. lept ahead to the next step. Setting its sights on the Holy Grail of waste to energy, the company focused on creating synthetic transportation fuel that is clean enough to be used in pipelines and engines.

Rentech has developed a patented version of the Fischer-Tropsch process, utilizing components from smaller companies it has acquired over several years. Dubbed the Rentech Process, the company uses one of two gasifiers, a catalyst, reactor and upgrader to convert biomass and waste materials into ultra-clean synthetic fuel and chemicals.

Although the Rentech Process can work with a variety of feedstocks, the company is primarily focused on cellulosic materials. After purchasing SilvaGas, Inc. in 2009, Rentech began offering the Rentech-SilvaGas gasifier. The patented technology was originally developed in collaboration with Battelle Labs and the U.S. Dept. of Energy as part of its Biomass Power Program.  A unit ran for several years in the McNeil Power Station of Burlington, Vt. although web searches haven’t been able to verify if it is still in operation or owned by Rentech.

Rentech also owns the Rentech-ClearFuels gasifier, which has a product demonstration unit in Commerce City, Colo. Using a hydrothermal reformer, the gasifier produces hydrogen in addition to a syngas. According to transcripts of the company’s quarterly earnings call to investors, Rentech purchased SilvaGas and its gasifier because it was further down the path to commercial development than the one it had been developing with ClearFuels.

Courtesy: Rentech, Inc. 

The iron-based catalyst used in the Rentech Process is the most critical component, according to the company. As the only North American-based company using it, the iron-based catalyst is mixed with liquid wax in a slurry bubble column reactor. The syngas is then upgraded to synthetic diesel fuel (RenDiesel) or jet fuel (RenJet) using UOP’s upgrader. The jet fuel produced can be blended with conventional jet fuel for use in military and smaller commercial planes.

While Rentech was initially involved in several projects, the 2011 fourth-quarter earnings call transcript states that they have altered their direction and are backtracking a bit. The company has abandoned proposed projects in Port St. Joe, Fla. and Natchez, Miss. and is trying to find a new outlet for the rights to the 1.3 million tons of timber it purchased from the Province of Ontario.

Better BTU Take: While we applaud Rentech’s initiative, we feel that this is yet another illustration of a company investing in several projects before having a clear idea of what is actually involved in developing a project of this magnitude. With the rate of announced projects exponentially higher than completed projects, each cancelled project lends credibility to detractors from the renewable energy industry that say it doesn’t work.

As every company in this industry has had to overcome both financial and regulatory obstacles, we look forward to seeing where Rentech goes after regrouping. 

Rentech's CEO Discusses Q4 2011 Results

Rentech Company Website

On the Right Track: Sierra Energy Gets Smaller

Mike Hart, President and CEO Sierra Energy

Sometimes the best innovations come from trying to solve a different problem. After all, Post-It notes, microwaves and potato chips were all invented by accident. Sierra Energy, founded in 2004 in Davis, Calif., evolved in a similar fashion.

Bruce Claflin, the chief industrial engineer at Kaiser Steel and John Jasbinsek, initially developed Sierra’s technology. The duo was originally working on a way to produce iron more efficiently before coming to the realization that they had created an even better way of converting waste streams into energy.

Sierra Energy is owned by Sierra Railroad, which runs three scenic lines throughout Northern California. The parent company gives Sierra Energy the solid financial backing every new technology needs to get up and running. Railroads produce waste in the form of ties and could be the reason Sierra Railroad was so interested in furthering a clean and efficient gasification system.

The technology derives from the traditional blast furnace found in steel mills. By modifying the design to inject steam and oxygen into the system, Sierra’s FastOx gasifier creates a medium-BTU syngas capable of producing renewable energy. The company mentions it’s goal of retrofitting blast furnaces, which we view as an intelligent idea since having some of the infrastructure in place will save $$.

Sierra Energy has a demonstration system in place at the Department of Defense’s Renewable Energy Testing Center at McClellan Park, Calif. Known as the Mk4 Gasifier, it operates at a 5 ton-per-day rate, which is smaller than the 10 tpd FastOx Pathfinder the company plans to develop for commercial purposes. The price tag for the six containerized modular system is listed as $2.7 million.

Better BTU Take: We’ve long said that a smaller and more modular design is the best chance our industry has for development and it looks like Sierra Energy is on the same wavelength. We’ve yet to see numbers on the output of the demonstration model which leaves the question of its profitability but we’ll definitely be on the lookout for updates on this technology.

Thermoselect: A Big System for a Small Island

A Thermoselect high-temperature chamber.
Photo courtesy: Interstate Waste Treatment.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs revolutionized the computer industry when he took computers that once needed the space of an entire room and reduced them to fit into the palm of our hand. The smaller is better trend has infiltrated most areas of technology and renewable energy is no exception. Which begs the question, what happened to the mainframes?

Thermoselect designs large-scale partial-oxidation gasifiers. There are several plants in operation across Japan including Chiba, Mutsu, Osaka, Tokushima, Kurashiki and Nagasaki. Thermoselect is able to use MSW and industrial waste without sorting out metals and other recyclables and produces a low-BTU syngas that is exported and used in boilers and gas engines.

While the Japanese company appears to have done very well for itself in the Pacific Rim, licensees in Europe and America haven’t been as successful. A plant in Karlsruhe, Germany shut down in 2004 after five years and the initial plant in Fondotoce, Italy was also closed in the late ‘90s. Interstate Waste Management, based in Malvern, Pa., has been working on developing a commercial plant in the United States for several years but also hasn’t yet been successful.

So why has Thermoselect worked in Japan and not elsewhere? It’s hard to say but Better BTU thinks cost is a substantial part of the issue. Our information is that equipment costs run well above $5,000 per installed kW. With Japan being an island, landfills are limited and tipping fees are high. That coupled with high electricity costs make the system more economical in the Land of the Rising Sun than it might be elsewhere.

Better BTU Take: Thermoselect rushed onto the scene with facilities cropping up all over in the late 90’s but today only the plants in Japan remain. The massive cost associated with these systems may lead Thermoselect the way of the computer mainframe.

Thermoselect's Facility in Chiba, Japan.
Courtesy of Thermoselect.

For more on Thermoselect, visit http://www.thermoselect.com


For information on Interstate Waste Treatment, a Thermoselect licensee in the United States, visit http://www.iwtonline.com

Fluidized Bed Boilers: Ol’ Reliable

EPI Fluidized Bed Boiler. Courtesy: Canadian
Biomass Magazine

In a time where the industry is buzzing with the different breeds of gasifiers, some are ready to declare older technologies, such as fluidized bed boilers, as obsolete. But before you begin designing a massive castle with all that extra sand, we’d like to examine the pros and cons of fluidized beds.

Energy Products of Idaho has built a strong foundation since producing North America’s first biomass fluidized bed in 1973. The company now boasts more than 100 installations worldwide, most recently working on two large renewable energy projects in Oregon.

EPI’s systems range from over air-blown installations, which work similarly to incinerators, to gasification through a partially-oxidized staged combustion system. The strength of its systems is the thermal flywheel, which creates efficient combustion by keeping the temperature regulated to create a stable flow of uniform gas quality.

With 38 years of experience and a proven design, EPI is the Ol’ Reliable of the renewable energy industry. It’s like the 1970s Fords that keep on rolling while some of the newer models run into a new glitch every other week.

The problem is that the high cost keeps many projects just out of reach for struggling developers. The industry badly needs a proven, low-cost entry point design to further market development. EPI could have a hard time competing with newer gasifiers once the technology is proven because they can offer attractive price points.

Although EPI does actually offer gasifiers as part of its services, the fluidized bed is its stronghold and the company believes firmly in it. Whether that will change with the tides of time remains to be seen, but we feel they have the talent to create a new age gasifier if that becomes a goal of theirs down the line.

Better BTU’s Take: Developers struggling to get newer technologies financed should definitely take a look at using an EPI fluidized bed. It may not win the battle in the long run but it’s probably the best bet for your money right now.

Waste Conversion Congress on the West Coast

The Better BTU boarded a plane headed west on Monday, headed for San Jose, Calif. and the Waste Conversion Congress. Taking place at the Convention Plaza Hotel and billed as a "thought leadership conference and an unbiased forum" we are excited to hear from experts in our rapidly growing field.

But don't miss us too much! We're tweeting live from the conference and will be posting reports and our thoughts on what we're learning twice a day on a blog we set up specifically for the occasion! 

Follow us on Twitter @BetterBTU and sign up for our blog updates to be sent straight to your email at http://thebetterbtu.blogspot.com.