The PureVision Biorefinery
schematic demonstrates the many different products that can be produced
from biomass in the PureVision process.
Bio-Fiber
Because of the unique chemical composition of pulp
produced from the PureVision fractionation process including low lignin
and high purity cellulose, potential markets include paper, substitutions
for wood pulp, non-wood pulp and synthetically processed cellulose
pulp in commercial applications. These pulps are used in all forms
of papers as well as a wide range of other materials including dissolving
pulps for producing rayon, lyocell and cellulose acetate fibers used
in both textile and technical applications, fiber for automotive composites,
and building products.
The PureVision fractionation technology has applications
as an alternative pulping process for producing pulp and paper products
from agricultural residues. PureVision has completed research on wheat
straw pulping with very promising result. (See
news release). This project demonstrated
potential commercial opportunities to process different agricultural
residues into a variety of alternative fiber products.
PureVision has initiated a forest products
program with International Paper Company. This DOE-funded program
demonstrated "proof-of-concept" of employing the PureVision technology
as a replacement for conventional kraft pulping as a way to environmentally
convert loblolly pine woodchips into cellulose fiber to produce paper
products.
Ethanol
Ethanol (Ethyl alcohol, commonly known as "grain alcohol”)
is a versatile, high-performance fuel and fuel additive made by fermenting
sugars. Domestically produced ethanol reduces the United States dependency
on foreign oil while creating jobs and improving rural economies, in addition
to providing significant environmental benefits. Current producers of
ethanol cannot keep up with demand. In 2004, over 3.5 billion gallons
was produced from corn in the U.S.
Initially targeted businesses will include the 62 existing ethanol production
plants in the U.S. that could add the PureVision process and related technologies
for converting corn fiber and corn stover into ethanol. This could double
the production capacity of traditional corn-to-ethanol plants.
In addition, ethanol powered fuel cells for
automobiles have distinct environmental advantages over first generation
methanol and gasoline powered fuel cells.
The Department of Energy (DOE) is targeting the production of 10 billion
gallons of ethanol per year from all sources of biomass by 2020. The PureVision
biomass fractionation process will help enable DOE to surpass its ethanol
goal ahead of schedule and provide a platform to produce other industrial
products.
Sugar Platform Created by the PureVision
process
Many different types of sugars are recoverable from biomass (see
schematic), but the two primary sugars are glucose,
a 6-carbon sugar made from the cellulose portion of biomass and xylose,
a 5-carbon sugar made from hemicellulose portion of biomass.
The purified cellulose can be converted into glucose via the enzymatic
hydrolysis process as an alternative to recovering cellulose fiber from
biomass fractionation. Glucose may be processed into a wide variety of
products in addition to ethanol including sorbitol, mannitol, gluconic
acid and 5-hydroxymetyl furfural.
The hemicellulose fraction of biomass
produces a sugar called xylose. Xylose derivatives include ethanol, xylitol,
furfural, furfuryl alcohol and furan. Glucose and xylose can be concentrated
and sold around the world for use in the food and chemical industries.
In the PureVision process, corn stover
(which includes corn stalks and other corn residues) can be converted
to about 60% sugars, nearly the amount of fermentation sugars derived
from corn kernels. As the cost of fossil fuels rise and the cost of biomass-derived
sugars fall an increasing amount of chemicals, plastics and fuel ethanol
will be produced from sugars produced from bio-materials each year.
Lignin
Lignin is a high-energy value by-product from the PureVision process
of converting biomass into resources. Lignin is a carbon-neutral combustible
by-product that can be employed in PureVision biorefineries to fuel an
onsite cogeneration plant where water is heated to produce steam and to
turn turbines that generate electricity. Higher value applications of
lignin are being investigated by PureVision including the use of lignin
as an asphalt binder and for use as a biofuels additive to gasoline.
Energy & Fuel Cells
Existing co-generation technology will be installed to generate steam
and electricity to power PureVision biorefineries. Using agricultural
and/or wood wastes as feedstocks, a PureVision biorefinery can expect
to provide all the process steam requirements and most if not all of the
electric requirements to operate the facility. Some lignin-rich waste
wood streams could generate more electricity than is consumed by the plant
while providing revenues from electricity sales.
Ethanol powered fuel cells for automobiles
and stationary applications have distinct environmental advantages over
first generation methanol and gasoline powered fuel cells now approaching
commercialization. These advantages include a carbon-neutral fuel-cell
energy source unlike fossil fuel-based natural gas, diesel and gasoline
used in current fuel cell technologies.
Hydrogen can be produced from the
PureVision process by using methane (a by-product of anaerobic digestion)
or ethanol, a non-toxic, intermediate liquid fuel. The advantage of
using ethanol to produce hydrogen is the ease of
transporting ethanol, which would use the existing gasoline distribution
infrastructure. Final conversion of ethanol to hydrogen for vehicle
power (using fuel cells) could occur at reforming/filling stations and/or
on-board the vehicle. Ethanol can also be used to produce hydrogen to
then produce electricity utilizing stationary fuel cells for distributed
power without transporting hydrogen.
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