Application: Biorefineries

A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce renewable fuels, power, and chemicals from biomass, the most plentiful renewable energy source in the world. The biorefinery concept is analogous to today's petroleum refineries, which produce multiple fuels and products from petroleum. Industrial biorefineries have been widely identified as the most promising route to the creation of a new bio-based industry.

By producing multiple products, a biorefinery can take advantage of the differences in biomass components and intermediates and maximize the value derived from the biomass feedstock. With the appropriate design and technologies in place biorefineries can produce a wide array of renewable biofuels, green energy and electricity and high-value chemicals, all on a carbon neutral basis - a vast environmental improvement over the burning of fossil fuels.

So, in addition to being a crucial part of the solution to the world’s energy needs from the supplier side, such biorefineries are themselves operating in the cleanest and greenest ways possible, from the consumer side. This is just the type of innovative, technological breakthrough improvement that the current energy and environmental imperatives – as well as geopolitical and security concerns – are demanding of the world’s developed nations.

Investors, industry, academics, policy-makers, mainstream media and citizens alike are converging on the vital need for different, better and expanded solutions to the world’s energy challenges. To learn more about TRI’s biorefinery applications, download “TRI Technology for Integrated Forest Bioerefineries.pdf” (File size is 7 MB and may take several minutes to download on slow connections)

Application: Black Liquor Gasification

TRI’s black liquor steam reforming gasification makes the pulp mill recovery cycle more efficient and flexible. It utilizes indirect heating of a steam-fluidized bed of sodium carbonate solids to recover energy and cooking chemicals. Black liquor is injected directly into the bed where the liquor droplets uniformly coat the bed solids, resulting in high rates of heating, pyrolysis and steam reforming. Bed temperatures are maintained at 1,150°F (620°C), thereby avoiding liquid smelt formation and the associated smelt-water explosion hazards. In the absence of oxygen, steam reacts endothermically with the black liquor char to produce a medium-Btu syngas rich in hydrogen. Sulfur (if present) and sodium are effectively separated in the reducing atmosphere of the steam reformer. Sodium is recovered as dry sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) drained from the bottom of the reformer. Sulfur is recovered as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the syngas stream. The separation of sodium and sulfur provides the unique opportunity to implement alternative cooking chemistries with enhanced fiber yield and reduced bleaching chemical consumption. For more information on black liquor gasification, download “TRI Technology for Black Liquor Gasification.pdf”(Note: The file size is 5.4 MB and may take several minutes to download on slow connections)

Application: Bio-based Combined Heat and Power

The majority of the power generated on mill sites today is based on the simple Rankine cycle, using steam generated by combustion of biomass, black liquor and fossil fuels. The efficiency of power generation from these biomass sources can be substantially increased if combined cycle systems are employed. Gasification of forest residuals, agricultural wastes, black liquor and other biomass sources using the TRI steam reformer generates a high-quality syngas, and once the syngas is appropriately conditioned, it can be fired in a Gas Turbine to generate green power at very high efficiencies. The hot exhaust gasses from the gas turbine are combined with the flue gas from the TRI pulsed combustion heaters to generate high pressure steam in the HRSG. Additional high pressure steam is generated in the heat recovery systems of the syngas clean-up section. The high pressure steam is routed to a steam turbine to generate still more green power. Hot water generated through the integrated heat recovery systems can be utilized in the mill to further reduce energy demands.

Application: Fossil Fuel Replacement

TRI’s biomass steam reforming technology has been employed at commercial scale to significantly reduce on-site fossil fuel use, thereby lowering greenhouse gases and reducing the environmental footprint of the facility. TRI’s biomass-derived syngas can completely displace natural gas use at even the most energy-intensive sites, reducing costs and eliminating reliance on highly price-volatile natural gas. Gasification of forest residuals, agricultural wastes and other biomass sources using the TRI steam reformer generates a high-quality syngas, and once the syngas is appropriately conditioned, it can be used in boilers, lime kilns, wood kilns and fired heaters. Hot water generated through the integrated heat recovery systems can be utilized in the mill to further reduce energy demands.

Application: Fuel Cell

The TRI steam reformer can be integrated with a fuel cell to create a thermoelectrochemical system that is capable of generating electricity at extremely high efficiencies. With biomass as input, the Steam Reformer generates a hydrogen-rich, medium-Btu value syngas that is electrochemically oxidized in the fuel cell to generate electricity.
In-depth federal studies were carried out under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Program to integrate TRI’s PulseEnhancedTM steam reformer with three different fuel cell types, specifically, Phosphoric Acid, Molten Carbonate and Solid Oxide. Computer simulations showed the optimal system to be a TRI steam reformer innovatively integrated with a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) to generate electricity.
A prototype test system was assembled to experimentally establish the attributes of the thermoelectrochemical technology. A slipstream of clean syngas rich in hydrogen was metered to the SOFC, thereby generating “green power” from wood waste and black liquor. The SOFC flue gas emissions were extremely low.