Consortium for Biomass Refining Based on Leading Pretreatment Technologies
Charles E. Wyman, Dartmouth College/University of CaliforniaBruce E. Dale, Michigan State University
Richard T. Elander, National Renewable Energy LaboratoryMark T. Holtzapple, Texas A&M University
Michael R. Ladisch, Purdue UniversityY. Y. Lee, Auburn University
Mohammed Moniruzzaman, Genencor InternationalJohn N. Saddler, University of British Columbia
International Symposium on Alcohol FuelsSan Diego, CaliforniaSeptember 26, 2005
Biomass Refining CAFI
Topics Covered• Need for new transportation fuels• Overview of cellulosic biomass• Conversion of cellulosic biomass to ethanol• Importance of pretreatment• Biomass Refining Consortium on Applied
Fundamentals and Innovation - CAFI• Structure of recently completed USDA IFAFS
Project• Structure of in progress DOE OBP Project
Biomass Refining CAFI
Where is a New Energy Source Needed in United States?
• U.S. energy production and demand are nearly balanced for all but one energy source: petroleum
• We use far more petroleum than we produce – >60% imported
• Petroleum is the largest energy source in U.S. supplying ~38.5%
Biomass Refining CAFI
Why Are Transportation Fuels Important Targets?
• About 2/3 of petroleum goes to transportation
• Transportation is almost totally dependent on petroleum (~96.4% in 2000)
• The largest amount of carbon dioxide comes from transportation, ~32.8%
Biomass Refining CAFI
Ethanol Production in Brazil and the United States
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4
8
12
16
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Year
Eth
anol
pro
duce
d, b
illio
n L/
yr
0
1
2
3
4
Eth
anol
pro
duce
d, b
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n ga
ls/y
r
United States
Brazil
from cane sugar
from starch crops (e.g., corn)
Biomass Refining CAFI
Focus: Cellulosic Biomass - Abundant, Inexpensive
• Existing resources– Agricultural wastes
• Sugar cane bagasse• Corn stover and fiber
– Forestry wastes• Sawdust
– Municipal wastes• Waste paper• Yard waste
– Industrial waste• Pulp/paper sludge
• Future resources– Dedicated crops
• Herbaceous• Woody
• Not sugar or starch crops such as used for making ethanol in Brazil and the U.S. respectively
Biomass Refining CAFI
Energy Crops
Switchgrassharvested annually or biannually
Willow coppiceharvested at age 3 or 4
Hybrid Poplar harvested at age5 to 10
Courtesy of L. Wright, ORNLBiomass Refining CAFI
Billion Ton Supply of Cellulosic Biomass
• DOE and USDA recently estimated 1.3 billion tons of cellulosic biomass could be available
• Includes 368 million dry tons from forests and 998 million dry tons from agriculture
Biomass Refining CAFI
Cost of Cellulosic Biomass vs Petroleum
020406080
100120140160180
5 10 15 20 25
Cost of oil, $/barrel
Cos
t of
bio
mas
s, $
/ton Weight only
Energy content
Biomass Refining CAFI
Cellulosic Biomass Composition
Cellulose 45%Hemicellulose 30%Lignin 15%Other 10%
Herbaceous Energy Crops
Cellulose 43%Hemicellulose 27%Lignin 17%Other 13%
Agricultural Residues
Municipal Solid Waste
Ash 15%Lignin 10%Hemicellulose 9%Other carbohydrates 9%Protein 3%Other 9%
Cellulose 45%
Cellulose 45%Hemicellulose 25%Lignin 22%Extractives 5%Ash 3%
Woody Crops
Biomass Refining CAFI
Breakdown hemicellulose to
sugars
Make enzymes, breakdown cellulose
to glucose, and ferment all sugars
Enzymatic Conversion of Cellulosic Biomass to Ethanol
Biological steps:Cellulase production
HydrolysisFermentation
Feedstock Production
Pretreatment
Ethanol recovery
Residue processing
UtilitiesFuel ethanol
Process effluents
Exportedelectricity
Process boundaries
Lignin, etc
Process Heat, Electricity
Biomass Refining CAFI
Benefits of Cellulosic Ethanol
• Environmental– Little if any greenhouse gas emissions – Solid waste disposal– Can improve air quality– Low impact biomass crops
• Economic– Abundant, inexpensive, domestic feedstock– Low cost potential without subsidies– Agricultural and manufacturing employment
• Energy– Secure resource available for most countries
Biomass Refining CAFI
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
Time
Bioe
than
ol co
st, $/
gallo
nSignificant Progress in Enzyme
Based Technology for Cellulosic Ethanol
CornEtOH Price
Based on historic estimates by NREL
1980 Now
Key to Advances To Date in Cellulosic Ethanol Technology
• Overcoming the recalcitrance of cellulosics– Improved pretreatment to increase yields from
hemicellulose and cellulose– Improved cellulase enzymes to increase rates from
cellulose, reduce enzyme use– Integrated systems to improve rates, yields,
concentrations of ethanol (SSF)
• Overcoming the diversity of sugars – Recombinant organisms ferment all five sugars to
ethanol at high yields
Biomass Refining CAFI
Biological Conversion of Cellulosics
PretreatmentProductrecovery
CelluloseHydrolysis and Sugar
Fermentation
Cellulosicbiomass
Prep
ared
biom
ass
Ferm
enta
tion
bro
th
EthanolCellulaseProduction
Cellulaseenzyme Organism
OrganismChemicals Lignin, ash, etcfor boiler, chemicals
Biomass Refining CAFI
Biological Conversion of Cellulosics
PretreatmentProductrecovery
CelluloseHydrolysis and Sugar
Fermentation
Cellulosicbiomass
Prep
ared
biom
ass
Ferm
enta
tion
bro
th
EthanolCellulaseProduction
Cellulaseenzyme Organism
OrganismChemicals Lignin, ash, etcfor boiler, chemicals
Biomass Refining CAFI
Cellulosic Biomass Pretreatment Needs
• High cellulose accessibility to enzymes • High sugar yields from hemicellulose• Low capital cost – low pressure, inexpensive
materials of construction• Low energy cost• Low degradation• Low cost and/or recoverable chemicals
Biomass Refining CAFI
Cellulosic Biomass Pretreatment Needs
• High cellulose accessibility to enzymes • High sugar yields from hemicellulose• Low capital cost – low pressure, inexpensive
materials of construction• Low energy cost• Low degradation• Low cost and/or recoverable chemicals• A large number of pretreatment technologies
have been studied, but only a few show promise
Biomass Refining CAFI
Biomass Refining Consortium for Applied Fundamentals and Innovation (CAFI)
• Organized in late 1999• Included top researchers in biomass hydrolysis from
Auburn, Dartmouth, Michigan State, Purdue, NREL, Texas A&M, UBC, U. Sherbrooke
Mission: Develop information and a fundamental understanding
of biomass hydrolysis that will facilitate commercialization,
Accelerate the development of next generation technologies that dramatically reduce the cost of sugars from cellulosic biomass
Train future engineers, scientists, and managers.
Biomass Refining CAFI
CAFI USDA IFAFS Project Overview• Multi-institutional effort funded by USDA Initiative for Future
Agriculture and Food Systems Program for $1.2 million to develop comparative information on cellulosic biomass pretreatment by leading pretreatment options with common source of cellulosic biomass (corn stover) and identical analytical methods– Aqueous ammonia recycle pretreatment - YY Lee, Auburn University– Water only and dilute acid hydrolysis by co-current and flowthrough
systems - Charles Wyman, Dartmouth College– Ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) - Bruce Dale, Michigan State University– Controlled pH pretreatment - Mike Ladisch, Purdue University– Lime pretreatment - Mark Holtzapple, Texas A&M University– Logistical support and economic analysis - Rick Elander/Tim Eggeman,
NREL through DOE Biomass Program funding• Completed in 2004
Biomass Refining CAFI
Feedstock: Corn Stover• NREL supplied corn stover to all project participants
(source: BioMass AgriProducts, Harlan IA)• Stover washed and dried in small commercial operation,
knife milled to pass ¼ inch round screen
Glucan 36.1 %
Xylan 21.4 %
Arabinan 3.5 %
Mannan 1.8 %
Galactan 2.5 %
Lignin 17.2 %
Protein 4.0 %
Acetyl 3.2 %
Ash 7.1 %
Uronic Acid 3.6 %
Non-structural Sugars 1.2 %
Biomass Refining CAFI
USDA IFAFS Project Tasks
• Apply leading pretreatment technologies to prepare biomass for conversion to products
• Characterize resulting fluid and solid streams• Close material and energy balances for each
pretreatment process • Determine cellulose digestibility and liquid
fraction fermentability• Compare performance of pretreatment
technologies on corn stover
Biomass Refining CAFI
Presentations and Publications of CAFI Results
• Team presentations at – 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers,
Austin, Texas, November 11 – 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers,
San Francisco, California, November 20 – 25th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals,
Breckenridge, Colorado, May 7, 2003 – 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers,
Indianapolis, Indiana, November 4 – 24th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Gatlinburg,
Tennessee, April 28, 2002 • Mosier N, Wyman CE, Dale B, Elander R, Lee YY, Holtzapple M,
Ladisc1 M. 2005. “Features of Promising Technologies for Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass,” BioResource Technology 96(6): 673-686
• Special December issue of Bioresource Technology reports USDA IFAFS findings in several papers including joint papers to introduce project and summarize results
Biomass Refining CAFI
DOE Office of the Biomass Program Project: April 2004 Start
• Funded by DOE Office of the Biomass Program for $1.88 million through a joint competitive solicitation with USDA
• Using identical analytical methods and feedstock sources to develop comparative data for corn stover and poplar
• Determining more depth information on– Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose in solids– Conditioning and fermentation of pretreatment hydrolyzate liquids– Predictive models
• Added University of British Columbia to team through funding from Natural Resources Canada to– Capitalize on their expertise with xylanases for better
hemicellulose utilization– Evaluate sulfur dioxide pretreatment along with those previously
examined: dilute acid, controlled pH, AFEX, ARP, lime• Augmented by Genencor to supply enzymes
Biomass Refining CAFI
DOE OBP Project Tasks
Biomass Refining CAFI
• Corn stover and poplar pretreated by leading technologies to improve cellulose accessibility to enzymes
• Conditioning methods developed as needed to maximize fermentation yields by a recombinant yeast, the cause of inhibition determined, and fermentations modeled
• Cellulose and hemicellulose in pretreated biomass enzymatically hydrolyzed, as appropriate, and models developed to understand the relationship between pretreated biomass features, advanced enzyme characteristics, and enzymatic digestion results
• Capital and operating costs estimated for each integrated pretreatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation system and used to direct research
CAFI Project Advisory Board Serve as extension agents for technology transfer
Provide feedback on approach and resultsMeet with team every 6 months
Quang Nguyen, Abengoa Bioenergy
Mat Peabody, Applied CarboChemicals
Gary Welch, AventinereiGreg Luli, BC InternationalParis Tsobanakis, CargillRobert Wooley, Cargill DowJames Hettenhaus, CEAKevin Gray, DiversaPaul Roessler, DowSusan M. Hennessey, DuPontMichael Knauf, Genencor
Don Johnson, GPC (Retired)Dale Monceaux, Katzen EngineersKendall Pye, LignolMark Stowers, MBIRichard Glass, National Corn
Growers AssociationBill Cruickshank, Natural
Resources CanadaJoel Cherry, NovozymesRon Reinsfelder, Shell Carl Miller, SyngentaCarmela Bailey, USDADon Riemenschneider, USDA
Biomass Refining CAFI
ISAF XV Overviews of CAFI Research
• Pretreatment – Bruce Dale, Michigan State• Enzymatic hydrolysis – Charles Wyman,
Dartmouth/University of California• Logistics and economics – Richard Elander,
NREL• Focus on results from recently completed
USDA-funded project with some new results from the DOE-funded project
Biomass Refining CAFI
Acknowledgments US Department of Agriculture Initiative for
Future Agricultural and Food Systems Program, Contract 00-52104-9663
US Department of Energy Office of the Biomass Program, Contract DE-FG36-04GO14017
Natural Resources Canada
Biomass Refining CAFI
Insanity is doing what you always have always been
doing and expecting different results
Biomass Refining CAFI
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