Several decades ago, I was being funded by a group out of Houston that later acquired the International harvester stratified downdraft gasifier that Tom Reed knows the group, and a couple of weeks after I received the initial funding, I received an urgent phone call from the liasion person and was told that one of their funded projects had an explosion and two people were killed and the system destroyed and farm houses nearby were either obliterated or destroyed. They were working on acid hydrolysis that is still being pursued today and a pressure relief valve stuck and blew up the concentrated sulfuric acid reaction tank.
I have become more familiar with the acid hydrolysis process as a plant was built in Caserta, Italy that Thermogenics supplied a gasifier to take the char residue and convert to livulenic acid. The concentrated sulfuric acid cellulose mix is very caustic and the only material that can contain it is vanadium, a refractory metal that is very difficult to work with. A 4" motorized vanadium ball valve costs $65,000, and only one fabricator in the US at that time could make them.
Anyhow, none of the acid hydrolysis processes I am aware of have seen commercial success, including one group out of New Jersey that was determined to make it work, but licensing, energy, system costs and other complications have kept them from going forward.
Vinod Kholsa funded one group and it went bankrupt some time later, but any information on the technical reason is not readily available. Anyone have any additional information?
Sincerely,
Leland T. "Tom" Taylor
Thermogenics Inc.
From: thomas reed <[email protected]>
To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification <[email protected]>
Sent: Fri, Mar 28, 2014 9:44 am
Subject: Re: [Gasification] 3 injured in Fortum bio-oil plant explosion
Dear Tom Miles and All
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NOTE: PLEASE CHANGE MY ADDRESS TO [email protected]
Dr. Thomas B. Reed
The Biomass Energy Foundation
BEF, BEC, BER
I used to love the name, Bio-Oil, suggesting my two passions, Biomass and Energy.
However,
Biomass condensed vapors are highly oxygenated, and hardly an "oil". The term attracts the unwary.
Auto-pyrolysis (at 500-600C) of biomass produces a relatively clean gas from the cellulose,
C6H10O5 (cellulose) + 1/2 O2 ===> 6 CO + 5 H2
Good for cooking and driving cars/trucks
Plus Biochar, excellent for improving the ground and atmosphere (by its absence).
<><><>
But externally heated pyrolysis units produce a witches brew of chemicals, some useful when pure (methanol, vanillan, acetic acid) but in low concentration, and better made more directly.
<><><>
Am I missing something?
Tom Reed
On Friday, March 28, 2014, Tom Miles <[email protected]> wrote:
On Friday, March 28, 2014, Tom Miles <[email protected]> wrote:
The industry is not without risk.FTimes-STT Report, March 28Three people were wounded in an explosion in Fortum’s bio-oil plant in Joensuu on Thursday.Two of them, who sustained burn injures, were taken to a hospital while one was injured less severely, sources at the company said.Operations at the bio-oil plant were halted and it was likely to remain closed for several days, according to plant manager Timo Partanen.The rescue department received alarm at around 2pm. The gas explosion happened after the workers had gone to inspect a tank.The injured workers managed to flee the scene of explosion by themselves.The plant was commissioned last year to produce bio-oil from wood-based raw materials.- See more at: http://www.finlandtimes.fi/national/2014/03/28/5723/3-injured-in-Fortum-bio-oil-plant-explosion#sthash.Y3gnQ442.dpuf
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NOTE: PLEASE CHANGE MY ADDRESS TO [email protected]
Dr. Thomas B. Reed
The Biomass Energy Foundation
BEF, BEC, BER
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