| 2008/05/02-19:43 木くずからバイオディーゼル＝世界初の本格製油所が稼働−独 |
| 【ベルリン２日時事】木くずから発生させたガスでバイオディーゼルを生産する本格的な製油所がこのほど、ドイツ東部で稼働を始めた。バイオ燃料の多くは、トウモロコシ、サトウキビなど食用の農産物から製造され、その生産拡大が世界的な食品価格高騰の一因と指摘されている。非食用原料に由来する「第２世代バイオ燃料」に注目が集まっており、記念式典にはメルケル独首相も出席した。 |
| Biomass-to-Liquid biofuel plant opens in Germany |
| 24/04/2008 - 12:56 |
On April 17, 2008, the world’s reportedly first commercial biomass-to-liquid (BtL) plant opened in Freiberg, Saxony in Eastern Germany. The owner company Choren Industries GmbH projects that it will take 8 to 12 months for the plant to reach its full annual capacity of 18 million liters. The plant will run on forest residue wood and waste timber. At full capacity it will use 65,000 MT of wood dry matter as feedstock. Investment costs amounted to 100 million Euro, including a 35 million Euro subsidy from the state of Saxony. While BtL can be produced from cellulosic material, it is distinctly different from cellulosic ethanol, another second generation biofuel. The Choren project is the most commercially advanced of several research and development activities in Germany for BtL production. Choren produces BtL with the Carbo-V ® process and calls its fuel “SunDiesel®”. Choren cooperates with the car manufacturers Daimler and Volkswagen which have tested the fuel in their cars. Other activities exist at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Research Center Karlsruhe, FZK) with the bioliq ® process, also in cooperation with Volkswagen. A pilot plant is currently being constructed at the FZK. Choren is contemplating building an industrial scale plant with an annual capacity of 270 million liters/200,000 MT (71 million gallons) in the city of Schwedt in the state of Brandenburg. The final decision is projected for 2009 and subject to the company’s assessment of the projected profitability. If built, the plant could start operating in 2012 or 2013. Currently, production costs for BtL are still higher than those for fossil fuels, thus the use of BtL depends on tax incentives. However, the German energy tax law currently provides a tax exemption for second generation fuels only until 2015. As a result, the period for amortization would be rather short. Consequently, the final decision whether to implement the plans will likely depend on amendments in the German energy tax law to prolong support for second generation biofuels. BtL is very popular among German politicians who hope it will help them achieve their ambitious biofuel goals and alleviate the food versus fuel debate at the same time . However, while the opening of the Freiberg plant is a milestone, BtL is still in its infancy and it is still a long way to go for large scale production of BtL in Germany. Because of its technical specification BtL is also popular with the car manufacturers and mineral oil companies, which are more likely to support the use of BtL then cellulosic ethanol for example. Future economic viability of BtL production will depend on feedstock costs, logistic costs to move the biomass to the facility, prices for competing products such as fossil fuels, future technical progress and reduction of conversion costs, and last not least government support, for example in the form of tax incentives or mandate. BtL is a second generation biofuel that is produced from biomass. Unlike first generation biofuels such as bioethanol or biodiesel, BTL production uses the whole plant, while biodiesel and bioethanol currently only use parts of the plant. This results in a smaller area requirement for the same amount of energy compared to biodiesel or bioethanol. |
| (FAS) |
Building phase of World’s First Commercial Synthetic Biofuel Production Plant successfully completed.
Building stage of synthetic biofuel (BTL) manufacturing plant completed. Over 130 guests from industry and politics visit Freiberg. Future full-scale commercial BTL production is the hot topic.
Freiberg, 17 April 2008
? Merkel: "Progress
can be achieved in climate protection when government, industry
and science work hand in hand."
? Milbradt: “Today marks an important step on
the road to a sustainable and secure energy supply
? BTL is a key technology for achieving the climate objectives
for road traffic
? CO2 emissions up to 90% lower than from conventional diesel
? BTL production does not compete with food production
? Shell, Daimler and Volkswagen emphasise their commitment to
synthetic biofuel made by CHOREN
CHOREN is marking an important milestone with completion of the building phase of the world’s first commercial synthetic BTL biofuel production plant. This was acknowledged today by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Prime Minister of Saxony, Georg Milbradt during a visit to the ‘Beta plant’ in Freiberg, Saxony.
An important phase now follows - the commissioning of the plant, which will result in production of up to 18 million litres of BTL. The commissioning will take place in stages over several months. 113 sub-systems in 26 main operating units will be put into operation individually and then consequetively. Forest residue and waste wood will be used as raw materials. The biomass will not compete with food production. Synthetic biofuel can be used in all diesel engines, without modification.
Chancellor Merkel emphasised the significance of Germany’s commitment to combating climate change in front of more than 130 guests. “The Freiberg project demonstrates what progress can be achieved in the development of climate protection technology when government, industry and science work hand in hand.”
Saxony’s Prime Minister, Georg Milbradt, said "At CHOREN the innovative tradition of Freiberg’s fuel research is being continued. A process for producing petrol from coal was developed here previously; now the same feat has been achieved with wood. The result is a more sustainable, cleaner and more economical biofuel without the social and environmental side effects as in the case of bio ethanol.” He went on to add “Today marks an important date for Germany and the world on our journey towards secure and sustainable mobility. Freiberg is already Germany’s solar capital and perhaps soon also Europe’s. Bioenergie could well become a similar success story.
The completion of the
building phase of the Beta plant is a milestone on a longer
journey.
The vision of the company founder, Dr. Bodo Wolf, was to produce
energy from renewable raw materials in a sustainable and
environmentally-friendly way. That led to the development of the
high-technology Carbo-V® process, successfully tested in
the 1-MWth-Carbo-V® pilot unit (22,500 operating
hours).
The pilot unit was extended in 2002 with the addition of fuel
synthesis. The BTL diesel fuel manufactured was then subjected to
comprehensive fleet tests at Daimler and Volkswagen. Its
performance and emission qualities during combustion were
outstanding, proving that the CHOREN technology had now evolved
beyond the laboratory stage.
The next step became possible through the financial involvement
of private individuals around Hamburg’s LichtBlick group, still today
CHOREN’s largest shareholder
The building of the world’s first commercial BTL production
plant (Beta plant) in Freiberg was completed in two stages.
Firstly, the Carbo-V® gasifier was set up with its main
process equipment, the low temperature gasifier (NTV) and
high-temperature gasifier (HTV). Then, the expansion
incorporating the FT (Fischer-Tropsch) synthesis through
partnership with Shell, integrating the most advanced FT
technology:- the SMDS process.
Over 150 suppliers and around 50 assembly companies, including
many from the region, were involved in the building of the Beta
plant. CHOREN designed and manufactured 180 main components
itself. Over 600 companies had been involved in the development
of the Carbo-V® technology. By April 2008 around
800,000 man-hours have been utilized in development and assembly,
and the overall number of employees almost doubled.
In the coming months 113 sub-systems in 26 main operating units will be started up individually then in sequence. Around 1,200 steps will be needed for the commissioning of these systems, which in themselves consist of several sub-steps. A highly-complex process, which, not unusually for plants of this complexity, will take 8 to 12 months. CHOREN will receive valuable support for this from Shell.
Tom Blades, CEO of
CHOREN, stressed: “BTL is a key technology for
achieving the climate protection objectives of road transport.”
A reduction of up
to 90% in greenhouse gases, no competition with food production
and better performance than fossil fuels are the most important
features of the synthetic biofuel. It is an inestimable advantage
to CHOREN to have experienced companies such as Shell, Daimler
and Volkswagen as partners and shareholders ? on our side
developing, producing and marketing BTL.”
Rob Routs,
Executive Director of Royal Dutch Shell plc, said: “Shell is committed to a secure,
affordable and sustainable energy supply in the future. We are
working both on making fossil fuels more efficient and on
development of alternative fuels. With next generation biofuels
such as the BTL fuel from CHOREN, we are leading innovation in
low-carbon fuels for sustainable mobility.”
“We want to move
away from oil and towards renewable energy sources with positive
side effects. Second generation biofuels can help us in that
respect,” said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn,
chairman of the supervisory board of Volkswagen
Aktiengesellschaft. “Volkswagen has been calling for
and promoting second generation biofuels for a long time, which
have an excellent environmental balance, help the engine attain
optimum combustion, and do not compete with food production,”
continued
Winterkorn.
"The second generation biofuel stands out because of its
high quality, excellent CO2 balance and also because it does not
compete with food production,” says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman
of Daimler Aktiengesellschaft and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “That makes SunDiesel®
the most promising
option among the synthetic biofuels. It can be used in any
blending ratio in current and future engine generations making a
major contribution towards sustainable mobility.”
Major advantages of synthetic biofuel ? Compared to fossil diesel, BTL reduces life cycle CO2 emissions by up to 90%. ? BTL is virtually free of aromatics and sulphur, with significantly lower emission of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, as well as nitrogen oxides and particulates. ? BTL is a designer fuel that can be used in any current or future diesel engine, without the need for modifications. ? Forest residues, waste wood, fast-growing timber and agricultural resiude (eg straw) can be used as biomass for production purposes. This means that the BTL manufacturing process does not compete with food production. ? BTL has a high acreage yield in its production. This is three times greater than for example biodiesel from rapeseed.
Pressure for an
investment decision in favour of a larger Sigma plant in 2009
Looking ahead, Tom Blades said: "We have finished one
successful phase today, but we still have a long way to go. In
the coming months the Beta plant will be commissioned. In
parallel we are working on a concept for the first BTL plant on
an industrial scale, with an annual output of 270 million litres
of biosynthetic fuel, to be built in Schwedt, in Brandenburg.
Once the Beta plant has proven its viability, and provided the
final decision on investment for Schwedt is made in 2009,
production could commence in 2012/2013. But the medium-term
legislative industrial policy has to be right for that."
The statutory framework created for first-generation biofuels has only been defined until 2015, which is not long enough for investors to plan for the first Sigma plant with any certainty. Blades continued: "Nevertheless, we are very confident that the politicians will shortly introduce economic policy framework enabling second-generation biofuels, and thus the synthetic biofuel made by CHOREN, to be a key contributor towards achieving the ambitious climate targets of the future."
CHOREN
CHOREN is a world leader in gasification systems for solid
materials containing carbon. It has developed into the leading
manufacturer of synthetic biofuels (BTL) with its
internationally-patented Carbo-V® process and has registered offices
in Freiberg and Hamburg. The company cooperates closely with
Shell, Volkswagen and Daimler, who are not only committed
shareholders, but also important strategic partners, involved in
the further development of the biofuel manufacturer.
CHOREN currently has 230 employees, of whom 70 work at the Beta
plant in Freiberg.
The Beta plant in
Freiberg
Maximum production: 18 million litres of BTL p.a (= the annual
requirement of about 15,000 cars)
Biomass requirement: About 65,000 tonnes of wood (dry matter)
p.a.
Raw materials:Forest residue and waste timber
Supply is secure for several years
Investment:About ?100 million
Technical details:31.5 km pipelines, 57 km electrical cables,
5,000 fittings, 5,000 measuring signals,
60 pumps, 181 containers and reactors
45 MWth output
Partners:Engineering Partner: EDL
Synthesis/hydrocracking partner: Shell
The Carbo-V®
process
The Carbo-V® process developed by Choren has
three stages.
During the first stage of the process, the biomass is continually
carbonized through partial oxidisation (low temperature
pyrolysis) using air or oxygen at temperatures between 400 and
500°C, i.e. it is broken down into a
gas containing tar (volatile constituents) and solid carbon
(char).
During the second stage of the process, the gas containing tar is
post-oxidised using air and/or oxygen in a combustion chamber
operating above the melting point of the fuels.
During the third stage of the process, the char is ground down
into pulverised fuel and is blown into the hot gasification
medium. The pulverised fuel and the gasification medium react
endothermically in the gasification reactor and are converted
into a raw synthesis gas. Once this has been treated in the
appropriate manner, it can be used as a combustible gas for
generating electricity, steam and heat or as a synthesis gas for
producing SunDiesel®.
FT synthesis
Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis is used to convert the synthesis
gas into fuel. During this process, the reactive parts of the
synthesis gas (CO and H2) interact with a catalyst to form
hydrocarbons. FT synthesis was developed in Germany in the 1920s.
Today, Choren uses the SMDS process, a further development by
Shell, which has been in successful use in Malaysia since the
early 1990s, using natural gas.
| (1) | CHOREN社(独)： 15,000t/d規模の第2期パイロット設備を来年中の完成を目指して建設中であること、さらに実質的に実用規模となる200,000t/dのプラントをバルト海(ルブミン地区)に2009年までに建設予定であること(この場合原料の木質バイオマスは北欧からの輸入を想定)などが分かった。またこれまでの第1期パイロット研究で得られたBTL軽油について、有償(高価であるが)で少量なら入手可能であることも明らかになった。化学分析やエンジン燃焼試験を行えば、本調査の成果としても極めて有益である。また中国との共同研究では、中国側が当面国内に豊富な石炭からの軽油製造(CTL)を目的として、CHOREN社のガス化技術(Carbo V)を中国側に有償で供与するという内容であることが分かった。当然この技術は期待将来、バイオマス原料にも応用することが予想される。 相互の意見交換後、フライベルグに建設中の15,000t/d規模のベータプラントを見学した。 現在Carbo-Vのガス化炉を建設中であり、今後FT設備及びアップグレーディング設備を来年度中までに建設するということであった。 |
BTLは「Biomasse To Liquid （バイオマスの液化）」の略称であり、GTL （Gas To Liquid 、ガスの液化）およびCTL （Coal To Liquid、
石炭の液化）と同じく合成燃料に分類される。合成燃料の成分は、現在の最新型エンジンに求められる基準に合わせて調整することができる。
副産物として生じる藁や余剰木材から、燃料生産用に栽培されるエネルギー植物にいたるまで、様々なバイオ原料がBtL燃料生産に利用可能である。
BTL燃料は鎖状炭化水素でできており、その利用特性の「オーダーメイド」が可能である。BTL燃料の利用は、排ガスおよびＰＭ排出量の大幅減少につながる。BTL燃料は、BTL100％でも、混合使用であっても、ディーゼル車であればエンジンの改造なしに利用できる。
比重： 0.76〜0.79 kg/?
発熱量： 33,45 MJ/?（43,9 MJ/kg）
燃料相当量 BTL
1? = ディーゼル約0.97?
コーレン社（CHOREN）は、2007年に年産約1万6,500 m3の商業生産プラント第1号を操業開始する計画を立てている。また、年産約22万5,000 m3のプラントを数か所に準備中である。しかし、BTL燃料生産コストは、バイオエタノールまたはバイオディーゼルよりもはるかに高く、中期的にはコストの30%低減が期待されている。
BTL燃料生産に要するエネルギーはわずかである。そのため、全プロセスにわたってほぼカーボンニュートラルであると言える。また、単位面積あたりの燃料収量が高く、原料の裾野も広いことから、BTL燃料の導入により輸入エネルギー源の大幅低減が可能である。
(有)コーレン・インダストリーズ（CHOREN Industries GmbH）、ザクセン州フライベルク
サンディーゼル／カルボV製法（フィッシャー・トロプシュ合成法を用いた3段階ガス化法）
--------------------
、いま最も熱い期待が寄せられるのはBTL (Biomass To Liquid)と呼ばれる技術を使った第2 世代のバイオ燃料である。BTL 燃料は草や木屑など様ざまなバイオマスを原料とし、これをいったんガス化したのち合成される液体燃料。製造には複雑な工程を必要とするが、エネルギー効率が高く、燃料としての品質・性能も極めて優れている。
「サンフューエル」への期待
ザクセン地方の企業コーレン・インダストリーズは、すでに「サン・ディーゼル」の商標でBTL 軽油を試験生産している。サン・ディーゼルは、ダイムラークライスラー社とフォルクスワーゲン社によるテストでも上々の成績を収めた。合成軽油の組成は、ディーゼルエンジンとガソリンエンジンの中間に位置する未来の高効率パワートレーンの要求に完全に合致させることができるため、エンジン設計者たちの間では、早くもこの「デザイナー燃料」が大きな話題を呼んでいる。さらにBTL 軽油は、燃焼時のCO2 排出量が、植物の生長時に吸収されたCO2の量をほとんど上回らないという利点も備える。
「サンフューエル」の別名をもつBTL 燃料は、石油産業界からも大いに注目されている。シェル社はコーレン社に資本参加しているし、競合するトタルとBPは、ドイツエネルギー機構(dena)やプラントメーカー、自動車メーカーと共同でBTL 技術の調査研究を進めており、ことしの半ばにはその結果が出る。
TechnologyThe Carbo-V® Process is a three-stage gasification process involving the following sub-processes:
During the first stage of the process, the biomass (with a water content of 15 ? 20 %) is continually carbonized through partial oxidation (low temperature pyrolysis) with air or oxygen at temperatures between 400 and 500 °C, i.e. it is broken down into a gas containing tar (volatile parts) and solid carbon (char). During the second stage of the process, the gas containing tar is post-oxidized hypostoichiometrically using air and/or oxygen in a combustion chamber operating above the melting point of the fuel’s ash to turn it into a hot gasification medium. During the third stage of the process, the char is ground down into pulverized fuel and is blown into the hot gasification medium. The pulverized fuel and the gasification medium react endothermically in the gasification reactor and are converted into a raw synthesis gas. Once this has been treated in the appropriate manner, it can be used as a combustible gas for generating electricity, steam and heat or as a synthesis gas for producing SunDiesel. |