BioDME/Methanol

Methanol can be produced from a wide range of biomass feedstocks via a thermochemical route similar to the Fisher-Tropsch process for BtL. It can be blended in petrol at 10-20%.

Methanol can be converted to dimethylether (DME) by catalytic dehydration. Above -25°C or below 5 bar, DME is a gas. Hence its use as a transport fuel is similar to that of LPG. It cannot be blended with standard diesel fuels.

DME can also be created directly from syngas. The BioDME project aims to demonstrate production of environmentally optimised synthetic biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass at industrial scale. The project involves a consortium of Chemrec, Haldor Topsøe, Volvo, Preem, Total, Delphi and ETC. The project is supported by the Swedish Energy Agency and the EU's Seventh Framework Programme.

The final output of this demonstration is dimethylether (DME) produced from black liquor through the production of clean synthesis gas and a final fuel synthesis step. In order to check technical standards, commercial possibilities and engine compatibilities the BioDME will be tested in a fleet consisting of 14 Volvo trucks.

On September 18, 2009, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden broke ground for the world's first BioDME production plant at the Smurfit Kappa paper mill in Piteå, Sweden.

© Copyright Chemrec
His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf visiting Preem's display, as he inaugurated the site where Chemrec will construct the world’s first plant for the production of the renewable forestry biomass-based automotive fuel, BioDME. View at larger size >>

The pilot plant was inaugurated in 2010 with a capacity of about 4 tons (1,600 gallons) per day using forest residues as feedstock. The estimated cost of the plant is around SEK 150 million (EUR 14 million, USD 20 million).

In January 2011, the EU approved a grant of up to SEK 500 million (49 million, $73 million) by the Swedish Energy Agency for industrial scale demonstration of the Chemrec technology for production of BioDME and Biomethanol. The plant will be built at the Domsjö Fabriker biorefinery in Örnsköldsvik. This follows the original approval of the investment grant by the Swedish Energy R&D Board in September 2009.

The Domsjö plant will have the capacity to supply well over 2000 heavy trucks with fuel. With fully implemented renewable fuels production at all pulp mills in Sweden, half of all heavy road transport could be propelled by BioDME and biomethanol. Potentially, this could reduce Swedish fossil carbon dioxide emissions by 10% or about 6 million tons and replace fossil fuel imports worth approx. SEK 10 billion (1 billion, $1.5 billion) annually.

In October 2010 Chemrec was named a GoingGreen Silicon Valley Top 100 Winner and has been named in the prestigious 2010 Global Cleantech 100.

© Copyright Chemrec
Chemrec development plant in Piteå, producing high-quality synthesis gas which will be converted to second generation biofuels with low GHG emissions View at larger size >>

In Well to Wheel tests, BioDME is shown to generate substantially lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions than fossil fuels and first generation biofuels (see below).

© Copyright CPL Press
Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2-equivalents/km) versus total energy use for running a mid-size car over a distance of 100 km - View at larger size >>

VärmlandsMethanol AB is in the process of building a biomass-to-methanol plant in Hagfors, Sweden. VärmlandsMetanol will gasify biomass (forest residue) and then convert and purify the syngas into fuel grade methanol. The plant will produce 300 t/day fuel grade methanol and also deliver district heating water with a thermal duty of 15 MW.

Methanol can be blended with gasoline, typically at 10% (M10). In China, M10 and M85 are already used in thousands of vehicles.

Research is all being carried out on dual-alcohol gasoline blends (e.g. 10% ethanol plus 10% methanol), which has a distillation curve close to that of pure gasoline, minimizing the impact on fuel volatility [Source: Distillation Curves for Alcohol−Gasoline Blends, V. F. Andersen et al, Energy Fuels, 2010, 24 (4), pp 2683–2691].

Further background information on biomethanol and DME is also available at www.refuel.eu

The SUPER METHANOL project on Reforming of Crude Glycerine in Supercritical Water to produce Methanol for Re-Use in Biodiesel Plants (FP7-212180) aims to produce methanol from crude glycerine, and re-use the methanol in the biodiesel plant. This will improve the energy balance, carbon performance, sustainability and overall economics of biodiesel production. The work expands on expertise generated by the consortium on reforming of glycerine in supercritical water, and to produce a synthesis gas suitable for direct once-through methanol synthesis (GtM - Glycerine to Methanol). Producers will be less dependent on the methanol spot price, there is a (partial) security of methanol supply, and their by-product is used as a green, sustainable feedstock

Methanol as a shipping fuel

The FP6 METHAPU project (Validation of renewable methanol based auxiliary power systems for commercial vessels) is invesitgating the use of Methanol and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology for shipping