Biofuel Processing System

• US 20080280338A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas A&M University System
• Original Assignee: Texas A&M University System
• Inventors: Holtzapple, Mark T., Hall, Kenneth R., Capareda, Sergio C.
• Application Number:
  US12/118,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20080280338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/161
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 53/02 of cellulose-containing material production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/30 from carbon monoxide with hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1011 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/40 Thermal non-catalytic treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/52 Hydrogen in a special composition or from a special source
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 50/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from lower carbon number hydrocarbons, e.g. by oligomerisation
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0903 Feed preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0916 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/16 Integration of gasification processes with another plant or parts within the plant
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1659 to liquid hydrocarbons Fischer-Tropsch process C10G2/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1662 to methane (SNG) production of synthetic natural gas C10L3/08
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1665 to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol preparation of alcohols in general C07C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1681 with biological plants, e.g. involving bacteria, algae, fungi
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1807 Recycle loops, e.g. gas, solids, heating medium, water
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/00 Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels destructive distillation processes C10B
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/00 Liquid carbonaceous fuels
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/06 for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/08 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/08 Production of synthetic natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/023 Methane
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 : Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• 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 20/10 : Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 : Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/133 : Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 : using bio-feedstock

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a biofuel processing system includes a biomass conversion system, a gasification reactor and/or a pyrolysis reactor, and a synthetic fuel creation system. The biomass conversion system uses a biological process to create a low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon stream from a biomass. The reactor generates heat and hydrogen using fresh biomass or undigested biomass from the biomass conversion system in which a portion of the heat is used by the biomass conversion system. The synthetic fuel creation system converts the low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon stream from the biomass conversion system and/or the reactor to liquefied fuel using another portion of heat from the reactor.

Claims

1. A biofuel processing system comprising:

a biomass conversion system that is operable to create one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from a biomass using a biological process;

a reactor operable to;

receive an undigested biomass from the biomass conversion system, the undigested biomass comprising a portion of the biomass not used to create the alcohol and methane stream; and

generate heat from the undigested biomass, a portion of the heat transmitted to the biomass conversion system;

create an additional one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream the undigested biomass; and

a synthetic fuel creation system operable to;

receive the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from the biomass conversion system and the additional one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from the reactor;

receive another portion of the heat generated by the reactor; and

convert methane present in the alcohol and methane stream and the additional alcohol and methane stream into acetylene and hydrogen;

hydrogenate the acetylene and the hydrogen to ethylene; and

oligermerize the ethylene or alcohols present in the one of the alcohol and methane stream and the additional one of the alcohol and methane stream to liquefied fuel.

2. A biofuel processing system comprising:

a biomass conversion system that is operable to create one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from a biomass using a biological process;

a reactor operable to;

receive an undigested biomass from the biomass conversion system, the undigested biomass comprising a portion of the biomass not used to create the low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon stream; and

generate heat from the undigested biomass, a portion of the heat transmitted to the biomass conversion system; and

a synthetic fuel creation system operable to;

receive the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from the biomass conversion system;

receive another portion of the heat generated by the reactor; and

convert the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to liquefied fuel.

3. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein the reactor further comprises a pyrolyzer that is operable to create an additional one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from the undigested biomass, the synthetic fuel creation system operable to convert the additional one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to the liquefied fuel.

4. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein the synthetic fuel creation system is operable to receive the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream comprising alcohol or methane from the biomass conversion system.

5. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the heat generated by the reactor comprises waste heat that is used by the biomass conversion system.

6. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein the reactor is operable to generate the heat by creating hydrogen (H2) and carbon-monoxide (CO) and burning the hydrogen and carbon-monoxide.

7. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein the synthetic fuel creation system is operable to convert the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to liquefied fuel by:

converting methane present in the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to acetylene and hydrogen;

hydrogenating the acetylene and the hydrogen to ethylene; and

oligermerizing the ethylene and alcohols present in the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to the liquefied fuel.

8. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein the synthetic fuel creation system comprises a Fischer-Tropsch process.

9. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein less than 70 percent of the biomass feed is converted to low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons in the biomass conversion system.

10. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein biomass conversion system is operable to receive hydrogen from the reactor.

11. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein the biomass conversion system is operable to create the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream comprising secondary alcohols using a hydrogenation process.

12. The biofuel processing system of claim 2, wherein the biomass conversion system is operable to create the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream comprising primary alcohols by esterifying the biomass and hydrogenating the esterified biomass to the primary alcohols.

13. A method comprising:

creating one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from a biomass using a biological process;

generating heat using a gasification process that processes undigested biomass from the biological process, a portion of the heat used to create the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream; and

converting the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to liquefied fuel using another portion of the heat.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising creating another one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from the undigested biomass using a pyrolyzer, the gasification process comprising the pyrolyzer.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein creating the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream further comprises creating alcohol or methane from the biomass.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the heat further comprises generating waste heat as a byproduct of the gasification process.

17. The method of claim 13, generating the heat further comprises heat by creating hydrogen (H2) and carbon-monoxide (CO) and burning the hydrogen and carbon-monoxide.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein converting the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to liquefied fuel further comprises converting methane present in the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to acetylene, hydrogenating the acetylene to ethylene, and oligermerizing the ethylene and alcohols present in the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to the liquefied fuel.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein converting the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to liquefied fuel further comprises converting the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream to liquefied fuel using a Fischer-Tropsch process.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein creating the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from the biomass using the biological process further comprises creating the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream from less than 70 percent of the biomass using the biological process.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein generating heat using the gasification process further comprises generating hydrogen using the gasification process that is used by the biological process.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein creating the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream, further comprises creating the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream comprising secondary alcohols, the biological process comprising a hydrogenation process.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein creating the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream, further comprises creating the one of an alcohol stream and a methane stream comprising primary alcohols by esterifying the biomass and hydrogenating the esterified biomass to the primary alcohols.