CO-GASIFICATION OF AQUATIC BIOMASS AND COAL

• US 20130144087A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Celanese International Corporation (Celanese Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Celanese International Corporation (Celanese Corporation)
• Inventors: Arora, Dinesh
• Application Number:
  US13/691,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144087A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 568/884
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/462 Ruthenium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/50 Silver
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/52 Gold
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/626 with tin
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/6567 Rhenium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/80 with zinc, cadmium or mercury
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/864 Cobalt and chromium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/8906 Iron and noble metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/8913 Cobalt and noble metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/892 Nickel and noble metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/8926 Copper and noble metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 29/40 of the pentasil type, e.g. types ZSM-5, ZSM-8 or ZSM-11, as exemplified by patent documents US3702886, GB1334243 and US3709979, respectively
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/0201 Impregnation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0283 containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/061 Methanol production
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/02 Production of hydrogen or of gaseous mixtures containing a substantial proportion of hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/147 of carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/149 with hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/1518 one step being the formation of initial mixture of carbon oxides and hydrogen for synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/44 increasing the number of carbon atoms by addition reactions, i.e. reactions involving at least one carbon-to-carbon double or triple bond C07C29/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/04 : Methanol
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/08 : Ethanol
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 51/12 : on an oxygen-containing group in organic compounds, e.g. alcohols
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 53/08 : Acetic acid pyroligneous acid C10C; preparation of vinegar C12J
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1014 : of vegetal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0916 : Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0959 : Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0976 : as steam
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1665 : to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol preparation of alcohols in general C07C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1678 : with air separation separating gases using rectification of air F25J3/04521
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/00 : Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels destructive distillation processes C10B
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/46 : Gasification of granular or pulverulent flues in suspension
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/54 : Gasification of granular or pulverulent fuels by the Winkler technique, i.e. by fluidisation
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/005 : Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 3/04 : reducing the carbon monoxide content , e.g. water-gas shift [WGS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/18 : Integrated gasification combined cycle [IGCC], e.g. combined with carbon capture and storage [CCS]
• 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 20/133 : Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/50 : Improvements relating to the production of bulk chemicals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/52 : using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 : using bio-feedstock

Abstract

The invention also relates to co-gasification processes for forming syngas from aquatic biomass and a fossil fuel. In one aspect, the invention is to a process for producing syngas, comprising: introducing aquatic biomass, a fossil fuel, water and oxygen to a gasifier and forming syngas comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; and feeding aquatic biomass with carbon dioxide derived from the syngas. In other aspects, the invention relates to integrated processes for producing industrial chemicals, such as alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters, aldehydes, olefins and polymers from such syngas.

Claims

1. A process for producing syngas, comprising:

(a) introducing aquatic biomass, a fossil fuel, water and oxygen to a gasifier and forming syngas comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; and

(b) feeding aquatic biomass with carbon dioxide derived from the syngas.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the aquatic biomass that is introduced into the gasifier comprises the aquatic biomass that is fed in step (b).

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the aquatic biomass is selected from the group consisting of microalgae, macroalgae, microplants, duckweed, water hyacinth, cattails, banana tree stem, kelp, and green algae.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the gasifier is an entrained flow slagging gasifier.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein the gasifier is operated at a pressure greater than 30 bar.

6. The process of claim 4, wherein runoff from the gasifier provides nutrients for the aquatic biomass that is fed with carbon dioxide.

7. The process of claim 4, wherein the aquatic biomass and fossil fuel are introduced to the gasifier at a weight ratio from 1:

99 to 40;

60.

8. The process of claim 4, wherein the aquatic biomass is formed from microalgae having an average size less than 15 μ

m.

9. The process of claim 4, wherein the aquatic biomass is formed from macroalgae having an average size greater than 15 μ

m.

10. The process of claim 4, wherein the fossil fuel comprises coal or natural gas.

11. A process for producing ethanol from aquatic biomass and a fossil fuel, comprising the steps of:

(a) introducing aquatic biomass, a fossil fuel, water and oxygen to a gasifier and forming syngas comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; and

(b) feeding aquatic biomass with carbon dioxide derived from the syngas.

(c) compressing the syngas to form compressed product gas;

(d) directing a first portion of the compressed product gas to an alcohol synthesis reactor to produce methanol;

(e) directing a second portion of the compressed product gas to a gas separator to produce a hydrogen stream and a carbon monoxide stream;

(f) reacting the carbon monoxide stream with the methanol to produce acetic acid; and

(g) reacting the hydrogen stream with acetic acid to produce ethanol.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the compressing step occurs at a compression ratio less than 5:

1.

13. A process for producing syngas, comprising:

(a) introducing aquatic biomass, a fossil fuel, water and oxygen to a gasifier and forming a product gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide;

(b) increasing the ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide using the water gas shift reaction and forming byproduct carbon dioxide; and

(c) feeding aquatic biomass with carbon dioxide formed in step (b).

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the gasifier is an entrained flow slagging gasifier.

15. The process of claim 13, wherein the aquatic biomass is selected from the group consisting of microalgae, macroalgae, microplants, duckweed, water hyacinth, cattails, banana tree stem, kelp, and green algae.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the aquatic biomass is selected from the group consisting of microalgae, macroalgae, microplants, duckweed, and water hyacinth.

17. The process of claim 15, wherein the gasifier is operated at a pressure greater than 30 bar.

18. The process of claim 15, wherein runoff from the gasifier provides nutrients for the algae.

19. The process of claim 15, wherein the aquatic biomass and fossil fuel are introduced to the gasifier at a weight ratio from 1:

99 to 40;

60.

20. The process of claim 15, wherein the aquatic biomass is formed from microalgae having an average size less than 15 μ

m.

21. The process of claim 15, wherein the aquatic biomass is formed from macroalgae having an average size greater than 15 μ

m.

22. The process of claim 15, wherein the fossil fuel comprises coal or natural gas.