(68e) Conversion of Lignocellulose and Other Waste Biomass into Ketones and Hydrocarbon Biofuels: The MixAlco Process, Semi-Works Plant Results

The MixAlco process converts any anaerobically biodegradable material (e.g., proteins, cellulose, hemicellulose, fats, pectin) into a wide array of chemicals and fuels. Such conversion occurs by anaerobic fermentation of the biomass into mixed acids by a mixed culture of naturally occurring microorganisms followed by the conversion of the mixed acids into the desired chemicals or fuels using conventional chemistry. Terrabon, LLC built a semi-works plant in Bryan, TX to confirm the scalability of this process. The semi-works plant processes the equivalent to 5 to 10 ton/day of biomass and is able to generate enough fermentation products to produce 300 gal/day of bio-gasoline. Such conversion to bio-gasoline takes place in a separate pilot plant, where the fermentation product is clarified, dewatered, thermally converted into ketones, and finally catalytically oligomerized into hydrocarbons. The semi-works plant monitors different parameters in the fermentation, such as conversion, selectivity towards acids and acid yield and biogas production. In the downstream chemical processing into hydrocarbons, many different parameters will be monitored, such as yields and selectivity in the thermal conversion to ketones and oligomerization to hydrocarbons, as well as the quality (e.g., octane number, RVP and emissions) of the final product. Results from these studies will be presented.