Biomass to Liquid

Olofsson, I. Nordin, A. Soderlind, U., Initial Review and Evaluation of Process Technologies and Systems Suitable for Cost-Efficient Medium-Scale Gasification for Biomass to Liquid Fuels, ETPC Report 05-02, University of Umea/Mid Sweden University, Umea, 2005, p. 90. 

Luke, H.W. 2005. Biomass-to-liquids (BTL) fuels—A promising option for the future. Erdol Erdgas Kohle 121 3-5. 

Fig. 5.2 The main crop-to-energy chains. BtL Biomass-to-Liquid, GtL Gas-to-Liquid, ETBE Ethyl tert-butyl ether, MTBE Methyl tert-butyl ether, MeOH Methanol, DME Dimethyl ether. Pyrolysis oil, HTU-Diesel (Hydro Thermal Upgrading), ethanol and hydrogen from ligno-cellulosic species are not considered here because of their minor practical relevance in the near future...

Barrel of oil equivalent Biomass-to-liquids British thermal unit Boiling-water reactor... 

Thermochemical biomass-to-liquid (BtL) conversion, involving thermal gasification of the biomass and subsequent synthesis of biofuels by the Fischer-Tropsch process. Various aspects of the use of catalysis in this process are discussed in the several chapters. 

Thermochemical refinery or biomass to liquid (BTL) conversion of syngas to fuels and chemicals by Fisher-Tropsh synthesis. 

An alternative to the utilization of food crops in biofuel production is lignocellu-lose, which can for instance be utilized in biomass-to-liquid (BTL) processes. That way, a direct competition between food and fuel production can be avoided. This feedstock is much more abundant than vegetable oils or sugar and starch crops. 

Crocker M, editor. Thermochemical conversion of biomass to liquid fuels and chemicals. Cambridge, UK Royal Society of Chemistry 2010. 

Neathery JK. Chp 4 Biomass Gasification in Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass to Liquid Fuels and Chemicals (ed. Crocker, M.). Cambridge,UK RSC Publishing 2010, p. 73-4. 

The FTS converts synthesis gas into mostly liquid hydrocarbons [12-15]. Depending on the origin of the synthesis gas, the overall process from carbon feedstock to liquid product is called gas-to-liquids (GTL), coal to liquids (CTL), or biomass to liquids (BTL). The product spectrum, however, is broader than liquid hydrocarbons alone and can include methane and alkanes, C H2 +2 (with n from 1 — 100), alkenes or olefins (C H2 n > 2), and to a lesser extent, oxygenated products such as alcohols. Hence the FTS offers the opportunity to convert gas, coal, or biomass-derived syngas into transportation fuels, such as gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel oil, and chemicals, such as olefins, naphtha, and waxes. The reactions need a catalyst, which in commercial applications is either based on cobalt or iron. 

Knowledge of the effects of various independent parameters such as biomass feedstock type and composition, reaction temperature and pressure, residence time, and catalysts on reaction rates, product selectivities, and product yields has led to development of advanced biomass pyrolysis processes. The accumulation of considerable experimental data on these parameters has resulted in advanced pyrolysis methods for the direct thermal conversion of biomass to liquid fuels and various chemicals in higher yields than those obtained by the traditional long-residence-time pyrolysis methods. Thermal conversion processes have also been developed for producing high yields of charcoals from biomass. 

An alternative way to utilize renewable biomass is the so-called biomass-to-liquids (BTL) process. Parallel with GTL and CTL, BTL is essentially a variant of the F-T process that uses biomass as a feedstock. Hydrophilic zeolite membrane can also play an important role in the downstream dehydration process. 

Biomass to liquid (BTL) refers mainly to projects that utilize crops - such as corn or sugar beets - to produce ethanol, which can be blended with gasoline or burned in modified engines. Ethanol projects are exploding... 

Elliott, D. C. Walkup, P. C. Bench-Scale Research in Thermochemical conversion of Biomass to Liquids in Support of the Albany, Oregon Experimental Facility, Coordination Meeting Thermochemical Conversion Systems, Wright-Malta Corp., Ballston Spa N.Y., Oct 1977. Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory Richland Wash., 1977. 

---