Bio-Refining in a Future Bio-Economy
Geoffrey Bell
Australian Task Leader – Task 42
CEO – Microbiogen Pty LtdUpdate post IEA Meeting – Task 42 Dublin Ireland – April 2016
Task42Biorefining
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Task42Biorefining
Background – IEA BioenergyGoal
• Facilitating commercialisation and market deployment of environmentally sound, socially acceptable and cost-competitive bioenergy systems and technologies …
Role
• Independent body to give clear and verified information on bioenergy ...
Policy
Market/Capital Investments
R&D/ Technology
IEA BIOENERGY
Task42Biorefining
Background – IEA BioenergyEUROPE
• Austria• Belgium• Croatia• Denmark• European Commission• Finland• France• Germany• Ireland• Italy• Netherlands• Norway• Sweden• Switzerland• United Kingdom
IEABioenergyBudget:2014:1,9MillionUS$
Tasks:11
Taskparticipation: 102
Directparticipation: 200persons
ASIA/AFRICA• Australia• Japan• Korea• New Zealand• South Africa
•AMERICA’S• Brazil• Canada• United States
3/22
23countriesparticipateintheIEATasks9countriesparticipateinTask42
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Biorefining in a Future BioEconomy Vision Biorefining is the optimal strategy for large-scale sustainable use of biomass in the BioEconomy resulting in cost-competitive co-production of food/feed ingredients, biobased products and bioenergy with optimal socio-economic and environmental impacts, viz.- reduced GHG emissions- efficient use of resources
Mission To facilitate the commercialisation and market deployment of environmentally sound, socially acceptable, and cost-competitive biorefinery systems and technologies, and to advise policy and industrial decision makers accordingly.
4/22
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Most recent publication "Developing the Global BioEconomy" brings together expertise from three IEA Bioenergy Tasks - Task 30 on Pyrolysis, Task 40 on International Trade and Markets, and Task 42 on Biorefineries - to review and draw technical, market and environmental lessons from bioenergy to support the future deployment of a global BioEconomy. This book was recently published by Elsevier.
http://store.elsevier.com/Developing-the-Global-Bioeconomy/isbn-9780128051658/
Published: May 11 2016
5/22
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Task42: Most recent publication - Content
6/22
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Task42: Country updates - Denmark • Long term target 100% renewable energy
by 2050.• Renewables to cover 35% of total energy
consumption, 50% electricity from wind by 2020.
• All heat and power renewable by 2035• Focus on wind and biomass –biomass to
replace coal in CHP plants• Increased use of manure for biogas;
subsidy for biogas to natural gas grid and subsidy for biogas used for transport.
• No current support for traditional biofuels (e.g. 1st generation bioethanol) and 2nd
generation bioethanol.7/22
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Country updates – Denmark: Maabjerg bio-refinery• 2.5% 2G national blending target close• Consortia of local power companies
(50%), DONG and Novozymes (50%).80 million litres of ethanol annually50 million cubic metres of CH4
Heat and Power for 25000 households• NIR funding of 39 mio Euro in 2014.• Looking good….construction expected to
start end 2016.
8/22
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Country updates – Denmark: Maabjerg bio-refinery
9/22
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Task42: Country updates – Italy – New Novomont Plant• New fermentation plant in the site of a
previous plant (Adria ) for the production of 1.4 butanediol from renewables
• Important partnership with Genomatica.• Plant size: 30,000 ton/y• Plant start-up – July 2016
10/22
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Country updates – Italy – GF Biochemicals• New facility started production in 2016• Produced Levulinic acid• Capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year• First company to produce levulinic acid at
a commercial scale directly from biomass
11/22
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Country updates – Italy – Beta Renewables• In 2012 a partnership was created between Novozymes
and Beta renewables .• Long-standing collaboration has led to substantial
reduction in cost of enzymes per unit of cellulosic ethanol
• Partnership of two industry leaders boosts confidence in the technology
• Cresentino lignocellulosic ethanol facility has been operating since late 2013.
• Parties are committed to ongoing improvements in enzymes and process
• In India, Novozymes and Beta Renewables are working to establish a 75 million liter per year cellulosic ethanol plant using 3 million metric tons of paddy straw as feedstock
12/22
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Country updates – Austria – Micro-algae• Ecoduna microalgae production • Existing pilot- plant • Ecoduna is ramping up for the implementation
of for a full scale industrial demo site in 2017 • Planned capacity 200 t/a dm algae biomass • Key product is algae biomass and Omega 3
fatty acids – not biofuels… • Ecoduna is currently outreaching for additional
investors • Ecoduna has built and runs the world’s largest
continuous algae production plant in Austria, using funding from the EU Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme
• A very advanced system
13/22
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Task42: Country updates – Holland – PEF Polyester - Anantium• The next generation polymer with
blockbuster potential • Markets: Soft drinks, water, food, spirits
and wine, beer and dairy amongst others
• Pilot plant started in 2012• Operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
14/22
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Task42: Country updates – Holland – BASF Avantium JV• March 2015…• Production and marketing of
furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) based on renewable resources, the main building block of polyethylenefuranoate (PEF)
• Further licensing and development of Avantium technology
• Intention to build a 50,00t/y facility at Antwerp in Belgium
• Take advantage of PEF superior characteristics over PET
15/22
Task42Biorefining
Task42: USA – Evolution of bio-refineriesThe evolution of corn ethanol into bio-refineries • Corn stover to ethanol
• Corn oil to biodiesel
• Waste streams to protein
• Increased conversion efficiency
• Declining unit costs
16/22
US$20
US$80
US$60
US$40
US$100Valueofproductswiththesameamountofcorninput
1990standardcornethanol
US$MSales
revenu
es
US$65M
Ethanolfromcorn
Typicalcornoperation20yearsago
DDGSco-product
Addcornoilextraction
MostfacilitiesnowextractingcornoilRevenuesup13%
US$73.5M
Ethanolfromcorn–increasedconversionefficiencyby10%
Cornoil
DDGSco-product
Addcornkernel
cellulosic
US$76.3M
Ethanolfromcorn–increasedconversionefficiencyby10%
Cornoil
DDGSco-product
Cornkernelcellulosic
Someoperationscommencingcorn
cellulosicsRevenuesup17%
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Country updates – Australia – Evolution of bio-refineriesOpportunity to optimise a 2G biofuel facility• Upgrading fermentation
• Use yeast that can grow on their own waste
• Produce a by-product of high value animal feed
• Increased conversion efficiency from <65% to >85%
• More efficient and sustainable bio-refinery
17/22
Fuel Ethanol
High value feed
Pre-treatment and hydrolysis
to sugarsBiomass“Fuel and Food”
ProcessMBG
“Fuel and Feed” bio-refinery
fermentation
High value co-product
ResidualC6+C5sugarsGlycerolAcetate
OrganicacidsXylitol
Fermentation yeast Twohighvalue
products,notjustoneandconversionefficiencyupfrom
65%to80%
Task42Biorefining
Task42: Country updates – Australia – Evolution of bio-refineriesImpact on Australia and profitability • Currently deployed technology leads to
doubling of revenue per tonne of biomass
• Add between 11% and 13% by utilising new technology – already identified
• Lower commodity risk - diversification
• Many additional opportunities…
- Green coal
- Bio-chemicals
- Other optimisation
18/22
Value ofproductpertonneofSugarCane(drybasis)
US$154
Sugarfromcanejuice
US$301
Ethanolfromcanejuice
US$168
US$133
Ethanolfrombagasse,trash
andtops
Sugaronlymill
Current1st and2nd Genbio-refinery
Optimised1st and2ndGenbio-refinery
maximisingethanol11%increase
Ethanolfromcanejuice
US$168
US$140
Ethanolfrombagasse,trash
andtops
FeedYeastGreencoalUS$15
US$27
Ethanolfromcanejuice
US$168
US$92
FeedYeast
GreencoalUS$15
US$82
US$335 US$342
Optimised1st and2ndGenbio-refinery“FuelandFeed”13%increase
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Task42: Country updates – Australia – Pentland Project
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Task42: Country updates – Australia – Pentland ProjectAustralia’s first large scale integrated Gen I and II bio-refinery • Recently received ARENA grant of
approximately A$3M.
• Based initially on sugar cane with potential to include super-sweet sorghum
• Large scale – Stage I of up to 340 million liters of ethanol per year
• Stage I capex of A$800M.
• Potential to expand to 1 billion liters per year
20/22
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Task42: Country updates – Australia – Pentland ProjectAustralia’s first large scale integrated Gen I and II bio-refinery • Utilising Beta Renewables and
Novozymes technology
• Combination of high biomass yields and scale results in low forecast operating costs
21/22
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Task42: Renewables are really needed. Not an academic exercise...“The most pristine section of the Great Barrier Reef is currently experiencing the worst, mass bleaching event in history”Professor Terry Hughes: Convenor of the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce.
22/22
HeronIsland:2016
“It is coincident with a very hot dry period in northern Australia, in some ways it is coincident, in the same season at least, with the dieback of corals on the east coast”Professor Norm Duke: Spokesman for the Mangrove and Saltmash Network.
Largescalediebacksofmangrovetrees:2016
Questions…Geoff Bell
Microbiogen Pty Ltd
Ph: +61 2 9418 3182
Evolutionary Technology
Revolutionary Food and Fuel
