1General presentation of the Horizon 2020 ABC-Salt Project | PublicThis project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 764089

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This document contains information, which is proprietary to the ABC-Salt Consortium. Neither

this document nor the information contained herein shall be used, duplicated or

communicated by any means to any third party, in whole or in parts, except with prior written

consent of the ABC-Salt consortium.

Advanced Biomass Catalytic Conversion to Middle Distillates in Molten Salts

PROJECT AT A GLANCE

Prof. Erik Heeres (Project Co-ordinator)

2General presentation of the Horizon 2020 ABC-Salt Project | Public

Advanced Biomass Catalytic Conversion

to Middle Distillates in Molten Salts

(ABC-Salt)

A four-year project funded by EU Horizon

2020 to demonstrate a novel route

to produce sustainable liquid biofuels

at laboratory scale from various lignocellulosic

waste streams

Consortium of nine European partners

ABC-Salt identity

ABC-Salt concept

3General presentation of the Horizon 2020 ABC-Salt Project | Public

Demonstrate a novel route to produce sustainable liquid biofuels

from various cheap lignocellulosic waste streams

for the transportation industry targeting a yield over 35 wt.%

to hydrocarbons with 2/3 in the middle distillates range.

Concept – Technical Core.

Step 1: Biomass dissolution in molten salt media at ambient pressure and low temperature

Step 2: Biomass vaporisation at elevated pressure (H2) and temperature

Step 3: Vapour-phase hydro-deoxygenation to produce middle distillates

Objective and concept

4General presentation of the Horizon 2020 ABC-Salt Project | Public

Integrated hydro-pyrolysis/catalytic hydro-treatment (IH2®)- Developed by Gas Technology Institute

- 15-35 bar H2, 340-470 oC, 370-400 oC

- 25-28% liquid yields, 2/3 gasoline and 1/3 in the MD range

Catalytic pyrolysis followed by catalytic hydro-treatment- Scaled-up by KiOR: Khosla Ventures and BIOeCON

- 10 wt.% yield, most in the gasoline range

Fast pyrolysis followed by a catalytic liquid-phasehydro-deoxygenation- BTG and PNNL

- 24-30% yield; ½ in MD range

Biomass to Middle Distillates via Thermochemical Conversion

Environ. Prog. Sustainable Energy 2012, 31, 191

https://www.osti.gov/scitech/biblio/1059031/

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Solid at STP but melt at elevated temperatures

Baths for alloy heat treatments, heat transfer fluids, thermal storage etc.

Eutectic salt mixtures of chlorides, fluorides, hydroxides, carbonates, nitrates – e.g.: NaNO3:KNO3 (60:40) and ZnCl2:KCl (70:30): ~260 oC

What are Molten Salts?

Lovering, D. G. Molten Salt Technology; Plenum Press: New York, 1982

J. Sol. Energy Eng. 2004, 126, 850-857

Molten Salts

Carrier

SolventCatalyst

6General presentation of the Horizon 2020 ABC-Salt Project | Public

• Sada et al. (1992): Kraft and solvolysis lignins (500-800 oC, 1 atm)to liquids (phenolics) and gas, ZnCl2-KCl

• Kudsy and Kumazawa (1999): Kraft lignin (500-600 oC)

• Nygård and Olsen (2012): Thermal history of wood particles

• Dtta and Dittami (2016): Patent applicationMolten salt pyrolysis for bio-oil and chemicalslignocellulosic biomass (300-400 oC)

Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass in Molten Salts

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 1992, 31, 612-616

Can. J. Chem. Eng., 1999, 77, 1176-1184Int. J. Low-Carbon Technol., 2012, 7, 318-324

PCT/US2016/041063

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Why Molten Salts?

1. Feeding of solid biomass to

a pressurized reactor especially

for lignin-rich feeds.

2. Requirement for rapid heating

of biomass particles to optimise

vapour yield and minimize char

and gas formation.

Major issues

in (Hydro)-pyrolysis

1. Ensure pumping of molten salts

with the liquefied biomass.

2. Use of solubilized biomass source

with excellent heat transfer

medium.

8General presentation of the Horizon 2020 ABC-Salt Project | Public

Value Chain and Partner Contributions

Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation

from TRL 2

to TRL 4

Project Management

Process Modelling and Performance Evaluation

Molten Salt Selection

Hydro-

pyrolysisLiquefactionBiomass Supply Process Integration

& Demonstration

Maximization of Impacts: Acceptation, Perception of Transport,

Techno-economic and Socio-economic Evaluations, LCA

Jet Fuel &

Transport

Application

Hydro-

deoxygenation

April 2018 March 2022

&Characterisation

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Members of the Consortium – Project Partners

Hero J. Heeres

Jos G. M. Winkelman

Tony Bridgwater

Daniel J. Nowakowski

Robbie Venderbosch

Heidi Nygård

Ralph Uwe-Dietrich

Maria Sedin

Marino Bonaiuto

Wolter Prins

Frederic Ronsse

Espen Olsen

Fabienne Brutin

Mehmet Pala

Birgit Backlund

Sandra Adelung

Marta Bialik

Nuccio Ludovico

Laurence Naiglin

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Acknowledgements

ec.europa.eu/inea/en/horizon-2020/projects/h2020-energy/biomass-biofuels-alternative-fuels/abc-salt

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Researchand Innovation Programme under grant agreement no. 764089ABC-Salt –Advanced Biomass Catalytic Conversion to Middle Distillates in Molten Salts

ABC-SaltAdvanced Biomass Catalytic Conversion

to Middle Distillates in Molten Salts

@H2020_ABC_SALT

www.linkedin.com/company/abc-salt/

www.abc-salt.eu

Project kick-off meeting Groningen - April 2018

11General presentation of the Horizon 2020 ABC-Salt Project | PublicThis project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 764089

Thank you for your attention!