Process for using biogenic carbon dioxide derived from non-fossil organic material

• US 10,619,173 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2019
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iogen Corporation
• Original Assignee: Iogen Corporation
• Inventors: Foody, Patrick J., Foody, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Parsa, Jafar F
• Application Number:
  US16/284,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20190185887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0233 the reforming step being a steam reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0244 the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0283 containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0405 Purification by membrane separation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/043 Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0475 the impurity being carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/062 Hydrocarbon production, e.g. Fischer-Tropsch process
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0872 Methods of cooling
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1241 Natural gas or methane
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/16 using catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/38 using catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/48 followed by reaction of water vapour with carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/50 Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification C01B3/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/40 Carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/50 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/1518 one step being the formation of initial mixture of carbon oxides and hydrogen for synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/50 from carbon dioxide with hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/023 for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/04 essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/04 : Gasification
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/06 : Heat exchange, direct or indirect
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/08 : Drying or removing water
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/10 : Recycling of a stream within the process or apparatus to reuse elsewhere therein
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/26 : Composting, fermenting or anaerobic digestion fuel components or materials from which fuels are prepared
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/42 : Fischer-Tropsch steps
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/46 : Compressors or pumps
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/542 : Adsorption of impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/543 : Distillation, fractionation or rectification for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/08 : Production of synthetic natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 : Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 : with microorganisms other than yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/14 : Multiple stages of fermentation; Multiple types of microorganisms or re-use of microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/00 : Technologies relating to chemical industry
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/10 : Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/00 : Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a process for forming a biogenic carbon-based fuel or a fuel intermediate from biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen. At least a portion of the biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen is subjected to a reverse water gas shift reaction that produces at least carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide so produced, the biogenic carbon dioxide and the hydrogen are introduced, together or separately, to a biologic or chemical conversion process to produce the fuel or fuel intermediate.

Claims

1. A process for producing a fuel or fuel intermediate containing carbon derived from non-fossil organic material comprising:

(i) providing biogenic carbon dioxide that is sourced from a production process comprising at least one of a step of fermentation and a thermal process, said production process producing a first product derived from the non-fossil organic material, said first product selected from;

(a) an energy product;

(b) a biogenic carbon-based product selected from a chemical product, a fuel and a fuel intermediate; and

(c) a combination thereof, wherein the biogenic carbon dioxide is generated during the production process;

(ii) providing a stream enriched in hydrogen that is sourced from a hydrogen production process, the hydrogen production process including a step of removing fossil carbon dioxide from a stream including hydrogen to provide the steam enriched in hydrogen;

(iii) converting the biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen from the stream enriched in hydrogen to a second product, said second product comprising at least one of a biogenic carbon-based fuel and a biogenic carbon-based fuel intermediate;

wherein the converting comprises subjecting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen to a reverse water gas shift reaction to produce carbon monoxide and water, and wherein the carbon monoxide so produced, biogenic carbon dioxide, and hydrogen are fed to a biologic or chemical conversion process to produce the second product; and

(iv) carrying out or arranging for one or more parties to carry out at least one step that contributes to a reduction in the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the second product.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the biogenic carbon dioxide is sourced from a production process comprising a step of fermentation.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein said at least one step is selected from:

(a) introducing at least a portion of fossil carbon dioxide recovered from one or more streams comprising fossil carbon dioxide generated during said hydrogen production process into an apparatus for transporting carbon dioxide, withdrawing carbon dioxide from said apparatus and introducing the withdrawn carbon dioxide underground, and

(b) using at least a portion of the first product to displace the use or production of a corresponding fossil-based product, wherein the first product is selected from the chemical product and the energy product.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and the second products comprises an alcohol.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein the alcohol is methanol or ethanol.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the first product comprises ethanol.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the second product comprises one of ethanol and acetic acid.

8. The process according to claim 1, comprising generating or causing the generation of a fuel credit.

9. The process according to claim 1, comprising generating or causing the generation of a biofuel credit for each of the first and the second products, wherein each of the first and second products is ethanol.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the life cycle GHG emissions are at least 50% lower than a gasoline baseline as measured by EPA methodology.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the conversion process of step (iii) is a biological conversion of the carbon monoxide, biogenic carbon dioxide and the hydrogen to ethanol by a bacterium from the genus Clostridium.

12. A process for producing ethanol containing carbon derived from non-fossil organic material comprising:

(i) fermenting sugar from the non-fossil organic material to produce a fuel, wherein biogenic carbon dioxide is produced during the fermenting;

(ii) collecting the biogenic carbon dioxide produced during the fermenting to produce collected biogenic carbon dioxide;

(iii) providing hydrogen;

(iv) combining at least a portion of the collected biogenic carbon dioxide and the hydrogen to produce a combined stream; and

(v) converting biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the combined stream to the ethanol,

wherein the converting (v) comprises subjecting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the combined stream to a reverse water gas shift reaction to produce carbon monoxide and water, and wherein the carbon monoxide so produced, biogenic carbon dioxide, and hydrogen are introduced to a biologic conversion process to produce the ethanol.

13. The process according to claim 12, further comprising:

(i) dividing the combined stream comprising the collected carbon dioxide and the hydrogen into a first stream and a second stream, each stream comprising biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen;

(ii) subjecting the first stream comprising the biogenic carbon dioxide and the hydrogen to the reverse water gas shift reaction to produce a stream comprising the carbon monoxide and water; and

(iii) combining at least the carbon monoxide so produced in the reverse water gas shift reaction with the second stream to produce a second combined stream comprising carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen,

wherein the second combined stream is fed to the biologic conversion process that produces the ethanol.

14. The process according to claim 12, wherein biogenic carbon dioxide and the hydrogen are introduced separately or together to a water gas shift reactor in which the water gas shift reaction is conducted.

15. The process according to claim 12, wherein the carbon monoxide, biogenic carbon dioxide, and hydrogen are introduced separately or together to a fermentor in the biologic conversion.

16. The process according to claim 12, wherein the hydrogen is from electrolysis.

17. The process according to claim 12, wherein the hydrogen is sourced from a hydrogen production process, the hydrogen production process including a step of removing fossil carbon dioxide from a stream including hydrogen.

18. The process according to claim 12, wherein the fuel is ethanol.

19. The process according to claim 18, wherein the non-fossil organic material is corn.

20. The process according to claim 18, wherein the non-fossil organic material is a cellulosic feedstock.

21. A process for producing a fuel or fuel intermediate containing carbon derived from non-fossil organic material comprising:

(i) providing biogenic carbon dioxide that is sourced from a production process comprising a step of fermentation, said production process producing a first product derived from the non-fossil organic material, said first product selected from;

(a) an energy product;

(b) a biogenic carbon-based product selected from a chemical product, a fuel and a fuel intermediate; and

(c) a combination thereof, wherein the biogenic carbon dioxide is generated during the step of fermentation;

(ii) providing hydrogen; and

(iii) converting the biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen to a second product, said second product comprising biogenic carbon;

wherein the converting comprises subjecting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon dioxide and hydrogen to a reverse water gas shift reaction to produce carbon monoxide and water, and wherein the carbon monoxide so produced, biogenic carbon dioxide, and hydrogen are fed to a biologic or chemical conversion process to produce the second product.

22. The process according to claim 21, wherein the first and second products comprise ethanol.