All Along the Watchtower: Projects, R&D, Partnerships of the Month for October 2020

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Partnership Watch: Lummus Technology, New Hope Technologies In Texas, Lummus Technology and New Hope Technologies today announced that the companies have entered into a cooperation agreement for the marketing and further development of a leading plastic waste conversion technology based on thermal pyrolysis. The agreement is part of Green Circle, Lummus’ new business entity formed to place the company at the forefront of the circular economy and energy transition.

The Partnership

Under the terms of the agreement, Lummus’ Green Circle LLC will be the exclusive licensing party for this technology and will be responsible for providing studies, basic engineering, technical services, and proprietary equipment as part of the technology transfer package. Green Circle is a business entity recently established by Lummus to offer sustainable solutions including: converting plastic waste to value-added products; production of chemicals and fuels from biomass; and decarbonization of refinery and petrochemical assets.

The New Hope backstory

New Hope has over 10 years experience in plastic waste conversion, and its plant in Tyler, Texas, has units that have been in operation for over 5 years. It is one of the largest facilities in the Western Hemisphere, having a design capacity of 150 tons per day (50,000 tons per annum). Through a proprietary feedstock preparation and reactor section design, the technology allows for an optimized investment cost and thus higher returns for converting plastic waste. The technology is robust and forgiving to variations in plastic waste feedstock and contaminants. READ MORE

R&D Watch: NREL, Oak Ridge debunk theory that bigger is always better with forest biomass

In Colorado, new research by two U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories reveals the size of trees is only part of the equation. Of equal economic importance, according to scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the amount of sugars that can be produced from the ligno-cellulosic biomass that can be converted into fuels.

The Research

Researchers analyzed sections of poplar trees to determine how variations in their size and composition affect feedstock quality and biorefinery economics. Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In the production of biofuels from woody biomass, feedstocks represent a significant expense with costs incurred for planting, harvesting, and transporting the trees. Growers typically look at how many trees they can plant per acre with little consideration given to how much fuel those trees will produce or the quality of that fuel.

The amount of fuel produced per acre each year and the minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) are most strongly connected to the size of a tree. But when considering the largest 25% of trees, the size and sugar content were of nearly identical importance to the MFSP, the researchers found.

The researchers analyzed 900 samples of black cottonwood trees grown in Oregon to determine how variations in their size and composition affect feedstock quality and biorefinery economics. READ MORE

Test Watch: Clear Flame Engines matches diesel engine performance using ethanol fuel

In Illinois, ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a start-up dedicated to the development of clean engine technology for the heavy-duty truck, off-highway and industrial markets, today announced that it has successfully matched the torque and power of a commercial diesel engine using ethanol in place of diesel fuel, delivering more than 500 horsepower and over 2,500 foot-pounds of torque while eliminating the need for additional aftertreatment such as selective catalytic reduction or diesel particulate filter systems.

ClearFlame achieved these results on a Cummins X15, a 500hp 15L heavy-duty engine using the company’s high-temperature stochiometric combustion process, which leverages higher temperatures to achieve true diesel-style combustion of any decarbonized fuel. Temperatures are achieved by optimizing existing engine thermodynamics and adding insulation on key engine components. The fuel injection system is also engineered to accommodate decarbonized fuels like ethanol.

The ClearFlame backstory

ClearFlame’s unique engine technology enables low-carbon and carbon-negative fuels to be easily integrated into existing diesel engine platforms, offering a more sustainable and cost-effective solution than diesel fuel. It provides the same performance, efficiency, and rugged practicality associated with diesel engines, while eliminating the need for costly aftertreatment solutions. By replacing 100 percent of the petroleum fuel used with decarbonized fuels such as ethanol, ClearFlame’s engine technology significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, particulate matter and smog, helping to meet stringent emissions regulations while reducing overall engine cost. READ MORE