Prof - Dr.ir. Erik Heeres

12/08/15 | 1
Fast Pyrolysis Technology for

Upgrading Palm oil Processing Waste.
Prof.dr.ir. Erik Heeres

Green Chemical Reaction Engineering
University of Groningen
Date 25.06.2010 |
Content
Introduction: global challenges
Fast pyrolysis
Characteristics
Product properties
Case study: Fast pyrolysis technology for Empty Fruit bunches
Conclusions
Acknowledgment
Date 25.06.2010 | 4
Challenge: growing energy consumption
Increase due to
Population growth
Higher welfare levels
The highest annual
growth of energy
consumption is
predicted for Asia
(3.7%), NON-OECD
countries (3%) and
Central and South
America (2.8%). The
lowest annual growth
of energy consumption
is predicted for Europe
with 1%.
Date 25.06.2010
| 5 |5
080908
Issues related to the use of fossil resources

(easily accessible) fossil supplies are
running out
Peak oil
Ever increasing and volatile oil-prices
Geo-political considerations
CO2 emissions; global warming
|5
Date 25.06.2010 | 6
080908 | 6
Solution: a biobased economy

A biobased economy uses biomass as input and
converts it to a wide range of value added products
with a minimum of energy input and maximum
product output (no waste), preferably using closed
cycles.
Agriculture beyond food
Date 25.06.2010 | 7
Biomass application platforms

Heat and
Power
High T
platform
Combustion
Gasification
Pyrolysis
Transportation
fuels
Secundary
conversions
Low T
platform
Pre-treatment
/hydrolysis
Fermentation
Separation in
fractions
Biobased
Chemicals
Biobased
Performance
materials
080908 | 8
Date 25.06.2010 | 8
First and higher generations biofuels

First generation:
proven technology; applied on large scale
Feedstocks often directly compete with food
Biodiesel from most PPO, bioethanol from starch/sugars
Second generation
Still in demonstration phase, not full commercial
Uses preferably non-food or residues as feed stock
Bioethanol from woody biomass, fast pyrolyis oil, waste
PPO
Third generation
Far from inplementation, small scale demo
Date 25.06.2010 | 9
Pyrolysis principle
Non-condensable gases
Pyrolysis oil
Char
Date 25.06.2010 | 10
Interest in pyrolysis
10-05-2009 | Environmental Impact Assessment for new pyrolysis plant
BTG Bioliquids BV is going to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment for their
planned pyrolysis factory at the premises of AkzoNobel in Hengelo (The Netherlands).
The pyrolysis plant will convert wood into oil.
The factory will also deliver excess steam to AkzoNobel and generate electricity that
will be supplied to the Dutch grid. Conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment
('MER' in Dutch) is mandatory by law.
The factory will process 5 tons of wood per hour, which will be converted to oil, steam
and electricity. The installation will be constructed on a commercial basis. BTG has
built a pyrolysis unit in Malaysia in 2005, and is already operating a pilot unit in their
laboratory for more than 10 years. The new plant in Hengelo is going to be the largest
pyrolysis unit in Europe and the largest functioning plant in the world.
www.senternovem.nl/gave_english/nieuws
Date 25.06.2010 | 11
Interest in pyrolysis
Fortum invests EUR 20 million to build the world's first industrialscale integrated bio-oil plant
PRESS RELEASE 7 March 2012
Fortum is to invest about EUR 20 million in the commercialisation of new
technology by building a bio-oil plant connected to the Joensuu power plant in
Finland. The integrated bio-oil plant, based on fast pyrolysis technology, is the
first of its kind in the world on an industrial scale.
The bio-oil plant, which will be integrated with the combined heat and power
production plant (CHP) in Joensuu, will produce electricity and district heat
and in the future also 50,000 tonnes of bio-oil per year. The bio-oil raw
materials will include forest residues and other wood based biomass
Date 25.06.2010 | 12
Characteristics Fast Pyrolysis
Aiming for high liquid yields
Temperature between 400-550C
Short vapour residence times
Rapid cooling of vapours
High heating and heat transfer rates required
Important for reactor design

Small biomass particles
Oxygen free atmosphere
Date 25.06.2010 | 13
Pyrolysis products
100%
80%
60%
Gas
Char
Water
Liquid organics
40%
20%
0%
Slow pyrolysis
Fast pyrolysis
Gasification
Adapted from Bridgwater
Date 25.06.2010 | 14
Pyrolysis Process BTG
From:http://www.Dynamotive.com
Date 25.06.2010 | 15
Fast pyrolysis oil characteristics

High oxygen content (up
to 50%)
Immiscible with
petroleum products
Limited stability upon
heating and storage
(coke formation,
repolymerization)
Pyrolysis oil composition
C (wt%)
40.1
H (wt%)
7.6
O (wt%)
52.1
Moisture (wt%)
23.9
Date 25.06.2010 | 16
Applications of crude pyrolysis oil
Combined heat and power

Diesel engine
Co-firing power plants
Performance
Chemical
Other option: upgrading to gasoline/diesel substitute
Date 25.06.2010 | 17
A case study:
Empty fruit bunch valorisation by fast
pyrolysis
Background
Date 25.06.2010 | 18
http://www.pwc.com/id/en/publications/assets/PalmOil-Plantation-2012.pdf
Date 25.06.2010 | 19
Date 25.06.2010 | 20
6 M ton CPO in
Riau/annum
6.5 M ton EFB in

Riau/annum
Date 25.06.2010 | 21
Current Usages
Main Constraint
1. Incineration to recover ash
Generating excessive air pollution
2. Fuel for boiler
High moisture content and low heating value
3. Raw material for MDF board
Residual oil and high silica content in EFB
4. Raw material for pulp and paper Short fiber length board strength and folding
endurance drop
5. Return to plantation (mulching)
(soil)
High transport/labour cost, affected by weather
From Waste to Value

Date 25.06.2010 | 22
Solution - convert EFB into fast pyrolysis oil
Advantages
- Oil transportable / storable
- Oil 20 x denser than EFB (in GJ/m3)
- Readily use as industrial fuel (power, boiler, engines and turbines)
- Green electricity qualified as renewable energy
- Huge quantities of biomass in Indonesia
- Process flexibility to feed stock
The process
Date 25.06.2010 | 23
65%
Empty Fruit Bunches
50 - 55%
Bunch Press
Shredder
< 10%
Feeder
Dryer
Green Oil
Green Oil Process Plant
Heat
Demo unit Malaysia (BTG/Genting)

Date 25.06.2010 | 24
KL
Ayer Itam
Singapore
Date 25.06.2010 | 25
Photos building
Photos pre-treatment
Photos pyrolysis
Achievement
Date 25.06.2010 | 26
Process
1.5 t/hr operation on dried EFB
reliable operation daily basis (roughly 10 t/d)
water content to vary in between 25 and 30 wt.%
yields around 55 - 65 wt.% (30 wt.% water)
Production
approx. 800 ton
150 ton off-spec
Specifications for bio-oil
LHV
water content
ash content
solids content
Density
Homogenity
pH
viscosity
GJ/t
wt.%
wt.%
wt.%
3
kg/m
% top - bottom
cP
spec
> 15
< 30
< 0.05
< 0.1
>1,100
<5%
< 100
meas
16 - 17
20 - 30
0.2 - 0.4
< 0.4
1,050 - 1150
< 10 %
3.4
25 - 100
Date 25.06.2010 | 27
Conclusions
Fast pyrolysis oil is a very versatile second
generation biofuel; actually may be seen as a
green crude oil alternatives
Valorization of empty fruit bunches succesfully
demonstrated at a 2 ton/h scale in a demo unit in
Malaysia
Upgrading of fast pyrolysis oil by hydrotreatment
has enormous potential to obtain gasoline/diesel
substitutes
Date 25.06.2010 | 28
Acknowledgements
BTG, Enschede
R. Venderbosch
B. van der Beld

RUG
F. Mahfud
J. Wildschut
A. Ardiyanti
Y. Wang
Date 25.06.2010 | 29
University of Groningen

Prof - Dr.ir. Erik Heeres

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12/08/15 | 1

Fast Pyrolysis Technology for

Prof.dr.ir. Erik Heeres

Challenge: growing energy consumption

Issues related to the use of fossil resources

Solution: a biobased economy

Agriculture beyond food

Biomass application platforms

First and higher generations biofuels

Characteristics Fast Pyrolysis

Aiming for high liquid yields

Temperature between 400-550C

Short vapour residence times

Rapid cooling of vapours

High heating and heat transfer rates required

Important for reactor design

Oxygen free atmosphere

Adapted from Bridgwater

Pyrolysis Process BTG

Fast pyrolysis oil characteristics

Applications of crude pyrolysis oil

Combined heat and power

Co-firing power plants

Other option: upgrading to gasoline/diesel substitute

6.5 M ton EFB in

1. Incineration to recover ash

Generating excessive air pollution

2. Fuel for boiler

High moisture content and low heating value

3. Raw material for MDF board

Residual oil and high silica content in EFB

High transport/labour cost, affected by weather

From Waste to Value

Solution - convert EFB into fast pyrolysis oil

Empty Fruit Bunches

Demo unit Malaysia (BTG/Genting)

B. van der Beld

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