A new, renewable, drop-in, waste-based fuel emerges, competitive with $30 oil

The yield

The estimated yield is 256 gallons biofuel per ton dried biomass.

The process is reporting higher yields per ton of biomass — principally because of the use of lignin. According to Correia, “the chemical yield to produce biogasoline is higher than the yield for producing ethanol by fermentation of sugar, starch or cellulose.”

In all, Correia expects theoretical yields of up to 2.2 times the conventional yields for cellulosic ethanol, taking into account the conservation of carbon and the use of lignin. So, think of a practical range around 200 gallons per ton of waste residue, compared to 80 gallons per ton of ethanol.

Operational costs: gasoline vs biogasoline

Operating costs (electricity, steam, fuel, catalysts, loss of solvents)      $107/ ton

Capex/fixed labor (100K ton per year capacity (labour, amortization)    $19//ton 

Total excluding biomass                                                                           $126 USD/ton

This translates to a cost of $0.34 per US gallon, excluding the cost of biomass. At $90 per ton, that would add $0.35 per gallon, for a total amortized cost per gallon of $0.69, excluding subsidies.

What the patent app says

Here are some reference points:

Process for converting cellulose in a liquid biofuel using N-methyl imidazolium chloride US 8247581

Process for converting cellulose and hemicellulose in hydroxymethylpyranone and isomers, using as a solvent and catalyst a mixture of N alkyl imidazolium chloride and hydrochloric acid 37%, where hydroxymethylpyranone is extracted with butanol and hydrogenated to methylpyran and isomers.

Process for converting cellulose into a liquid biofuel using as an intermediate an acetal of hydroxymethyl furfural US 8480764

Process for converting cellulose and hemicellulose into dimethyl furan, hydrolysing first cellulose in a mixture of N alkyl imidazolium chloride, hydrochloric acid 37% and an alcohol, to produce an acetal of glucose, making the dehydration to an acetal of hydroxymethyl furfural, extracting and making the hydrogenation of this acetal and distilling to produce dimethyl furan.

You’ll need those as back-up for the patent app for the technology we’re profiling today, where the inventors write:

In our patent US. Pat. No. 8,247,581 and patent application US. patent Ser. No. 13/371,410, we described a process Where cellulose hydrolyses to glucose in a solvent consisting of N-Alkyl imidaZolium chloride (NAIC) mixed With a small quantity of hydrochloric acid and an alcohol. In this reaction medium glucose opens the pyran ring, the carbonyl function moves from position 1 to position 2, the ring is closed to a furan ring or partially remains open. The carbonyl group is stabilised as an acetal.

[0013] Although the use of an acetal to protect a carbonyl function is Well knoWn for those skilled in the art, the application of the acetal to this particular reaction conditions is not at all evident, as We are using an ionic liquid, the pH is under 3, and the conclusion that the carbonyl groups of glucose are stabilised by the acetal is also not evident.

[0014] In a second step We eliminate the Water and the alcohol from the reaction mixture and add a small quantity of hydrochloric acid to catalyse the dehydration.

[0015] In a third step We add an alcohol again and heat to 60-900 C. in order to produce the acetal of HMF, the esther of levullinic acid and the alkoxy benZenes drived from the polyphenols existing in lignin.

[0016] In a fourth step We extracted from the NMIC mixture the acetal of HMF, the esther of levullinic acid and the alkoxy phenols With a cetone. The cetone extract Was Washed With Water in order to further eliminate chloride ions.

[0017] After evaporation under vacuum of the solvent, We made GC-MS to identify the product.

[0018] We noW found that using sugar cane directly instead of cellulose, as We made previously, there Were 2 important improvements :

[0019] The cellulose contained in sugar cane had a crystallinity more favourable to hydrolysis than the cellulose Which We used in previous trials, Which Was supplied from the cellulose and paper industry.

[0020] Lignin Was also hydrolysed under the reaction conditions, producing alkoxy benZenes.

[0021] These ?nding are very important, because in this Way We converted about 45% of the sugar cane in biofuel.

[0022] Considering that 55% of sugar cane Was Water, this conversion is excellent