Black liquor gasification

1
Black liquor gasification the fast lane to the
biorefinery

• Ingrid Nohlgren
• Energy Technology Centre (ETC) Piteå, Sweden

2
Within a few years

• 30 of Swedens automotive fuels may come from
  Swedish pulp mills
• Power production equivalent to that from a large
  river (1000 MW) may come from the mills
• Valuable chemicals synthesised from black liquor
  can give additional revenue to the mills
• The key is black liquor gasification technology

3
The Pulp Mill
Pulp
Wood chips
Black Liquor Energy
Biomass Energy
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Black liquor

• Is a by-product from pulping (water, cooking
  chemicals, lignin and other wood components)
• Liquid biomass
• Approx half the wood ends up in the black liquor
• Has a heating value of 14 MJ/kg DS (Oil 42
  MJ/kg)
• Is smelly (sulphur compounds)

is renewable energy
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Estimated black liquor production
(Chemrec)
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Illustration of Recovery Boiler Capacities in
Europe
clusters of mills together having a large
boiler capacity
important single mill
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Todays technology (Recovery boiler)
Pulping mill
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The Recovery boiler is replaced by BLG
Pulp
Wood chips
Black liquor energy
DME/MeOH
BLGMF
Biomass
9
Addition of biomass to the system to balance the
energy demand
Pulp
Wood chips
Black liquor energy
DME/MeOH
BLGMF
Biomass
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The DP1 plant in Piteå
Kappa Kraftliner
ETC
CHEMREC
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DP-1 Plant
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Tomorrows technology
BLACK LIQUOR
SHORT TIME CONTACTORS
Coolant
Atomising media
Feed water
White liquor
OXYGEN
GAS COOLER
REACTOR
LP-steam
GAS COOLING AND CLEANING
Raw gas

MP-steam
QUENCH
SULFUR REMOVAL
CLEAN, COOL SYNTHESIS GAS (to flare)
Condensate
GREEN LIQUOR
In DP1 cooling water
Weak wash
Chemrecs gasifier DP1 in Piteå, Sweden
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Advantages compared to the Recovery boiler

• High quality synthesis gas with mainly hydrogen
  and carbon monoxide (ratio 11)
• Can be used directly as fuel for gas turbines
• Can be used for synthesis of motor fuels after
  additional cleaning and shifting of H2/CO
• No water vapour to the atmosphere (better
  efficiency)
• Sulphur and sodium can be obtained in two
  separate streams (better process control more
  paper)

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How much does it cost?

• Investment cost slightly higher than for the
  Recovery boiler
• Pay-off time for the extra cost 2 years
• The investment can only be done when it is time
  to replace the boiler
• But the time is right since many of the boilers
  are old

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Year of construction for Scandinavian boilers
12
Norway
Finland
10
Sweden
8
Number of Recovery Boilers
6
4
2
0
1950-
1955-
1960-
1965-
1970-
1975-
1980-
1985-
1990-
1995-
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
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Are tax subsidies necessary?

• Most other green fuels must be subsidised to
  make them competitive (e.g. ethanol)
• The cost/km for methanol from black liquor would
  be about the same as for gasoline before tax
• Rising oil prices will be in favour of the black
  liquor alternative
• Conclusion Tax subsidies are not necessary in
  the future
• However, subsidies may be necessary as an
  incentive for new investments

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Automotive fuel cost (excl tax)
Fuel Energy Content Eurocent per liter Eurocent per kWh Eurocent per kg Fuel cost per km 1)(Eurocent)
Ethanol, from wheat2) 5.90 kWh/liter 55 9.3 69 7.3
Ethanol, from forestry feedstock2) 5.90 kWh/liter 33 - 342) 6.5 49 56 5.2 5.9
Methanol, 150 USD/ton Spot price average, Eur. 4.33 kWh/liter 12 2.9 16 2.3
DME 215 USD/ton 5.27 kWh/liter 15 2.9 22 1.9
Gasoline, 85 USc/gal 8.72 kWh/liter 222) 2.5 27 2.3
City diesel, 85USc/gal 9.77 kWh/liter 22 2.2 27 1.5
References 1) Basic Data for Jämförelseprojekte
t (The Comparison Project), STEM,
Dec-2001 Standard car, gasoline 3.4 MJ/ km
Standard car, methanol, (ethanol?) 2.86
MJ/km ? 0.794 kWh/km Standard car, diesel
2.43 MJ/km 2)Ny Teknik (a weekly Swedish
technology magazine), Nr 9, 28 Febr, 2002, sid
12-13. 3) Energiläget 2001. Swedish CO2 tax at
0.53 SEK/kg CO2 for fossil fuels corresponds for
fossil methanol an extra cost of 70
USD/ton on top of the spot price 100 USD/ton.
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CO2
Power 3.8 billion Or Liquid
Fuels/Chemicals 5.5. billion
Syngas
O2
Black Liquor Residuals
?Extract Hemicelluloses ?new products
chemicals polymers 3.3 billion
Steam, Power Chemicals
?BL Gasifier ?Wood Residual
Gasifier ?Combined Cycle System ?Process to
manufacture Liquid Fuels and Chemicals
Manufacturing
?Pulp 5.5 billion
The Forest Biorefinery Net Revenue
Net Revenue Assumptions Acetic Acid -
1.73/gallon Purchased Electricity -
43.16/MWH Ethanol - 1.15/gallon Exported
Electricity - 40.44/MWH Pulp - 100/ton net
profit Renewable Fischer Tropsch Fuel - 57/bbl
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Crucial research issues

• Conversion of all organic carbon
• High quality green liquor
• Durable materials for containment
• Gas cleaning
• Mill integration
• Scale up from the DP1 scale (x15, x100)

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Activities in Piteå and at ETC

• ETC Coordinating National Research Effort
• Black liquor gasification Program 2004-2006
• Development plant under commissioning in Piteå
  (aiming for first syngas in Aug 2005)
• 8 research projects
• Budget 100 MSEK (11 MEUR)

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Collaborators BLG program
Raw material suppliers
End users
Process industry
Researchers
Governmental support
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Summary

• Black liquor gasification is a key technology
  for
• Green power production
• Green automotive fuel production
• Green chemicals production
• Green fuel can be produced at the same cost as
  fossile fuels 2005
• Pulp mills are ideally suited to become
  biorefineries (infrastructure in place and large
  knowhow)
• Very strong research effort in Sweden
• First commercial gasifier (300 tds/day) expected
  around 2007