Feasibility study of bio-refining routes

Abstract

Alternative to petroleum fuels for example: diesel, gasoline and jet fuel are becoming major challenges for scientists due to requirement of energy concentrated liquid fuel for the transporting vehicles. The main objective of this thesis work is to investigate the feasible route to produce bio fuel from biomass. The study has been focussed on thermal route of biomass gasification process. The two alternatives: F-T bio fuel and bio methanol have been studied in terms of investment and cost of products. The cost of products (F-T bio fuel and bio-methanol) and sensitivity analysis has been applied for the comparison with the price of respective fuel replacements as basis for the feasibility study. PRO/lI has been used as simulating tool.

The fixed cost investment require 223 and 225 million Euros for F-T bio fuel (119 400 t/a) and bio methanol (239 580 t/a) plant with normal pay back period of 9.71 and 10.12 years respectively. The yields of F-T bio fuel and bio methanol are 37.68 % and 75.62 %. The yield of bio methanol is nearly twice as much that of F-T bio fuel. The recycling increases the yield significantly both in F-T bio fuel and bio methanol plant. The cost of product of F-T bio fuel was found 116 Euros/barrel which is nearly 1.5 times higher than price of crude oil (56 Euros/barrel). Similarly, the cost of product of bio methanol was 457 Euros/ton which is nearly twice as much market price of methanol (250 Euros/ton).

F-T bio fuel process might be feasible in near future when the crude oil supply becomes scarce and price high. Among the two thermal processes, gasification has promising future since it produces Fischer - Tropsch bio fuel (F-T oil) which is almost free of sulphur. This thesis work has the direct advantage of utilization of this knowledge in other gasification process. Gasification technology has been applied to convert coal into synthetic fuels in many countries including South Africa and Australia.