Unfortunately, current fast pyrolysis processes produces an oil that has properties (e.g. highly acidic and oxygenated) which makes it unsuitable for direct use as a transport fuel .
The Pyrolysis Challenge was therefore set up with aim of developing new methods of producing an upgraded pyrolysis oil which could be used as a liquid transport fuel.
The expected outcomes of the project are:
- proof of scientific and engineering principle for a novel process for the production of a low-cost and low GHG intensity upgraded of biomass-derived pyrolysis oil
- complete characterisation of the upgraded oil, including details of processes and the impact of different feedstocks
- an assessment of the likely commercial and environmental value of any associated co-products, and processes for their exploitation
- development of a large lab-scale or small industrial demonstration unit (capable of delivering cubic meters of refinery-grade pyrolysis oil) modelling of the full-scale process economics, whole system GHG intensity and key technical parameters (e.g. catalyst lifetime).
The Projects:
After a selective process of technical and commercial due diligence the outcome of the Pyrolysis Challenge is that the following projects have been funded:
A consortium which includes Catal International Ltd, CARE Ltd, and Aquafuels Research Ltd and aims to develop a novel process to produce up-graded pyrolysis oils from waste biomass such as municipal and wood waste, which can be blended with diesel at the point of distribution. We are investing £7 million over 3-4 years into the consortium which contains complementary technical capabilities spanning the complete pyrolysis-to-fuel supply chain. There are concerns with existing biofuels related to competition for arable land, which can lead to adverse impacts on food prices and overall carbon savings due to associated land use changes. A key advantage of developing a process which will use existing organic waste rather than plant crops is that it avoids many of these issues, and can lead to even greater carbon savings by avoiding methane emissions from landfill. Our analysis shows that the carbon footprint of this new pyrolysis biofuel could potentially achieve a carbon saving of 95% when compared to fossil fuels and offer the lowest cost production route of any next 2nd generation biofuel technology (between £0.30 and £0.48 per litre of diesel biofuel). This carbon saving is significantly higher that some existing biofuels, which also do not currently factor in the impacts of land use change when calculating the carbon saving. For more information, please e-mail us.
The University of York has been awarded a £500,000 research grant to conduct earlier-stage R&D on a proprietary low temperature microwave process to make and upgrade pyrolysis oils. This offers greater energy efficiencies and could also produce very high quality oil which could lead to pure biofuel being used in cars. For more information, please
e-mail Mark Gronnow at the University of York.