Method for producing renewable fuels

• US 9,040,271 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iogen Corporation
• Original Assignee: Iogen Corporation
• Inventors: Foody, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson, Karen Cochrane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tichy, Jennifer M. H.
• Application Number:
  US14/270,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 435/166
• US Class Current: 435/166
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0211 containing a non-catalytic reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0216 containing a non-catalytic steam reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0222 containing a non-catalytic carbon dioxide reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/065 using hydrotreating, e.g. hydrogenation, hydrodesulfurisation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1241 Natural gas or methane
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/34 by reaction of hydrocarbons with gasifying agents
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/36 using oxygen or mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 5/02 by hydrogenation simultaneous hydrogenation and dehydrogenation C07C5/52
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/08 Jet fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/02 to eliminate hetero atoms without changing the skeleton of the hydrocarbon involved and without cracking into lower boiling hydrocarbons; Hydrofinishing
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/44 Hydrogenation of the aromatic hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 47/00 Cracking of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen- generating compounds, to obtain lower boiling fractions C10G15/00 takes precedence; destructive hydrogenation of non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials C10G1/06
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 65/02 plural serial stages only
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 65/12 including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/04 essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/26 Composting, fermenting or anaerobic digestion fuel components or materials from which fuels are prepared
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/08 Production of synthetic natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/10 : Working-up natural gas or synthetic natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/101 : Removal of contaminants
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/00 : Preparation of hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/02 : acyclic C12P5/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/023 : Methane
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 : Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• 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 20/133 : Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/00 : Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 : using bio-feedstock
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/20 : using renewable energy

Abstract

According to the present invention, organic material is converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion and the biogas is purified to yield a combustible fluid feedstock comprising methane. A fuel production facility utilizes or arranges to utilize combustible fluid feedstock to generate renewable hydrogen that is used to hydrogenate crude oil derived hydrocarbons in a process to make transportation or heating fuel. The renewable hydrogen is combined with crude oil derived hydrocarbons that have been desulfurized under conditions to hydrogenate the liquid hydrocarbon with the renewable hydrogen. The present invention enables a party to receive a renewable fuel credit for the transportation or heating fuel.

Claims

1. A method of transforming waste organic material to produce a liquid transportation or heating fuel comprising:

(a) subjecting waste organic material to anaerobic digestion by microorganisms in a biogas production facility that incorporates apparatus to collect the microbially generated biogas;

(b) collecting an amount of crude biogas from the biogas production facility;

(c) removing impurities from the crude biogas to yield a combustible fluid feedstock;

(d) introducing a first amount of combustible fluid feedstock from step (b) or (c) to apparatus for delivering a combustible fluid feedstock to a fuel production facility;

(e) withdrawing for use at a fuel production facility a second amount of combustible fluid feedstock;

(f) processing at the fuel production facility the second amount of combustible fluid feedstock to produce renewable hydrogen;

(g) producing a third amount of liquid transportation or heating fuel by a process that comprises combining renewable hydrogen derived from the second amount of combustible fluid feedstock with a desulfurized, crude oil derived liquid hydrocarbon in a reactor under conditions to hydrogenate the liquid hydrocarbon with the renewable hydrogen; and

(h) generating or causing generation of a renewable fuel credit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biogas production facility is a landfill, a sewage treatment facility or a manure digestion facility.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor is a hydrogenation reactor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor is a hydrocracker.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid transportation or heating fuel is selected from the group consisting of gasoline, diesel, heating oil and jet fuel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a liquid transportation fuel is produced in step (g).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a renewable fuel credit is associated with said first or second amount of combustible fluid feedstock, the renewable hydrogen, the liquid transportation or heating fuel, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a renewable fuel credit is associated with said liquid transportation or heating fuel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid transportation or heating fuel is renewable or partially renewable.

10. A method of producing a transportation or heating fuel comprising:

(a) causing a first amount of combustible fluid feedstock to be introduced to apparatus for delivering a combustible fluid feedstock to a fuel production facility, said first amount of combustible fluid feedstock being derived from a crude biogas that was generated by anaerobic digestion of waste organic material and from which impurities were removed following collection from a biogas production facility;

(b) withdrawing for use at a fuel production facility, a second amount of combustible fluid feedstock;

(c) processing at the fuel production facility the second amount of combustible fluid feedstock to produce renewable hydrogen;

(d) producing a third amount of liquid transportation or heating fuel by a process that comprises combining renewable hydrogen derived from the second amount of combustible fluid feedstock with a desulfurized, crude oil derived liquid hydrocarbon in a reactor under conditions to hydrogenate the liquid hydrocarbon with the renewable hydrogen; and

(e) generating or causing generation of a renewable fuel credit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the biogas production facility is a landfill, a waste treatment facility or a manure digestion facility.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the reactor is a hydrogenation reactor.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the reactor is a hydrocracker.