Transcript Presentazione di PowerPoint

Chances and Challenges
for the Development of Biofuels
Francesca Ferrazza and Mario Marchionna
Workshop “Energy from Renewables”
Budapest, November 29th, 2007
Corporate Strategies & Development
1
General Scenario
 Fossil fuels are expected to dominate the world’s energy
supply portfolio for some decade to come.
 However, satisfying future energy needs while meeting the
challenge of energy security and mitigating the risk of climate
change has brought energy conservation to the forefront of
public discussion.
 Among renewables, wind, solar and biofuels are growing
rapidly, albeit from a small base.
 Other technologies, such as hydrogen, are considered to hold
promise, but face substantial challenges in terms of costs and
large-scale implementation.
2
Eni Vision
 In the short term, energy-saving-oriented technologies and
behaviours are the most economical and practical measures.
 Carbon Sequestration and Storage technologies will make
use of fossil fuels more sustainable.
 In the long term, it will be important to identify energy
sources that could be alternative or complementary to fossil
energy.
 However, most of the current alternative energy sources
(especially the renewable ones) are neither economical nor
able to secure adequate supply.
 R&D investment could generate technological and
market discontinuity.
3
Eni “Energy Saving” Program
 Eni has recently launched a major national communication and
education project to stimulate energy saving at family level.
 24 virtuous behaviours have been suggested that can enable a
four member family to save up to 1,600 Euro at no or
affordable cost.
 These behaviours would permit an abatement of emissions of
about 27 Million t of CO2, i.e. 25% of the Italian gap to the
Kyoto target.
...consume less, consume better...
 Other initiatives are being evaluated within Eni industrial
plants, such as energy recovery from low temperature streams
through Organic Rankine Cycles
4
Eni Projects for Carbon Sequestration and Storage

Explore
alternative
technical
solutions for the total elimination
of gas flaring.

Improve energy efficiency
production operations

Assess the potential for safe CO2
storage in aquifers and depleted
reservoirs.

Participate
in
CO2
Capture
Project (CCP) together with most
of the major O&G companies.

Promote CO2 assimilation
greenhouse plant cultivation.
in
in
Eni owns a specific inter-wells seismic technique able to appreciate any fluid
movements within the reservoir.
Ability to monitor CO2 injection both at the surface and inside the
reservoir is paramount.
5
Eni R&D Program “Along with Petroleum”
 Biofuels Production
Sun light
CO2
Plants for energy
phytoplankton,
micro-algae,
bacteria
Lipids for biodiesel
Conversion
Processes
(BtL, hydrogenation)
Biodiesel
 Solar Energy Conversion
New photo-active
material,
nanotechnology
Sun light
Solar energy
concentration
Energy efficiency
“Third Generation”
PV Systems
Hydrogen
E. E. generation via
Hybrid Cycles
6
Biofuels
 Biofuels appear to be the only realistic short term
solution to provide a renewable energy alternative
to fossil fuels in the transportation sector.
 Their liquid nature and compatibility
traditional fuels are their main strength points.
with
 As a fuel product, biofuels offer a number of technical
advantages: they are sulphur and aromatics free and
have good combustion properties.
 However, biofuels have a lower heat content than
petroleum derived fuels due to their oxygen content.
This means that they are less efficient in terms of fuel
economy (km per liter).
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Energy Carriers for Transportation Fuels
 Existing infrastructure is a major barrier for any new
fuel/energy carrier incompatible with it.
Energy
Source
Carrier
Production
Process
Distribution
Carrier
Storage
 Gasoline / Diesel
 LPG (DME)
Final Use
 Natural Gas
 Electric Power
 Hydrogen
 Bio-Fuels
Performance
&
Impact on Environment
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Biofuels : current scenario
 The European Union requires biofuels (biodiesel + bioethanol)
to reach 10% of total automotive fuel consumptions by the
year 2020.
 US President has announced a target of 15% of the national
gasoline pool by the year 2017.
 However, the current generation of biofuels cannot be an
answer to market demand because of their scale limitations
due to cost and large land requirements.
 Land use impacts, fertilizer requirements and water use are
other important factors to be taken into account when
considering the potential of biofuels.
 Competition “fuel versus food” is a major issue to be
circumvented not to impact on the living of poorer mankind
and on the prices of food staples.
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First Generation Biofuels
 Current liquid biofuels are mainly Bio-ethanol/ETBE and Biodiesel
Sugar can
Bio-ethanol
Rapeseed
Biodiesel
 Low conversion efficiency
 Only a small portion of the biomass is converted to fuel
 Low yield per hectare (mainly for bio-diesel)
 Low energy efficiency
 High production cost
10
New Generation Biofuels
 Current biofuel’s limitations are a technological challenge,
stimulating intensive R&D efforts towards omnivorous,
efficient conversion technologies able to:
 use massive low cost resource (e.g. agriculture/forest
waste, wood, grass, cane, etc.)
 make the most of the biomass resource
 integrate with manufacturing infrastructure
 convert biomass to market compatible fuels (e. g.
gasoline, diesel)
 be linked to distribution infrastructure
 be sustainable and economical
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Eni position
• Direct involvement in biofuel production is planned by Eni in the
next future
• Eni’s vision is that only 2nd generation biofuels will have the
possibility to gain significant shares of transportation fuel market
• Strong R&D actions are necessary to overcome current problems:
 high costs
 energy balance (often questionable)
 competition with food crops
 induced environmental damages (e.g. deforestation)
 low conversion efficiency
 unwanted side products
12
Eni R&D activity on biofuels
Short term approach
EcofiningTM process
 new technology, developed together with UOP, based on
hydro-treating
 high performance
biodiesel
product,
better
than
conventional
 no glycerol as side product
 full scale demonstration plant (250 kt/y) planned to be
completed in an Italian refinery by 2010
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Eni R&D activity on biofuels
Medium to long term approach
Biomass to Liquids
 biomass gasification followed by biofuel synthesis
 compatible with ligno-cellulosic biomass
 full use of input biomass
 strong technical background
High yield biomass for energy use only
 database on biomass and relevant conversion routes
Micro-organism based biofuels
 no competition with edible crops
 extremely high productivity
 demo plant currently under evaluation
14
2nd Generation Biofuels
Second generation biofuels are needed to close the gap:
 Require massive low cost resource
Ag./forest waste, wood, grass, cane, …
 Want omnivorous, efficient conversion technology
Makes the most of the resource
Should integrate with manufacturing infrastructure
Linked to distribution infrastructure
 Need conversion to market compatible fuel
Gasoline, Diesel
 Other issues: sustainability, economics
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2nd Generation Biofuels
Biomass conversion Routes
Vegetable
Oil
Hydro
processing
Green Diesel
OIL SEEDS
BIOMASS
Gasification
Fischer
Tropsch
Synthesis
BTL
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EcofiningTM process
FEED
PROCESS
PRODUCT
Vegetable Oil
•
•
Alternative to conventional
esterification,
without
glycerol co-production
High quality product (high
heating value and cetane
number, low density)
Esterification
(conventional)
Methanol
Biodiesel
Glycerol
Vegetable Oil
Hydroprocessing
TM)
(Green Diesel)
(Ecofining
Green diesel
Hydrogen
A joint effort of UOP and Eni to develop a processing route to convert
vegetable oil to high quality diesel using conventional hydroprocessing
technology that is already widely deployed in refineries and utilizes the
existing refinery infrastructure and fuels distribution system.
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Biomass to Liquids (BTL)
• Target: processes based on biomass gasification followed by
liquid biofuel synthesis (in principle: FT diesel, DME and
alcohols)
• Activity: feasibility studies (economic analyses, energy
balances, LCA) based on literature data and internal knowhow
• Eni’s background:
 Fischer-Tropsch
synthesis
proprietary
technology
development (20 bpd pilot plant scale operating)
 deep
knowledge
of
refinery
residue
gasification
technologies (Shell and Texaco) and of Methanol/DME
production
process,
through
engineering
subsidiary
Snamprogetti
18
3rd Generation Biofuels
 Growing biomass by means of micro-organisms (such as
phytoplankton, micro-algae, bacteria) to
produce lipids
suitable for conversion into diesel fuel.
Biomass
Collection
CO2
Open ponds,
fotobioreactors or
hybrid systems
A promise of high productivity
Lipid Extraction
Conversion to
Green Diesel
 CO2 produced from power station and industrial plants can be
used to feed the process (CO2 recycling and biofixation).
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High yield biomass for energy use only
• Eni’s Activity: data collection on high yield biomass for energy
use only and relevant conversion routes
 performances and requirements (productivity, soil quality,
etc.)
 production cost evaluations
 energy balances
 LCA
• These data will provide input data for feasibility studies on
biomass exploitation, addressing production costs and energy
and environmental performances (CO2 recycle capability)
20
Micro-organism based biofuels
• Activity: development of a new generation of high
performance, environmentally compatible biofuels based on
micro-organisms such as phytoplankton, microalgae, yeasts
and bacteria
 micro-organism study and selection
 process development
• Feasibility
study
in
progress on a demo
plant for the production
of high-yield microalgae,
which in turn produce
vegetable oils for the
manufacture of biofuels
21
Further Developments
 Potential breakthrough might come from development of
plants fully dedicated to energy use:
 jatropha curcas in India/Indonesia
 switchgrass in the USA
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