Perspectives for Greening European Fossil-Fuel Infrastructures Through Use of Biomass: The Case of Liquid Biofuels Based on Lignocellulosic Resources

Abstract

Given the importance of climate change it is vital to find a transition away from fossil fuels. The transition will include electrification of several sectors, for example road transport, but considering the strong dependency on carbon-based fuels and associated infrastructures, it is reasonable to assume that biomass-based hydrocarbon will play a key role to smoothen the transition away from fossil fuels. This study provides an analysis of direct and indirect technological options for liquid biofuels based on lignocellulosic resources in the context of greening European fossil-fuel infrastructures. Direct options are those which result in integration of biogenic feedstock in a fossil-based process and then co-processing in a downstream conventional unit or substituting a conventional part of the production chain of a liquid fuel by a bio-based one. Indirect options are those which pave the way for ramping-up biomass supply chain in the form of infrastructure and market. Examples of direct options in the focus of this study are biomass gasification for production of intermediates and biomass pyrolysis substituting fossil feedstock. Examples of indirect options are co-firing biomass in coal-fired power plants and integrating biomass gasification plants with district heating (DH) networks. Such options are important for establishing biomass supply chains and markets. This study also assesses the potential of biomass use in other industrial sectors not directly related with fossil-based fuel or energy production, such as the pulp and paper industry and the iron and steel industry. In this context, opportunities and barriers for both direct and indirect greening options are discussed, focusing mainly on technological and logistic aspects. It is highlighted that fossil-fuel infrastructures can act as drivers for the development of advanced biofuels production as they can reduce the initial risks, in terms of cost and technological maturity, offering the opportunity to increase gradually the demand for biomass, and develop the logistic infrastructure. It is, however, important to make sure that such biofuel production processes are part of a long-term strategy, which needs incentives to overcome current barriers and eventually phase out fossil infrastructures.

Net Zero Transition: Possible Implications for Catalysis

“…FCC units are responsible for converting vacuum gas oil to gasoline, and to a lesser but increasing extent to propylene and other petrochemical feedstocks . While some FCC units will likely be repurposed to produce more propylene and process newer feedstocks, any changes in either the volume or type of future FCC catalysts will have large repercussions for the catalyst marketplace. In particular, such disruptions will have a significant impact on the demand for zeolites as more than 95% of the catalytic zeolite applications (primarily Y-type zeolites) are currently deployed in FCC units .…”

“…The impact of changing metal demand profiles is already being felt for Ni, traditionally categorized as earth abundant. Ni is experiencing significant price fluctuations because of its increased demand in lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars. , Other factors such as geopolitical events and speculative investing also affect the Ni market price . In general, such fluctuations can be expected when demand rapidly outpaces supply and have previously been observed for several of the minerals associated with the energy transition.…”

Advanced Biofuel Value Chains through System Dynamics Modelling and Competitive Priorities

“…This study aims to apply advanced biofuel value chain analysis through a deterministic, stock-and-flow system dynamics model to analyse both quantitative technical/operational and environmental factors, and later define these through competitive priorities. It does so through real-world evidence to identify pathways that can optimise advanced biofuel value chains and address key challenges, including sustained and reliable production for efficient alignment with markets and investment mechanisms, improvement of biomass resource to production plant connectivity, and leveraging of existing fossil-based infrastructure [15].…”

On the Effect of the Distances between Coal and Wood Particles during Their Joint Pyrolysis on Sulfur Oxides Formation

“…Simultaneous processing of coal with biomass has proved to be an easy and effective solution for reducing negative emissions occurring during the operation of power plants. The processing of coal with biomass, according to several studies [23,24], was found to result in significant reducing in sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions-by up to 1.5-2 times [25,26]. This effect is applied at various thermal power plants in different countries where up to 13 wt.% of agricultural wastes [27] or biomass of other types [28][29][30][31] is co-burned with coal, but so far, such a sufficiently effective solution to the environmental problems created by coal-fired thermal power plants [32] is not theoretically justified.…”