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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Ambition (Advanced biofuel production with energy system integration)

Teaser

Summary

The objectives of the project are the creation of an ECRIA defining research priorities, technology development and innovation of key unit operations in biofuels production, i.e. biomass pre-treatment, gasification and syngas fermentation. The evaluation of the technical, economic and environmental feasibility from lignocellulosic biomass integrated with hydrogen production is targeted.
Integration between intermittent power generation and biofuels are targeted in line with the priorities of the SET plan and Integrated Roadmap. For an EU transport fuel mix; low-cost integrated process concepts to reduce the investments, innovative biological, chemical and thermochemical routes are needed to sustainable obtain biofuels. Further, integrate conversion of electricity to other energy carriers provides flexible, secure and cost-effective transportation fuels.
The AMBITION activities are based on national research agendas and programs from ETIP and EERA Bioenergy. AMBITION is dedicated to definite and initiate an European Common Research and Innovation Agenda (ECRIA) relying on three key unit operations in the production of liquid biofuels (pre-treatment and fractionation, gasification and syngas fermentation) and on linking of energy systems (grid electricity and biofuels) to improve overall efficiencies. The advances from AMBITION can be adapted to existing biofuel production or integrated to enable new improved, environmentally friendly and economically competitive processes. The project benefits from the multi-disciplinary know-how, research facilities and skills on economic and environmental assessment.

Work performed

Work package 1 considers the development of an ECRIA defining principles and identify research priorities for a sustainable and cost-efficient production of advanced biofuels. The structure of the ECRIA is developed and the technical work packages 2 to 5 will deliver individual white papers. Further, work is ongoing to identify relevant national research agendas and priorities to align and integrated these. Networking and workshops within the technical topics are performed, both between partners and involving stakeholders. A researcher exchange between partners is well underway, very much to improve the common understanding of the entire value chain.
WP2 aims to develop novel, ground-breaking, energetically and economically efficient biomass pre-treatment processes for the selective fractionation from biomass and selective recovery. The consortium has worked on the optimization of biomass pre-treatments at laboratory scale using wheat straw and eucalyptus wood. Currently, the fractionation of lignocellulosics is under verification.
WP3 aims to develop gasification technology to convert biorefinery residues in producer gas, sub-sequent used as feed to syngas fermentation. Therefore, gas cleaning and tuning of the syngas composition is vital. Initially, the focus was on the conversion of lignin into raw syngas. Three different gasification and gas cleaning technologies were used for gasification of two different types of lignin feedstocks. Gasification experiments are performed and optimized to achieve the proper syngas composition for the syngas fermentation. Flue gas analysis show that the gases are applicable for fermentation after cleaning, though the addition of hydrogen is essential to improve overall yields from biomass to final product.
The aim of work package 4 is to engineer thermophilic acetogens enabling production of 1-butanol and using mesophilic carboxydotrophs for producing butyric acid, for further enzymatic esterification of both syngas-derived bio-products to butyl butyrate. The work focused on engineering the thermophilic acetogen (Moorella thermoacetica) and optimizing the various steps in the transformation protocol, including markers and DNA protection. At the same time tests of the wildtype strain were carried out to prepare it for use in the bioreactor systems. Activities concerning butyric acid production included selection of suitable bacterial strains, culture media composition, and the fermentation conditions that support the highest production ratio of butyric/acetic acid. A toolbox for engineering of anaerobic and thermophilic bacteria is developed and utilized to improve the microbial strains towards production of butanol and butyric acid.
In work package 5, the individual process steps are integrated into a process flow sheet for technical, economically and environmental evaluation. Performed are a creation of mass and energy balances of the individual process steps; integration of the process steps and optimization of the overall process scheme to maximize process efficiency. Evaluation of renewable hydrogen integration and a comparative techno-economic assessment and life cycle assessment are on-going. The TEE will be performed at a system level with carbon efficiency and cost minimization as optimization criteria.
Dissemination activities include generation of a logo and website, as well as a range of branded templates for partners to use, alongside a partner eRoom for project documents. Available results are featured in 3 AMBITION newsletters. AMBITION has been promoted by the project partners at a range of conferences and exhibitions since project commencement, including EUBCE 2017, EUBCE, 2018, IEA Workshop on Gasification 2018, SHAPE Energy Sandpits, Data Driven Biotechnology Conference and others.

Final results

Significant progress towards the optimization of all processes under development were achieved. Consortium meetings and workshops allowed to data for mass balances of pre-treatments. The first results using nanofiltration membranes for future purification of sugar and lignin streams were also presented for fractionation into three product streams utilizable in several other processes.
The gasification and fermentation work packages revealed jointly the potential of syngas fermentation in an integrate process. Both processes are undergoing an optimization to improve the system. Additional feeding of hydrogen improves the process through an optimized carbon to hydrogen ratio. Necessary considerations with respect to availability and costs of renewable hydrogen are essential for the economical viability of the process.
Demonstration of the gas fermentation processes in laboratory scale is performed, step-wise up-scaling from 50 ml systems to 50l reactors is on-going. Adaption of strains to flue gas impurities is performed such that real flue gases are applicable in the remaining part of the project. The knowledge generated in the project is valuable for production of other intermediates and fuel compounds applicable for transportation.
The process design work package clearly shows the need for interdisciplinary work considering integration, energy and resource efficiency along the value chain; early identification of bottlenecks is needed to ensure an economical viable process.