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Chapter 15: Problem 10

When biomass is pyrolyzed and the bio-oil/char mixture that is produced is fed with heavy oil residues into a fluid catalytic cracker in an oil refinery, is this a biorefinery?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Yes, feeding a mixture of bio-oil and char produced from biomass pyrolysis and heavy oil residues into a fluid catalytic cracker in an oil refinery can be considered a biorefinery. This is because the given scenario involves the integrated conversion of biomass feedstock and heavy oil residues into valuable products, such as fuels, chemicals, and materials, which aligns with the definition of a biorefinery.

Step by step solution

01

Define a biorefinery

A biorefinery is an integrated facility that processes biomass feedstock into a variety of products, such as fuels, chemicals, and materials. Biorefineries aim to use all components of the biomass, improving the efficiency and sustainability of the process. Biorefineries typically involve various conversion processes and technologies, such as thermochemical, biochemical, and physicochemical processes.
02

Describe the given scenario and the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process

In the given scenario, biomass is pyrolyzed to produce a mixture of bio-oil and char. This mixture is then fed, along with heavy oil residues, into a fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) in an oil refinery. FCC is a process that uses catalysts to convert heavy, high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons into lighter, low-molecular-weight products, including gasoline and other valuable products. FCC is a common process in oil refineries and is considered a thermochemical conversion technology.
03

Analyze the conversion process

In this scenario, biomass goes through pyrolysis, which is a thermochemical process that involves heating biomass in the absence of oxygen to decompose it into gas, bio-oil, and char. The bio-oil and char produced from biomass pyrolysis are then used in combination with heavy oil residues in the FCC process. This integration of biomass conversion and oil refining processes is indicative of a biorefinery.
04

Compare the scenario with the definition of a biorefinery

Comparing the given scenario with the definition of a biorefinery, we can see that it involves the integration of biomass feedstock conversion processes and oil refining processes. This integration aims to convert biomass and heavy oil residues into valuable products, such as fuels, chemicals, and materials.
05

Conclusion

Based on the analysis, feeding a mixture of bio-oil and char produced from biomass pyrolysis and heavy oil residues into a fluid catalytic cracker in an oil refinery can be considered a biorefinery. This is because the scenario involves the integrated conversion of biomass feedstock and heavy oil residues into valuable products, which aligns with the definition of a biorefinery.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A catalytic cracking unit in an oil refinery produces the so-called amylenes that can be dehydrogenated (abstraction of hydrogen). Which product is formed? Is there a simple biomass-derived process possible to produce the same chemical?

Does crude oil need to be pretreated before entering the atmospheric distillation unit? If so, which pretreatment is required?

Sometimes, one sees the term "oleochemical-based biorefinery." What is meant by this term and can you give a few examples?

A biorefinery process called "Biofine" has been presented in the recent past (Kamm and Kamm, 2004). It is a biomass-based process route making use of acid hydrolysis and dehydration subprocesses and esterification with ethanol to ethyl levulinate (EL) (an ester of levulinic acid and ethanol). By-products considered are power and formic acid (FA). The production of EL is \(133 \mathrm{kt}\). year \(^{-1}\). The capital cost is 150 million US\$ (consider linear depreciation in 10 years). Table \(15.8\) gives an overview of the prices of the raw materials and by-products. In addition, the water supply costs are US\$ 500,000/year. Regarding labor, there are 17 operators per shift working at a salary of US\$ \(20 / \mathrm{h}\) and two supervisors per shift working at a salary of US\$ \(24 / \mathrm{h}\). Assume an ROI of \(15 \%\). For other costs, take the guidelines given in this chapter (Table 15.6). a. Calculate the cost and return price in US $\$$ per tonne EL produced. b. What is the price in US \$ per GJ HHV? (hint: calculate the heat of combustion of EL). c. Is it possible to produce the required ethanol in the process itself? TABLE 15.8 Overview of costs, yields of by-products, and material amounts for the "Biofine"' process $$ \begin{array}{lll} \text { Raw material/utility/by-product } &{\text { Amount }} & \text { Price in US\$ } \\ \hline \text { Feedstock } & 350 \mathrm{kt} \cdot \mathrm{year}^{-1} & 40 \cdot \mathrm{t}^{-1} \\ \text { Sulfuric acid } & 3.5 \mathrm{kt} \cdot \mathrm{year}^{-1} & 100 \cdot \mathrm{t}^{-1} \\ \text { Caustic soda } & 0.5 \mathrm{kt} \cdot \mathrm{year}^{-1} & 120 \cdot \mathrm{t}^{-1} \\ \text { Ethanol } & 35 \mathrm{kt} \cdot \text { year }^{-1} & 350 \cdot \mathrm{t}^{-1} \\ \text { Hydrogen } & 0.12 \mathrm{kt} \cdot \mathrm{year}^{-1} & 1500 \cdot \mathrm{t}^{-1} \\ \text { Ash disposal } & 17.5 \mathrm{kt} \cdot \mathrm{year}^{-1} & 35 \cdot \mathrm{t}^{-1} \\ \text { Power exported } & 3.1 \mathrm{MW} & 60 \mathrm{MWh}^{-1} \\ \text { Formic acid sold } & 38.5 \mathrm{kt} \cdot \mathrm{year}^{-1} & 110 \cdot \mathrm{t}^{-1} \\ \hline \end{array} $$

Gonzalez et al. (2012) report on the cost of different types of equipment in a biorefinery concept for cellulosic ethanol production using gasification. What is the explanation for investment scale factors smaller than one? What is the explanation for scale factors larger than one? In case of a huge scale factor, what would you propose?
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