Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 All forms of alternative fuels will be needed: no silver bullet
Biodiesel
Pyrolysis Conventional Oil
Coal
Hydrogen Biomethane Natural gas
Ethanol Miscanthus Methanol
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Challenges that fuels face
Security of supply Technology
Challenges Peak Oil Climate change
Cost
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Carbon reduction targets UK Climate Change Act 2008: 80% reduction GHGs by 2050
80% reduction target
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Fossil fuels dominate global energy production Fossil fuel use will continue, but the share of alternatives will increase
2008 Global energy use (from REN21)
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Some sustainable fuels opportunities across various sectors were explored by our group at Imperial… Sector
Oil industry
Technologies - Goals Oil methanogenesis: Bacterial transformation of oil into gas
Algae biofuel industry
Transesterification: Production of biodiesel and biomethanol
Pulp and paper industry
Black liquor gasification: Production of motor fuels and electricity
Bioenergy sector
Promoting innovation: Improve producer and end-user relationships
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Methanogenesis Nutrient injection
Oil Reservoir
Gas production
Microbial transformation of oil into gas
Is oil methanogenesis economically viable in mature reservoirs? “Proof of concept” validated under laboratory conditions Positive financial returns only with high natural gas prices (>10 $/MMBtu) Long incubation periods strongly penalized A few startups targeting coal: Luca Technologies, Ciris Energy, Profero Energy Sustainable Fuels
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Algae What is Algae? Autotrophic organisms Water based plants Fuels produced Biodiesel Methane Hydrogen Methanol Bioethanol Industry investments Exxon Mobil $600m (2009) BP $10m (2009)
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Algae Benefits
Risks and Problems Immature Technology; Capital intensive projects; Price competitive issue; Effect on ecosystems unknown (Genetically modified algae)
High productivity & blending
potential Carbon mitigation potential Avoids land use issue (¾ of
Earth’s =oceans)
Cost of production
Source: Solix
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Black liquor Wood
Pulp mill
Pulp
Paper mill
Paper
Black liquor
The chemical pulping process breaks down wood to produce pulp. Spent chemicals recovered from the process are called black liquor. Currently burnt in boilers to produce steam to run the equipment. Sustainable Fuels
CorrosionCost.com
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Black liquor: a growing interest for black liquor gasification Possible products
Electricity
Methanol
Dimethyl Ether
Diesel
Potentials Worldwide black liquor potential:
~ 2.4x109 GJ/year
European methanol production:
11 million tonnes – 0.2x109 GJ/year
Automotive fuel participation:
~50% Finland, 30% Sweden
U.S. methanol potential:
28 million tonnes of methanol 2.5% petrol and diesel consumption Issues
Benefits Possible use of a more efficient chemical pulping process → wood savings
Capital intensive : ~ €300m (Eqt. & Assembly costs for fuel synthesis - large mills)
Efficient electricity generation
Increased operational costs
Production of high value fuels
Some technologies are not commercial yet 11
Sustainable Fuels
Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Bioenergy and innovation Bioenergy is important in many forms of energy use: Transport fuels Electricity generation Gas generation Heat generation Bioenergy contributed 80.7% of primary renewable energy in the UK in 2009.
Bioenergy has the potential to contribute 24 – 30 TWh/yr of final UK energy demand Sustainable Fuels
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Bioenergy and innovation Innovation is a dynamic process involving many actors
There is a severe shortage of qualified people in the area Current organisations are not set up to promote radical innovation The Renewable Heat Incentive will help to improve bioenergy demand
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Example of policies Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation – RTFO 1.6 billion litres of biofuels - 3.33% of UK’s total fuel volume European Union Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading System – EU ETS 11.6% annual decrease in GHG emissions from EU ETS participants in 2009
U.S. Department Of Energy - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Billions of dollar grants per year available 19 integrated biorefinery projects - $564 million INEOS New Planet BioEnergy Joint Venture received a $50 million grant – 3rd generation bioethanol and renewable power Sapphire Energy in San Diego, California: $54.5 million loan guarantee – demonstration of an integrated algal biorefinery process
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 There is no single solution!
Energy security
Technology not mature
Climate Change
R&D costly , Long-term investment horizon
Peak oil
Access to new markets
Other renewable technologies
Innovation
Lack of understanding and support
Develop clean future fuels
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010
Thank you for your attention! Merci beaucoup! ¡Muchas gracias! Σας ευχαριστούµε πολύ! 非常感谢! Sustainable Fuels
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 Further information Poster number
Name
Project Title
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Driss Mrani
High Temperature Electrolysis: techno-economic of H2 production and case study for Morocco
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Stephanie Hoarau
Cost benefit analysis of black liquor gasification Factors influencing profitability
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Patrick McMullen
The Role of Market Actors in the Field of Bioenergy in the UK
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Santiago Morales
Oil methanogenesis: techno-economic analysis
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Vassilis Paschopoulos
Indirect Land Use Change Factors: Calculation Methodologies
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Pedro Santiago
Biofuel's Capacity to Displace Fossil Fuels in Transport
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Dongxu Xu
Carbon Abatement potential of Algae Derived Fuels Sustainable Fuels
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Sustainable Energy Futures Conference 2010 REFERENCES BP (2010) Statistical Review of World Energy. DECC (2010) Digest of UK Energy Sources. Dukes Sorrell, S., Speirs, J., Bentley, R., Brandt A. & Miller, R. (2009) Global Oil Depletion: An assessment of the evidence for a near-term peak in global oil production. UKERC. Goodall N. (2010) RTFO: year two (provisional data) Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, Annual Conference. EUROPA (2010) Emissions trading: EU ETS emissions fall more than 11% in 2009 Ekbom, T., Berglin, N. & Lögdberg, S. (2005) Black Liquor Gasification with Motor Fuel Production – BLGMF II. Swedish Energy Agency. Stockholm, Sweden U.S. Department of Energy (2009) Secretaries Chu and Vilsack Announce More Than $600 Million Investment in Advanced Biorefinery Projects. [Online] Available from: www.energy.gov [Accessed September 2010] DECC (2010) UK CLIMATE CHANGE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATOR: 2008 GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, FINAL FIGURES . Statistical Release.
