Pyrolysis R&D Presentation

EcoMonday MeetingFebruary 2, 2009

Timothy McDonald PE, MBA

The Issues

• Green House Gases - Nitric Oxide, Methane, CO2• Climate change impact on food, water, temperatures• Nitrate pollution of aquifers (fertilizers / manure)• Forests - drought, beetles, fire, thinning projects and

management costs • Farms – waste, water, fertilizer and fuel • Municipalities - water, green wastes, sewage sludge• Farm and forest “Burn Pile” emissions• ACC Renewable Mandate to regulated electric utilities• CO2 Emissions Reduction Credits (future carbon tax)• Fuel availability and costs

Arizona Forests

Arizona CAFOs – ManureArizona CAFOs – Manure

• ~ 168 CAFO farm sites • ~ 600,000 cows & pigs• ~ 3,600,000 chickens• Manure is a limiting factor

on operations• Also a community issue

Arizona Biomass Summary

• Forest and woodland waste– 12 Million acres of forest and woodlands– 350,000 acres managed per year– 4.5 Million tons per year of waste

• Agriculture waste– Cotton gin trash, orchard residue, straw– 200,000 tons of material per year

• Urban green waste– Primarily from Phoenix and Tucson– 95,000 tons per year

Biomass Disposal Options

• Composting• Incineration / Landfill(?)• Aerobic / Anaerobic digestion (wet slurries)• Biomass derived pellets / briquettes• Direct combustion (ABITIBI biomass power plant) • Gasification (dried and chipped biomass)• Co-firing in utility power plants (charcoal / biooil)• Pyrolysis conversion (syngas, oils, char)

Biomass Conversion Issues

• Pre-processing and hauling costs • Air, Water and Solid Waste permits • Economies of scale w/ 50 mile radius fuel supply• Biomass waste materials have no intrinsic value• Waste biomass is typically just burned• Renewable power plant water and waste disposal• Renewable plant reliability and interconnection• Pyrolytic oil acidity and shelf-life stability

Cholla Biomass Co-Firing Analysis

50 Mile Radius for Potential Biomass Sites

AshforkCasa GrandeEagarFlagstaffGila BendHeberPrescottPhoenix MetroSan CarlosSnow FlakeStanfieldTucsonTusayanWhiteriverWilcoxWindow RockYuma

ABITIBI

Intro to Portable Pyrolysis Concept

• Portable system is moved to biomass location• Owned / operated by farm Co-ops, Communities,

and/or individual company(s)• Convert zero value waste biomass into higher

value liquid / solid feedstock materials • Stabilize oils for easier handling and processing • Char and oils shipped to centralized refinery(s)• Initial products: fertilizer supplement; oil for coal-

dust suppression; solids for co-firing w/ coal

½ TPD Portable Pyrolysis System

Pyrolysis System Feedstocks

• Sweet sorghum• Nut shells • Cotton harvest debris• Orchard debris• Salt cedar• Mesquite• Manures• Pinion and juniper• Small-diameter pines• Municipal tree trimming

green wastes…..

Dryer Hopper

Biomass Feed+ Wood Dust Sludge

Dryer/Grinder Vacuum Blower

Closed Cycle Cooling

Cyclone Separator

Dried Chips Drum ~1,000 lb/day

Venturi Scrubber

Excess AirCO2H2O N Wood Dust

Essential Oil H2O Wood Dust Sludge

Stack Emissions

Air

Waste Water

Pyrolysis Feed Hopper

300% AirPropane

Pyrolysis Reactor

Electric Heating Element

Vacuum Blower

Air

Air

Closed Cycle Cooling

Char Screen

Air

Enclosure

Char Auger Stabilization

Air Blower

Char Drum

Bio-Oil Drum

Venturi Condenser (Scrubber)

Air Filter

Air Exhaust Char Dust

Cyclone Separator

TAM v 450 12/30/08

Non-Condensable Gases

Hot Vapors

Water RecircBurner

Oil Recirc

ELECTRIC SERVICE 208/240 VAC 1ph 200A

1/2 TPD PYROLYSIS PROCESS & PRODUDUCTS

Pyrolysis Oil

• Dark brown viscous liquid• Strong smoky odor• Corrosive with acidic ph• Polymerizes into solid if reheated• Phase separation in container• “A” Phase: water & acids

– Organic acids for fertilizer• “B” Phase: cellulosic oils

– Phenols suitable for fuels and chemicals• “C” Phase: hemi-cellulosic oils

– Fuel and chemical feedstock• “D” Phase: lignin oils w/ char dust

– Polymerize into solid fuel– Binder for char granules / pellets (?)– Gasified for F-T into diesel fuel

“A” Phase ~15%

“B” and “C” Phases ~50%

“D” Phase ~35%

Pyrolysis Char

• Charcoal powder• Contains inorganic

minerals from biomass• Some oils from pyrolysis • Form granules or pellets

using “D” lignin-oil binder• Co-fire pellets w/ coal• Gasification - FT - Diesel• Activated carbon filters

(water, power plant stack) • Time-released nutrients• Basis for “Terra Preta” soil

Bio-Refinery

• Centralized location(s) • Multiple biomass sources

within 200 mile region• Economies of Scale• Co-gen processing plant• “Petroleum” type refinery• Adjacent to railroad,

freeway and CNG distribution pipeline

200 Mile Radius Bio-Refinery Opportunities

Holbrook Region Casa Grande Region

- “Centralized“ Bio-Refinery - “Portable” Pyrolysis Opportunities

Bio-Refinery Products

• Resins• Polymers / Co-polymers• Adhesives• Food flavorings• Fragrances• Chemical feedstocks• Synthetic methane• Liquid and solid fuels• Fertilizer(s) (Tera Preta?)

Terra Preta“Dark earth”

• Made by Amazon natives 2000 years ago

• Terra Preta soil is still active and viable

• Better crops than with chemical fertilizers

• Less water and fertilizer per crop cycle!!

• Soil can be “harvested” – will “regrow”!!

• Scientists not sure how Terra Preta made

Pyrolysis Project Vision/Objectives

• Carbon sequestration: CO2 credits• Meet ACC Renewables Mandate w/ biomass co-firing• New sources of biomass-based sustainable fuels• Rural economic development opportunities• Forest fuel thinning projects w/o subsidiary payments • Conversion of farm wastes into revenues • Reduce water and fertilizers needed per crop cycle• Squeeze every nickel of value out of waste biomass • Help resolve WATER / ENERGY / POLLUTION issues

50 TPD Portable Pyrolysis System

USFS$0.00/acre

Fuel Reductionsw/ Landing & Log-Yard

Slash

Saw-logsMicro-Mill@ Landing

DehumidificationLumber Kiln

Cutoffs, Bark, Chips,

Sawdust

DimensionLumber

Light VOC Oils

Chip, Screen, Dry, & Sort

Essential Oils& Bio-Refinery

Pyrolysis Reactor@ Landing

PyrolysisProduct

$ Lumber $

$ Fuels $

$ Chemicals $

$ MWH’s $ Needles, Bark,Mixed Slash

WoodChips

Water

$ Bio-Char Fertilizer $

PyrolysisProduct

Heat

TAM 3/27/08

Sawdust-Plastic Composites

$ Composites $

$ Pellets $

Pellet Mill

Bio-Refinery

Power Plant

Water

Water

The Alternative ………….

Q & A