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Black liquor gasification – the fast lane to the biorefinery

Black liquor gasification – the fast lane to the biorefinery. Ingrid Nohlgren Energy Technology Centre (ETC) Piteå, Sweden. Within a few years …. 30% of Sweden’s automotive fuels may come from Swedish pulp mills

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Black liquor gasification – the fast lane to the biorefinery

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  1. Black liquor gasification – the fast lane to the biorefinery Ingrid Nohlgren Energy Technology Centre (ETC) Piteå, Sweden

  2. Within a few years … • 30% of Sweden’s automotive fuels may come from Swedish pulp mills • Power production equivalent to that from a large river (1000 MW) may come from the mills • Valuable chemicals synthesised from black liquor can give additional revenue to the mills • The key is black liquor gasification technology

  3. The Pulp Mill Pulp Wood chips Black Liquor Energy Biomass Energy

  4. Black liquor • Is a by-product from pulping (water, cooking chemicals, lignin and other wood components) • Liquid biomass • Approx half the wood ends up in the black liquor • Has a heating value of ~14 MJ/kg DS (Oil: ~42 MJ/kg) • Is smelly (sulphur compounds) … is renewable energy

  5. North America 350 TWh Estimated black liquor production (Chemrec)

  6. Illustration of Recovery Boiler Capacities in Europe = clusters of mills together having a large boiler capacity = importantsingle mill

  7. Fibre Line Liquor Cycle Wood Yard Boiler Recovery Boiler Pulp storage Evaporators BL Storage Lime Kiln Chips White Liquor Today’s technology (Recovery boiler) Pulping mill

  8. The Recovery boiler is replaced by BLG Pulp Wood chips Black liquor energy DME/MeOH BLGMF Biomass

  9. Addition of biomass to the system to balance the energy demand Pulp Wood chips Black liquor energy DME/MeOH BLGMF Biomass

  10. The DP1 plant in Piteå Kappa Kraftliner ETC CHEMREC

  11. DP-1 Plant

  12. GASIFICATION GAS AND SMELT SEPARATION Tomorrow’s technology BLACK LIQUOR SHORT TIME CONTACTORS Coolant Atomising media Feed water* White liquor OXYGEN GAS COOLER REACTOR LP-steam* GAS COOLING AND CLEANING Raw gas MP-steam* QUENCH SULFUR REMOVAL CLEAN, COOL SYNTHESIS GAS (to flare) Condensate GREEN LIQUOR * In DP1 cooling water Weak wash Chemrec’s gasifier DP1 in Piteå, Sweden

  13. Advantages compared to the Recovery boiler • High quality synthesis gas with mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide (ratio 1:1) • Can be used directly as fuel for gas turbines • Can be used for synthesis of motor fuels after additional cleaning and shifting of H2/CO • No water vapour to the atmosphere (better efficiency) • Sulphur and sodium can be obtained in two separate streams (better process control = more paper)

  14. How much does it cost? • Investment cost slightly higher than for the Recovery boiler • ”Pay-off time” for the extra cost ≈ 2 years • The investment can only be done when it is time to replace the boiler • But … the time is right since many of the boilers are old

  15. Year of construction for Scandinavian boilers 12 Norway Finland 10 Sweden 8 Number of Recovery Boilers 6 4 2 0 1950- 1955- 1960- 1965- 1970- 1975- 1980- 1985- 1990- 1995- 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999

  16. Are tax subsidies necessary? • Most other ”green” fuels must be subsidised to make them competitive (e.g. ethanol) • The cost/km for methanol from black liquor would be about the same as for gasoline before tax • Rising oil prices will be in favour of the black liquor alternative • Conclusion: Tax subsidies are not necessary in the future • However, subsidies may be necessary as an incentive for new investments

  17. Automotive fuel cost (excl tax) References:1)Basic Data for “Jämförelseprojektet” (The Comparison Project), STEM, Dec-2001 Standard car, gasoline =3.4 MJ/ km Standard car, methanol, (=ethanol?)= 2.86 MJ/km  0.794 kWh/km Standard car, diesel =2.43 MJ/km 2)Ny Teknik (a weekly Swedish technology magazine), Nr 9, 28 Febr, 2002, sid 12-13. 3)Energiläget 2001. Swedish CO2 tax at 0.53 SEK/kg CO2 for fossil fuels corresponds for fossil methanol an extra cost of 70 USD/ton on top of the spot price 100 USD/ton.

  18. CO2 Power $3.8 billion Or Liquid Fuels/Chemicals $5.5. billion Syngas O2 Black Liquor & Residuals Extract Hemicelluloses new products chemicals & polymers $3.3 billion Steam, Power & Chemicals BL Gasifier Wood Residual Gasifier Combined Cycle System Process to manufacture Liquid Fuels and Chemicals Manufacturing Pulp $5.5 billion The Forest Biorefinery– Net Revenue Net Revenue Assumptions: Acetic Acid - $1.73/gallon Purchased Electricity - $43.16/MWH Ethanol - $1.15/gallon Exported Electricity - $40.44/MWH Pulp - $100/ton net profit Renewable Fischer Tropsch Fuel - $57/bbl

  19. Crucial research issues • Conversion of all organic carbon • ”High quality” green liquor • Durable materials for containment • Gas cleaning • Mill integration • Scale up from the DP1 scale (x15, x100)

  20. Activities in Piteå and at ETC • ETC Coordinating National Research Effort: • ”Black liquor gasification Program” 2004-2006 • Development plant under commissioning in Piteå (aiming for first syngas in Aug 2005) • 8 research projects • Budget 100 MSEK (11 MEUR)

  21. Collaborators – BLG program Raw material suppliers End users Process industry Researchers Governmental support

  22. Summary • Black liquor gasification is a key technology for: • Green power production • Green automotive fuel production • Green chemicals production • Green fuel can be produced at the same cost as fossile fuels 2005 • Pulp mills are ideally suited to become biorefineries (infrastructure in place and large knowhow) • Very strong research effort in Sweden • First commercial gasifier (300 tds/day) expected around 2007

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