- Email: [email protected]
New plant for Novozymes in Nebraska
F O C U S
O N
C ATA LY S T S
Mitsui hopes to start large-scale production of methanol by this process in 2010.
Toyo Engineering in alliance to commercialize small GTL plants using micro-channel reactors
Japan Chemical Week, 4 Sep 2008, 49 (2480), 10
Bituminous coal producer CONSOL Energy and gasification firm Synthesis Energy Systems Inc (SEC) will jointly establish a new coal gasification and liquefaction plant in Benwood, WV, through their jv Northern Appalachia Fuel Llc (NAF) for the production of methanol and gasoline. A total of $800,000 will be spent to construct the plant, which is intended as a mine mouth plant sourcing coal feedstock from CONSOL’s nearby Shoemaker Mine. It will make roughly 720,000 tonne/y of methanol and 100 M gallon/y of 87 octane gasoline.
Toyo Engineering, in collaboration with Japanese firm Modec Inc and US venture business Velocys Inc, is targeting to finalize in autumn 2008 technology for commercial-scale gasto-liquids (GTL) plants. A microchannel reactor that handles associated gas from offshore oil wells is to be used by the plants. The venture aims to build a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel equipped with the GTL plant by end of 2012. The companies have settled on $70,000/bbl as their targeted plant construction cost. For a 140,000 bbl/day GTL plant, this would mean a little less than 50% of the needed $20 bn for setting up a conventional plant.
Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 12,14
Japan Chemical Week, 11 Sep 2008, 49 (2481), 10
Alter NRG to build Canada’s first CTL plant
New plant for Novozymes in Nebraska
JV to use new CTL technology
Alter NRG has filed a Public Disclosure Document summarizing plans to construct a coal-to-liquids (CTL) gasification facility in Alberta, Canada. The plant, which will produce low-sulfur diesel and naphtha, would be the first such plant in Canada. It will tap Alter NRG’s nearby coal reserves at Fox Creek, which has an estimated 468 M tonnes of proven and probable coal reserves. The plant will process roughly 27,000 tonne/day of coal to make up to 33,000 bbl/day of diesel and 7000 bbl/day of naphtha. A total of $4.7 bn will be spent on the project, with completion expected by mid 2014. Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 14
Haldor Topsoe in pilot venture to make DME from biomass Haldor Topsoe, with six other companies, is to build a pilot plant in Sweden for making fuel-grade dimethyl ether from the black liquor from a paper mill. Chemrec (Stockholm) will provide the technology for making syngas from black liquor, and Haldor Topsoe will provide the catalyst for making DME from the syngas. Chemical Week, 22 Sep 2008, 170 (29), 17 & ICIS Chemical Business, 15 Sep 2008 (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com)
NOVEMBER 2008
Novozymes has selected Blair, NE, as the location for its new enzyme production plant, bringing some 100 new jobs to the state initially. The focus of the new plant will be to supply enzymes for first generation bioethanol production and for secondgeneration, cellulosic-based ethanol start-ups. The plant will be designed for later expansions to ensure Novozymes can meet demand for enzymes for cellulosic ethanol. The company plans to make these enzymes available by 2010. The Zymes (Novozymes’ Shareholder Magazine), Sep 2008, (2), 11 (Novozymes A/S, Krogshojvej 36, 2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark. Tel: +45 4446 0000. Fax: +45 4446 9999. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.novozymes.com)
Paper mill to get a biorefinery Flambeau River Biofuels LLC aims to construct and operate a 6 M gallon/y biomass-to-liquids (BTL) biorefinery at the pulp and paper mill of Flambeau River Papers in Park Falls, WI, USA. The plant will use advanced gasification technologies to make synthesis gas (syngas) from forest residues and agricultural wastes. It will also employ the Fischer-Tropsch catalytic conversion process to convert the syngas to sulfur-free diesel fuels and waxes. The plant will
recover over 1 trillion BTU/y of energy used by the paper mill as process heat, resulting in a fossil fuel-free integrated pulp and paper mill operation. Chemical Engineering Progress, Aug 2008, 104 (8), S18
Converting MSW to ethanol US firm Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc aims to construct a commercial-scale plant for turning municipal solid waste (MSW) to ethanol near Reno, NV. The Sierra Biofuels plant, which is due for startup in early 2010, will make roughly 10.5 M gallon/y of ethanol from almost 90,000 tonne/y of landfillbound MSW. The plant will employ InEnTec’s gasification technology and a proprietary catalytic technology for transforming synthesis gas to ethanol developed by Nipawin (Saskatchewan) Biomass Ethanol New Generation Cooperative Ltd and the Saskatchewan Research Council. Plant construction is due to start at end-2008. Chemical Engineering Progress, Aug 2008, 104 (8), S9 & Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 12
Waste-to-energy plant will supply electricity and diesel Thai waste-to-energy firm Better World Technology has placed an order for a new waste-to-energy plant from W2 Energy Inc, which will produce electricity and 70 cetane synthetic diesel from municipal waste. The plant will cost nearly $8 M and will use W2 Energy’s plasma and gasto-liquid process. It will consist of a waste handling section, a rectory to process municipal solid waste into syngas, and a gas-to-liquid unit for transforming the syngas into synthetic diesel. The plant is expected to produce roughly 100 bbl/day of synthetic diesel. Work on the new plant is expected to start before end of Oct 2008, with plant operations to follow in Jul 2009. Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 14
Cellulosic project in Louisiana gets funding The US Department of Energy (DOE) has approved a grant to fund
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O N
C ATA LY S T S
Mitsui hopes to start large-scale production of methanol by this process in 2010.
Toyo Engineering in alliance to commercialize small GTL plants using micro-channel reactors
Japan Chemical Week, 4 Sep 2008, 49 (2480), 10
Bituminous coal producer CONSOL Energy and gasification firm Synthesis Energy Systems Inc (SEC) will jointly establish a new coal gasification and liquefaction plant in Benwood, WV, through their jv Northern Appalachia Fuel Llc (NAF) for the production of methanol and gasoline. A total of $800,000 will be spent to construct the plant, which is intended as a mine mouth plant sourcing coal feedstock from CONSOL’s nearby Shoemaker Mine. It will make roughly 720,000 tonne/y of methanol and 100 M gallon/y of 87 octane gasoline.
Toyo Engineering, in collaboration with Japanese firm Modec Inc and US venture business Velocys Inc, is targeting to finalize in autumn 2008 technology for commercial-scale gasto-liquids (GTL) plants. A microchannel reactor that handles associated gas from offshore oil wells is to be used by the plants. The venture aims to build a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel equipped with the GTL plant by end of 2012. The companies have settled on $70,000/bbl as their targeted plant construction cost. For a 140,000 bbl/day GTL plant, this would mean a little less than 50% of the needed $20 bn for setting up a conventional plant.
Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 12,14
Japan Chemical Week, 11 Sep 2008, 49 (2481), 10
Alter NRG to build Canada’s first CTL plant
New plant for Novozymes in Nebraska
JV to use new CTL technology
Alter NRG has filed a Public Disclosure Document summarizing plans to construct a coal-to-liquids (CTL) gasification facility in Alberta, Canada. The plant, which will produce low-sulfur diesel and naphtha, would be the first such plant in Canada. It will tap Alter NRG’s nearby coal reserves at Fox Creek, which has an estimated 468 M tonnes of proven and probable coal reserves. The plant will process roughly 27,000 tonne/day of coal to make up to 33,000 bbl/day of diesel and 7000 bbl/day of naphtha. A total of $4.7 bn will be spent on the project, with completion expected by mid 2014. Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 14
Haldor Topsoe in pilot venture to make DME from biomass Haldor Topsoe, with six other companies, is to build a pilot plant in Sweden for making fuel-grade dimethyl ether from the black liquor from a paper mill. Chemrec (Stockholm) will provide the technology for making syngas from black liquor, and Haldor Topsoe will provide the catalyst for making DME from the syngas. Chemical Week, 22 Sep 2008, 170 (29), 17 & ICIS Chemical Business, 15 Sep 2008 (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com)
NOVEMBER 2008
Novozymes has selected Blair, NE, as the location for its new enzyme production plant, bringing some 100 new jobs to the state initially. The focus of the new plant will be to supply enzymes for first generation bioethanol production and for secondgeneration, cellulosic-based ethanol start-ups. The plant will be designed for later expansions to ensure Novozymes can meet demand for enzymes for cellulosic ethanol. The company plans to make these enzymes available by 2010. The Zymes (Novozymes’ Shareholder Magazine), Sep 2008, (2), 11 (Novozymes A/S, Krogshojvej 36, 2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark. Tel: +45 4446 0000. Fax: +45 4446 9999. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.novozymes.com)
Paper mill to get a biorefinery Flambeau River Biofuels LLC aims to construct and operate a 6 M gallon/y biomass-to-liquids (BTL) biorefinery at the pulp and paper mill of Flambeau River Papers in Park Falls, WI, USA. The plant will use advanced gasification technologies to make synthesis gas (syngas) from forest residues and agricultural wastes. It will also employ the Fischer-Tropsch catalytic conversion process to convert the syngas to sulfur-free diesel fuels and waxes. The plant will
recover over 1 trillion BTU/y of energy used by the paper mill as process heat, resulting in a fossil fuel-free integrated pulp and paper mill operation. Chemical Engineering Progress, Aug 2008, 104 (8), S18
Converting MSW to ethanol US firm Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc aims to construct a commercial-scale plant for turning municipal solid waste (MSW) to ethanol near Reno, NV. The Sierra Biofuels plant, which is due for startup in early 2010, will make roughly 10.5 M gallon/y of ethanol from almost 90,000 tonne/y of landfillbound MSW. The plant will employ InEnTec’s gasification technology and a proprietary catalytic technology for transforming synthesis gas to ethanol developed by Nipawin (Saskatchewan) Biomass Ethanol New Generation Cooperative Ltd and the Saskatchewan Research Council. Plant construction is due to start at end-2008. Chemical Engineering Progress, Aug 2008, 104 (8), S9 & Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 12
Waste-to-energy plant will supply electricity and diesel Thai waste-to-energy firm Better World Technology has placed an order for a new waste-to-energy plant from W2 Energy Inc, which will produce electricity and 70 cetane synthetic diesel from municipal waste. The plant will cost nearly $8 M and will use W2 Energy’s plasma and gasto-liquid process. It will consist of a waste handling section, a rectory to process municipal solid waste into syngas, and a gas-to-liquid unit for transforming the syngas into synthetic diesel. The plant is expected to produce roughly 100 bbl/day of synthetic diesel. Work on the new plant is expected to start before end of Oct 2008, with plant operations to follow in Jul 2009. Nitrogen + Syngas, Sep/Oct 2008, (295), 14
Cellulosic project in Louisiana gets funding The US Department of Energy (DOE) has approved a grant to fund
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