United States
Environmental  Protection
Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-00/092   December 2000
                          of a                      to
                                         to
Fuel

Joseph M. Norbeckand Kent Johnson
  The  report describes numerous de-
sign considerations that were reviewed,
design modifications made, and prelimi-
nary results from operating a pilot-scale
facility to  develop,  demonstrate,  and
evaluate the Hynol Process, a high-tem-
perature, high-pressure method for con-
verting biomass into methanol fuel. The
University of California, Riverside, Col-
lege of Engineering-Center for Environ-
mental Research  and  Technology
(CE-CERT) constructed a reactor ca-
pable of gasifying approximately 50 Ib/
hr of biomass. The design for the reac-
tor was developed for the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) by an
engineering consulting company under
a separate contract. Significant design
flaws were discovered and  corrected
during the project.
  This Project Summary was developed
by the National Risk Management Re-
search Laboratory's Air Pollution Pre-
vention and Control Division, Research
Triangle Park, NC, to announce key find-
ings of the research project that is fully
documented in a separate report of the
same title (see Project Report ordering
information at back).

Introduction
  Producing methanol from biomass of-
fers significant environmental, energy, and
economic  advantages over other liquid
fuel resources. Methanol is cleaner-burn-
ing than gasoline,  so its widespread use
can contribute to air quality improvements
in urban areas. The fuel also can be pro-
duced  from  domestic  renewable  re-
sources,  which  brings  advantages  in
emissions  of greenhouse gases, energy
security, local jobs, and fuel distribution.
  The  Hynol Process originated  at  the
Department of Energy's Brookhaven  Na-
tional Laboratory as a method for increas-
ing  the  yield  of fuel  from conversion of
biomass. Originally conceived to operate
with a  coal  feedstock, the  process  has
been applied to coprocessing biomass
with fossil fuels, coal, oil,  and gas  at high
temperature and high pressure. The pro-
cess produces methanol,  a liquid fuel that
can  be used for transportation, industrial
processes,  electrical power generation,
and  military  needs.  Bench-scale  studies
by others indicate that the Hynol Process
could be economically  competitive with
petroleum because of its high carbon con-
version efficiency (-87%).
  The  Hynol  Process  involves  three
phases:  (1)  Reaction of biomass  in a
hydrogasifier,  also  referred  to  as a
hydropyrolizer (HPR); (2) Steam pyrolization
of the  resulting gas, which produces a
synthesis gas; and (3) Methanol synthe-
sis, which leaves a recycle  gas that  can
be returned to the  HPR  and waste heat
that can be returned to the steam pyrolizer.
  In this project, the College of Engineer-
ing-Center for Environmental Research
and  Technology (CE-CERT) at the Uni-
versity of California, Riverside, constructed
a pilot-scale  Hynol  Process facility  ac-
cording to a  design developed by an en-
gineering consultant to the EPA under a
separate project.  CE-CERT discovered
numerous flaws in the design. These flaws
were evaluated and  corrected,  at  sub-
stantial cost and with significant delays to the
original project plan. CE-CERT performed
some experiments  with the reactor,  but
additional modifications are recommended
before the pilot-scale facility can fulfill its

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original  mission of demonstrating  and
characterizing the Hynol Process with a
variety of renewable feedstocks.

Procedure
  From the specifications for construction
of the  Hynol Process facility, CE-CERT
discovered significant errors in numerous
systems, components,  and  processes, in-
cluding:
  • Hydropyrolysis reactor  refractory ma-
    terial.
  • Burner management system.
  • Secondary air system.
  • Low-pressure igniter.
  • Burner vessel.
  • Biomass feed system conveyor.
  • Biomass  feed  system  overflow
    chutes.
  • Feed system storage containers.
  • Electrical controls.
  • Gas supply and measurement system.
  • Steam flow metering.
  • Nitrogen  pulse heater.
  • Bed  height measurement methodol-
    ogy.
  • Flow calculation  methodology.
  • Cooling  system.
  • Solenoid  valves.
  • Exit flare stack.
  • Heat exchanger.
  • Sample system.
  CE-CERT conducted experiments  and
tests on systems, components, and sub-
systems.  When a system, component, or
subsystem was found to be deficient for
any reason,  CE-CERT investigated pos-
sible  remedies  and  implemented  the
choice that would provide for maximum
safety, performance,  and  cost-effective-
ness.  Modifications  were  completed in
December 1999,  and the  first full-scale
gasification experiments  took place in
January  2000. White  oak wood chips
were used as the biomass for these ex-
periments.
Results and Discussion
  The first gasification experiments were
impaired  by alkali problems and agglom-
eration of sand,  which was mixed with
the biomass in the fluidized bed. Changes
to materials  injected  with  the  biomass
solved these  problems.
  Gasification was achieved, but steady-
state operation was not.  Modifications
to the heating system and a review of
the material used  as  refractory may  be
necessary to achieve steady-state opera-
tion.
  Overall carbon  conversion efficiency
was not  calculated because the gasifier
did not achieve steady-state operation.

Conclusions
  Further research, and possibly a  rede-
sign of some  components and materials,
is necessary  before  the  Hynol  Process
can be  demonstrated at  the pilot  scale
with a variety of feedstocks.
 J.  Norbeck and K. Johnson are with the University of California,  Riverside, River-
   side, CA 92521-0434.
 Robert H. Borgwardtis the EPA Project Officer (see below).
 The  complete report,  entitled "Evaluation of a Process to Convert Biomass to
   Methanol Fuel," (Order No. PB2001-101231; Cost: $51.00, subject to change) will
   be available only from:
         National Technical Information Service
         5285 Port Royal Road
         Springfield,  VA 22161
         Telephone:  (703)  605-6000
                    (800) 553-6847 (U.S. only)
 The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
         Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
         National Risk Management Research Laboratory
         U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency
         Research Triangle  Park,  NC 27711-0001

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United States
Environmental Protection Agency
CenterforEnvironmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
EPA/600/SR-00/092
PRESORTED STANDARD
 POSTAGE & FEES PAID
         EPA
   PERMIT No. G-35

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