Biorefinery Finals - Part I

Dr. Fadzil Part

Schematic Diagram of Cogeneration of Heat & Power

Biorefinery Type I

Biorefinery Type II

Biorefinery Type III

crude oil

Oil refineries convert _____ to products.

biomass

Biorefinery convert ____ to products.

trap the heat

GHG emission ________ on earth.

2050

Malaysia Carbon Neutral by ______

Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)

current effort by oil & gas companies. It involves capturing, transporting and storing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel power stations, energy intensive industries, and gas fields by injecting the captured greenhouse gases back into the ground.

Biorefining

is the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of marketable products and energy.

Biorefinery

is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and chemicals from biomass.

Biomass

anything derive from plant, animal & microbial

Biomass from animals

example products: biogas, protein extract, milks & its derivatives, enzymes

Biomass from plants

example products: heat/energy, composite, cooking oil, sugar, vitamins, essential amino acids, fatty acid derivatives or oleochemicals

Biomass from microbes

example product: Biofuel from cyanobacteria (blue‐green algae), cellulose from *Acetobacter xylinum* *& Gluconacetobacter xylinus.*

Biocompost

used as fertilizer soil conditioner, a type of organic fertilizer produced through the aerobic decomposition of organic waste in a controlled environment, providing essential plant nutrients and improving soil health

Biogas

used as cooking gas, produced through the anaerobic digestion of organic matter in a biorefinery

Biochar

used as soil conditioner and adsorbent, a stable, carbon-rich material produced by the pyrolysis of organic matter, commonly used as a soil amendment to improve soil fertility, water retention, and carbon sequestration

Biodiesel

used as fuel for diesel engine, renewable, biodegradable fuel made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled cooking grease, used as an alternative to petroleum diesel to reduce greenhouse gas emission and dependence on fossil fuels

Bioethanol

use as fuel for automobile, renewable alcohol fuel produced through the fermentation of sugar or starch from crops such as corn, sugarcane, or wheat commonly used as an alternative to gasoline to reduce ghg emissions and dependence on fossil fuels

Charcoal

used as solid fuel, a porous, black solid material produced by heating wood or other organic matter in a low oxygen environment, used as fuel, in water purification, and in the production of iron and steel

Platform/Intermediate Chemical

is a compound that leads to a number of products. Examples: triglycerides (from plant oils, fat, waste cooking oil), glycerol, fatty acids, sugars, syngas

Triglycerides

major component of many natural lipids. Can be converted into biodiesel. Soaps. Plastics.

Glycerol

simple, colorless, and odorless alcohol compound with the chemical formula C3H8O3. It is a by-product of the production of biodiesel from vegetable oils and animal fats. Used as a component in pharmaceutical products such as cough syrups. Used in cosmetics such as lotions. Humectant and sweetener in food. Antifreeze in refrigeration and air condition systems, as well as engine coolants.

Fatty Acids

are organic molecules that consist of a long hydrocarbon chain with a carboxylic acid functional group (-COOH) at one end. They are the building blocks of fats and oils, which are widely found in nature.

Sugars

also known as saccharides, are a type of carbohydrate that play an important role in biorefineries as platform or intermediate chemicals. They can be produced from various renewable sources, such as sugarcane, corn, and beets, and can be transformed into a variety of high-value products through chemical and biochemical processes.

Syngas

is a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) that is produced through gasification or partial oxidation processes. It can be produced from various renewable sources, such as biomass, municipal waste, and agricultural residues and can be turned into methanol, hydrogen, synthetic natural gas.

Processing Technologies

pretreatment, reaction, purification/separation

Pretreatment

physical, chemical, physicochemical, thermochemical, biological

Reaction

hydrolysis, transesterification, gasification, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, fermentation / saccharification

Purification / separation

distillation, evaporation, extraction, adsorption, chromatography

feedstock, platform, product, processing technologies

Biorefinery system/plant consists of these elements:

feedstock

using biomass

Platform

component that has potential for valorisation / derivatization

Product

high demand, recyclable, biodegradable

Valorization

refers to the process of converting a raw material into a high-value product through chemical or biochemical transformations

maximize

The objective of valorization is to ____ the economic and environmental benefits of a raw material by using it to produce a range of valuable products, rather than simply disposing of it.

Economy of Scale

cost per unit output decreasing with increasing scale

Thermal & catalytic cracking

processes in oil refining that use high heat, pressure, and/or a catalyst to break down heavy crude oil into lighter and more valuable products like gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel.

Reforming

is a process in oil refining that uses heat, pressure, and a catalyst to convert lower-value naphtha into higher-value products such as gasoline and hydrogen by rearranging the molecular structure of the hydrocarbons.

Hydrotreatment

a set of operations that remove sulfur and other impurities

Biomass Gasification

a mature technology pathway that uses a controlled process involving heat, steam, and oxygen to convert biomass to hydrogen and other products, without combustion.

Pyrolysis

biorefinery process that converts organic materials, such as biomass or waste, into a liquid bio-oil through heating in the absence of oxygen.

Fermentation

a biorefinery process that converts organic matter, such as biomass or waste, into useful chemicals, fuels, or energy through the action of microorganisms, such as yeast or bacteria, that break down the organic matter into simpler compounds.

Anaerobic Digestion

a biorefinery process that uses microorganisms, such as bacteria, to break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen and produce biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, as well as a solid residue called digestate.

Hydrocracking

is a refining process that uses hydrogen and a catalyst to convert heavy, high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons into lighter, more valuable products. The process is commonly used in oil refineries to convert heavy crude oil into lighter and more valuable products, such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

Bioseparation

process used in biorefineries to separate and purify different components from a mixture of biomass or other renewable feedstocks using biological systems, such as enzymes or microorganisms.

Preprocessing for Oil Refineries

3-phase separator, 2-phase separator, desalting

Pretreatment

physical, chemical, thermochemical, physicochemical & biological

Hydrocracking

is a refining process that upgrades heavy or high-sulfur petroleum feedstocks into lighter, high-value products such as diesel fuel and kerosene.

Hydrotreater

is a refining unit in an oil refinery that removes impurities such as sulfur, nitrogen, and metals from petroleum feedstocks by catalytically reacting them with hydrogen under high temperature and pressure.

Hydrodesulfurization

key step in the refining process that removes sulfur impurities from petroleum feedstocks by reacting them with hydrogen under high temperature and pressure in the presence of a catalyst, resulting in the production of cleaner fuels that meet low-sulfur specifications.

Fluid Catalytic Cracking

is a refining process in which heavy petroleum feedstocks are converted into lighter, high-value products such as gasoline and diesel fuel by breaking down large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones using a catalyst in a fluidized bed reactor at high temperatures.

Pyrolysis

thermal process that convert biomass into valuable products such as bio-oil, biochar, and syngas by heating it in the absence of oxygen, breaking down the organic matter into its constituent components and retaining the carbon content in solid form as biochar.

Gasification

process in a biorefinery that converts biomass into syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) by partially oxidizing it with air or oxygen and steam in a gasifier at high temperatures, producing a clean and renewable source of energy that can be used as a fuel or converted into various chemical products.

Fermentation

biological process that converts sugars derived from biomass into alcohol (such as ethanol) and organic acids (such as lactic acid or carbonic acid) through the action of microorganisms, providing valuable building blocks for the production of biofuels, chemicals, and materials.

Anaerobic Digestion

a process that converts biomass into biogas (primarily methane and carbon dioxide) through the action of microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, providing a renewable source of energy and reducing the organic waste.

Transesterification

is a chemical process that converts lipids (such as vegetable oils and animal fats) into biodiesel by reacting them with an alcohol (such as methanol or ethanol) in the presence of a catalyst, producing a renewable, biodegradable, and low-emission diesel substitute.

Hydrolysis

process that breaks down complex biomolecules (such as carbohydrates, proteins, or lipids) into simpler compounds (such as sugars, amino acids, or fatty acids) using water and enzymes, providing valuable building blocks for the production of biofuels, chemicals, and materials.

Saponification

chemical process that converts lipids (such as vegetable oils or animal fats) into soap by reacting them with an alkaline solution (such as sodium hydroxide), providing a renewable alternative to traditional petrochemical-based soap products.

Isomerization

is an upgrading process in which straight-chain hydrocarbons are converted into branched-chain isomers, improving the octane number and therefore the performance of gasoline fuels.

Alkylation

upgrading process that combines low-molecular-weight olefins with isobutane to produce high-octane alkylate, which is a premium component of gasoline fuels.

Esterification

upgrading process that converts carboxylic acids and alcohols into esters (such as biodiesel), improving the properties of biofuels and providing a renewable alternative to traditional petroleum-based fuels.

Hydrogenation

upgrading process that adds hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fatty acids in lipids (such as vegetable oils or animal fats), resulting in the formation of saturated fatty acids and improving the stability and performance of biofuels.

synthesis process

The goal of the _____ is to produce high-value products from renewable resources while minimizing waste and reducing the carbon footprint of the production process.

Atmospheric distillation

separation process in oil refineries in which crude oil is heated and the resulting vapors are separated into various fractions, such as naphtha, kerosene, diesel, and gas oil, based on their boiling points under atmospheric pressure, to produce different fuels and chemicals.

Vacuum distillation

part of the refining process that helps to produce petroleum products out of the heavier oils left over from atmospheric distillation.

Vacuum Distillation

It is a separation process in oil refineries in which crude oil is heated under reduced pressure to separate its components into different fractions based on their boiling points, resulting in the production of heavier fuel oils and residuals.

Solvent Extraction

is a process which involves extracting oil from oil-bearing materials by treating it with a low boiler solvent as opposed to extracting the oils by mechanical pressing methods (such as expellers, hydraulic presses, etc.)

Stripping

is a separation process in oil refineries that involves removing unwanted components, such as residual solvents, from a mixture using a stream of a stripping gas, such as nitrogen or steam, to produce purified products.

Adsorption

separation process in biorefineries where target compounds are selectively adsorbed, or attracted and held, onto a solid adsorbent material to separate and purify the target compounds from a mixture.

Solvent absorption

is a separation process in biorefineries where a mixture is passed through a column containing an adsorbent material and a specific solvent, resulting in the selective adsorption of the target components, which can then be easily eluted from the column to obtain purified product.

Chromatography

is a separation process in biorefineries where a mixture is passed through a column containing a stationary phase and a mobile phase, causing different components to separate based on their individual interaction with the stationary phase, resulting in the purification of specific compounds.

Cogeneration of heat & power

simultaneous production of electricity and thermal energy from a single fuel source

Improve energy conversion

a combined heat & power (CHP) __________ efficiency of power generation for biorefinery plant

Heat & water integration

implementation of __________ can reduce the energy & fresh water demand as well as minimizing waste water volume.

Heat & water integration

refers to the optimization of the use of heat and water resources to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve sustainability in the conversion of biomass into valuable products.

Economic of Scale

The production cost could be reduced by increasing the scale of production. For example, automation reduces dependency of human labor, while increasing the productivity.

huge capital investment

Biorefinery that aims for product diversification from multiple sources of feedstocks could lead to bad economic feasibility due to the _______ required, yet low quantity produced or low demand for derivatized products.

Type I

single feedstock, fixed process, and no product diversification

Type I

biodiesel plant using vegetable oils, which have no process flexibility and produce fix amount of fuels and no coproducts

Type II

single feedstock, multiple and flexible processes, and product diversification

Type II

biorefinery plant using crude palm oil with various processes to adapt multiple productions (biofuel, biolubricant, fertilizer, animal feed & etc.) depending on product demands and market prices

Type III

multiple feedstocks, highly integrated and flexibly processes for production of highly diverse portfolio of products

Type III

biorefinery plant that utilizes more than one feedstock for conversion into multiple products and including the high value products

Energy conversion efficiency

energy input < energy output (biorefinery process indicator)

Cumulative primary energy

low consumption of primary resource of energy (biorefinery process indicator)

Abiotic resource use

preserve the usage of nonrenewable resources such as water, land, minerals & etc (biorefinery process indicator)

Land Use

less land used per unit biomass production (biorefinery process indicator)

Water Use

fresh water use must be recoverable (biorefinery process indicator)

Greenhouse gas emission

not causing greenhouse effect (biorefinery process indicator)

Eutrophication

(over enrichment of nutrients), maintain nutrients composition to preserve aquatic life (biorefinery process indicator)

Acidification

low sulfur and nitrogen oxide gas emissions which causes acid rains (biorefinery process indicator)

Photochemical oxidation potential

low volatile organic carbon emission to prevent ground level ozone formation (biorefinery process indicator)

Aquatic toxicity

no toxic substance emissions to water bodies (biorefinery process indicator)

Economic Margin

profitable (biorefinery process indicator)

higher energy output

Biomass is a good source of energy. However, the energy yield is still not satisfactory. Should aim for _______ over the potential energy input.

lower primary energy consumption

Increasing the scale of biorefinery for product diversification purposes (requires high energy usage from the grid (the primary source of energy). A _______ is possible with the CHP.

minimize

Biorefinery should _____ the use of non-renewable resources such as crude oil, coal & metal catalysts (molybdenum, platinum, ruthenium & nickel).

Abiotic Resource

non-living natural resource, such as minerals, fossil fuels, and other non-renewable resources, that is formed from geological processes and used by humans for various purposes.