[Terrapreta] range fuels

[Kelpie Wilson]

Thanks for the info Sean.  I had always heard that Fischer Tropsch 
made diesel fuel. I guess it can make a variety of liquid fuels. 
These guys are smart to go for "cellulosic ethanol" as their first 
product since it has had so much publicity already. I can't 
understand why anyone would pursue the enzyme-fermentation route when 
this process is available.
One question I have though, is what the catalyst is. If it is a rare 
heavy metal like palladium, that would make it less economic.

-Kelpie

At 03:44 PM 11/8/2007, Sean K. Barry wrote:
>Hi Kevin, Kelpie,
>
>I don't know exactly what Range Fuels is doing to make ethanol?  But 
>I do know the basics of "thermal conversion process" which could do 
>this.  If an "oxygen-blown" gasifier (pyrolysis reactor) is used 
>(versus an "air-blown" gasifier), then the generated gas is called 
>"synthesis gas" (H2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2O, trace O2 and others).  With 
>an "air-blown" gasifier, the resulting gas is called "producer gas" 
>(N2, H2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2O, trace O2 and others).  These gas 
>mixtures are very similar, "producer gas" being like "synthesis gas" 
>diluted with Nitrogen gas-N2.
>
>Air contains ~78% Nitrogen gas-N2 and ~19% Oxygen gas-O2.  Since N2 
>is chemically inert at pyrolysis temperatures, then the N2 passes 
>through the reactor and dilutes the product gases of the 
>reaction.  When pure oxygen is used instead of air as the oxidant, 
>then the resulting "synthesis gas" has higher concentrations of the 
>fuel gases Hydrogen gas-H2, and Carbon monoxide-CO, and actually a 
>lower concentration of Methane-CH4.
>
>Back during World War II, two Swedish scientists, Dr. Fischer and 
>Dr. Tropsch developed a method to convert "synthesis gas" into 
>liquid fuels, like Methanol and Ethanol.  The German army harvest 
>wood from the Black Forest and made liquid fuels to supply its 
>vehicles using the process.  This was done in the back of truck! In 
>a Fischer-Tropsch reaction "synthesis gas" is heated and injected 
>into a pressurized chamber that has a metal surface (something like 
>an Iron-Cobalt alloy) which "catalyzes" this gas-to-liquid conversion.
>
>There is a company, Rentech, which operates in California, Colorado, 
>Montana, and Iowa that is using an FT reaction to make synthetic 
>diesel (a liquid fuel) from "synthesis gas" that is got from 
>gasification of western brown coal.   I would say, too, that this is 
>the most like process that Range Fuels is using to convert lignin 
>and cellulose from wood into ethanol.
>
>It is worth noting that when wood is pyrolyzed with pure oxygen, 
>that the process can be continued either until only ash is left or 
>the reactants can be moved out and new feedstock put in.  The 
>primary soild reactant is CHARCOAL!  So, pyrolysis and gasification 
>of wood/cellulose/liginin can have the co-products of gaseous fuels, 
>liquid fuels, sensible heat, electricity, and charcoal.
>
>Regards,
>
>SKB
>
>
>

Kelpie Wilson
PO Box 1444
Cave Junction, OR 97523

home office phone: 541-592-3083
cell (used only when traveling) 213-925-1517

For an archive of my writing and reviews of my novel Primal Tears, 
visit www.kelpiewilson.com

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