BIOSYNGAS TO ALCOHOL CATALYST IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Biofuels have garnered a high level of recent attention as a replacement for petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels and to potentially mitigate the effects of anthropogenic global warming. Ethanol is a biofuel that has found wide application as a blendstock to petroleum-based gasoline. Currently, ethanol is produced by the fermentation of sugars, which limits the feedstocks to crops such as corn and sugarcane. Alternatively, mixed alcohols, including ethanol and longer chain alcohols suitable as gasoline blendstocks or stand-alone fuels, could be produced thermochemically via a multi-step process that could utilize a large variety of biomass feedstocks, including non-edible feeds. MoS2-based catalysts are being developed by Range Fuels, Inc., who have built a thermochemical biomass-to-syngas-to-alcohol fuels demonstration facility in Soperton, Georgia. Due to changing market conditions over the last several years, the performance and costs of the catalyst initially chosen for use in this demonstration unit have since been found to be inadequate. Range Fuels enlisted the help of PNNL to use its expertise in catalyst characterization and computational modeling to help improve the performance of its catalyst with the goal of bringing the catalyst and, thus, the overall demonstration to a commercially viable state. This report describes PNNL’s characterization and modeling work and presents recommendations for improved catalyst synthesis.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US).
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1018939
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-20472; 363130; CRADA 297
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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