Transcript AIDIC BGW ITALIAN ASSOCIATION OF CHEMICAL …

RICH – MAC TECHNOLOGY ROUNDTABLE
AIDIC BWG
ITALIAN ASSOCIATION OF
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
BIOTECH WORKING GROUP
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
1
RICH – MAC TECHNOLOGY ROUNDTABLE
PRESENTING
BIOENERGY VECTORS
To The Rich – Mac Technology Round Table
Milan, Italy
October 5, 2005
Presented by Aurelio Viglia
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
2
SUMMARY
The increasing cost of fossil fuels and the associated
environment degradation are addressing the Public
Opinion and Governments to have a better
consideration of all integrative energy sources, mainly
the renewable ones.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
3
SUMMARY (2)
In this frame, the main focus of the following presentation is on the
biologically producible energy:
- Hydrogen by microorganisms utilisation
- Biodiesel from algae cultivation
- Ethanol from biomass, both from agriculture and organic waste
- Biomethane from organic waste
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
4
HYDROGEN
• 1990, Japan launches an huge R&D program for
hydrogen production based on microalgal biomass
fermentation;
• 1995, USA and Japan enlarge R&D’s field on H2
production
through
photosynthetic
and
chemoautotrophic bacteria;
• In the most recent years, the researchers have
discovered the possibility to produce hydrogen by
anaerobes and methylotrophic too.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
5
MICROBIAL HYDROGEN PRODUCTIVITY
Photosynthetic Rodospirillum rubrum produces 4, 7 and 6 mol of H2
from acetate, succinate, and malate, respectively
• Anaerobic Clostridia are H2 producers and immobilised C.
butyricum produces 2 mol H2/mol glucose at 50% efficiency.
H2 FIRST CONCLUSION
• After more than 20 years research, it is possible to affirm that the
fate of H2 biotechnology is presumed to be dictated by the stock of
fossil fuels and state of pollution in future.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
6
H2 by Microbial Fuel Cell: 2005 Situation
• Using a new electrically-assisted microbial fuel cell (MFC) that
does not require oxygen, an USA company developed the first
process that enables bacteria to coax four times H2 directly out of
biomass than can generated typically by fermentation alone;
• In the new MFC, when the bacteria eat biomass, they transfer
electrons to an anode. Bacteria also release protons, hydrogen
atoms stripped of their electrons, which go into solution. The
electrons on the anode migrate via a wire to the cathode, the other
electrode in the FC, where they are electrochemically assisted
(BEAMR) to combine with the protons and produce H2.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
7
H2 SECOND CONCLUSION
• New MFC demonstrate, for the first time, that there is
a real potential to capture hydrogen for fuel from
renewable sources for clean transportation.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
8
BIODIESEL AND ALGAE CULTIVATION (1)
• 1960’s, Research starts on Microalgae Cultivation to
convert sunlight energy into biomass as feeding for biomethane production; bio-methane is the fuel for SMS
Electrical Power Stations;
• Early 1980’s, DOE grants the <<Aquatic Species
Program>> with the aim to produce algal oils for
biodiesel production;
• 2005, Australia focus its attention on Botrycoccus
braunii (Bb), a green alga able to produce high
quantities of various kinds of hydrocarbons.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
9
BIODIESEL AND ALGAE CULTIVATION (2)
• Bb synthesize hydrocarbons up to 75% of its dry
weight;
• For this reason Australian Government granted a
project to ascertain the feasibility of some Bb strains as
possible alternative sources of hydrocarbons;
• The aim of the research was to:
– Determine the environment tolerance of Bb
– Demonstration of the successful culture method of Bb
– Examine the link between oil content of Bb and
environmental factors.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
10
BIODIESEL AND ALGAE CULTIVATION
Peking University announces to have set-up a new
pyrolysis process to produce directly bio-oil from algal
biomass;
Oil yield is 18 – 24 % of biomass weight (dry basis) and
depends on the various kinds of algae utilised.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
11
BIO – ETHANOL AS POWER ALCOHOL (1)
Bio-ethanol (BETOH) is, at present, the most used and
considered renewable liquid fuel able to integrate or
replace the crude;
Some figures are necessary to better understand the role
of biomass from agriculture activities because it is the
raw material for BETOH production.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
12
BIO – ETHANOL AS POWER ALCOHOL (2)
Vegetable kingdom annually produces about 200 billions
tons of dry organic materials converting solar energy
via photosynthesis.
From the practical point of view, to avoid desertification,
energy stored in organic material can be used if the
vegetative environment is preserved or restored using
the cyclic process of agriculture.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
13
BIOMASS FOR BETOH
The most important biomasses to produce BTEOH are
starchy and lignocellulosic ones.
LIGNOCELLULOSE
This material is wood derived both as primary culture
and /or agriculture by-products.
In order to extract fermentable sugars from lignocellulose,
it is necessary to pre-treat, as first, the raw material by
physical and/or chemical treatments followed by
enzymes hydrolysis of the alone cellulose.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
14
BIOMASS FOR BETOH (2)
From cellulose than it is possible to obtain a sugary juice
ready for feeding alcoholic fermentation and to
produce BETOH.
At present, lignocellulosic materials are under a very
strong R&D activity mainly in order to have:
•
•
•
•
a minor chemicals addition;
a valorisation of lignin to improve the process economics;
a cheaper cost of all enzymes involved in the pre-treatment process
a cheaper cost of woody materials
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
15
BETOH
FIRST CONCLUSION
Lignocellulosic material will play an important
role for BETOH production in a medium term
after
solving
the
above
mentioned
improvements
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
16
STARCHY MATERIALS
All cereals , mainly corn, soft wheat and sweet sorghum
are intensively utilised to produce BETOH worldwide;
Starch from these grains is easy hydrolysed by enzymes to
obtain a glucose syrup subsequently converted by
fermentation into Bio-Ethanol;
Europe, USA, Brazil and China have available very
advanced fermentation processes; recently China setup the so called FAST FERMENTATION during more
or less 5-6 hours.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
17
GENERAL GEOPOLITICAL CONSIDERATION
European Union (EU), at present produces more than 1.6
million tons of BETOH a year;
Brazil, USA, EU25, Asia, Mexico and Canada produce 10; 8;
1.6; 1.6; 1.3; 1.0; 1.0 BETOH tons (anhydrous) a year
respectively;
As raw material, Brazil utilise sugar cane while USA corn;
Only on 2005, USA already realized ten complete new plants
for anhydrous BETOH production with a potentiality of
100.000 tons/year/plant
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
18
ECONOMICS CONSIDERATIONS (1)
On this aspect there are two main current opinions:
FIRST OPINION
When the crude price vas around 20 US $/barrel, in the States
the production cost of BETOH per gallon was 1.20 $ : 0.66
as net cost and 0.54$ as Government support.
Now, at the present, crude price is over 60$/barrel and, on the
basis of figures above mentioned, the anhydrous BETOH
production cost should be more convenient than the crude
itself and without any Government’s subsidy.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
19
ECONOMICS CONSIDERATIONS (2)
SECOND OPINION
Farming and industrial analysis in terms of enthalpy and
exenergy balance indicates that the main energy cost for fuel
BETOH production are due to farming.
A breakdown of the agricultural energy costs indicates that the
energy used for the production of fertilisers is the main
component in the farming balance.
BETOH could be considered an energy sources only if the
energy costs in agricultural production of the biomass are
significantly reduced.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
20
ECONOMICS CONSIDERATIONS (3)
But even with a reduction of about 35% in the subsidiary energy, the
net energy gain is lower than the energy costs (half in terms of
enthalpy and one third in terms of exenergy).
Some exenergy analysis performed in parallel with the enthalpy
analysis gives results that are less optimistic.
One Ha of land produces about 7 tons of corn grains, equivalent to
2,730 l of BETOH, i.e., 60 GJ of enthalpy (1,55 Toe) or 20 GJ of
exenergy.
The market value of BETOH based on $40/barrel of crude is about
$250, less than half a farmer earns by selling the corn as food.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
21
BIOMETHANE
Bio-methane or, more recently, BIOGAS is probably
the oldest form of renewable energy produced from
biomass. At the basis of biogas production there is an
anaerobic fermentation performed by some bacteria
having more or less three billion years.
The increasing role of anaerobic fermentation is due to
the fact that, generally, it is applied successfully to
treat different kind of organic wastes, solid, semisolid an liquid helping to solve contemporaneously
the pollution problems associated to these wastes.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
22
BIOMETHANE (2)
Biogas production can be now considered as an high
value by-product of different anaerobic bio-treatments
of organic pollution with economic benefits for energy
balance of industry, wastewater treatment platforms,
Municipal solid wastes, animal farming, etc.
Biogas normally is utilised as fuel to feed co-generation
apparatus supplying electrical energy and hot water.
Aurelio VIGLIA AIDIC BWG
23