biohydrogen from alberta's biomass resources for bitumen

Biohydrogen from Alberta's Biomass Resources for Bitumen Upgrading

Adetoyese Oyedun, Amit Kumar

NSERC/Cenovus/Alberta Innovates Associate Industrial Research Chair Program in Energy and Environmental

Systems Engineering

BIOCLEANTECH FORUM, OTTAWA, NOV. 1-3, 2016

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

OUTLINE

Background

Overview of hydrogen production

Biohydrogen pathways

Comparative economic and environmental

metrics

Key observations

NSERC Industrial Chair Program in Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering 2

NSERC Industrial Research

Chair Program

Theme Area 1Integrated

Energy-Environmental Modeling

Theme Area 2Energy Return on

Investment (EROI) of Energy Pathways

Theme Area 3Techno-economic

Assessment of Energy Conversion

Pathways

Research on Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering

Background –Need for Hydrogen Upgrading of bitumen to synthetic crude oil (SCO) is

highly H2 intensive.

Based on projections, oil sands (bitumen) productioncapacity will increase from 2.4 million barrels/day in2015 to 3.7 million barrels/day by 2030 (CAPP, 2016).

About 2.4 – 4.3 kg/bbl bitumen of hydrogen is usedduring the upgrading of bitumen.

Hydrogen is needed for hydrotreating andhydrocracking.

The projected hydrogen requirement for oil sandsupgrading is about 4 million tonnes/yr by 2040.

4NSERC Industrial Chair Program in Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering

Background – Current Source of Hydrogen Steam methane reforming (SMR) is

the predominant means of H2

production - Demerits include: feedstock volatility, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the use of a premium fossil fuel, i.e., natural gas.

The energy market is increasingly GHG constrained; there is a growing global consensus that GHG mitigation is a policy imperative.

Reducing SCO related GHG emissions with respect to other light crudes is a prudent measure for market competitiveness.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

$/GJ Natural Gas Price History

Natural Gas

Henry Hub Spot

Price

Data Credits: US EIA


Systems Approach to Hydrogen Production from Alternative Sources

6

Wind Energy

Hydropower

Electrolysis of Water

Hydrogen

Natural Gas

Underground Coal

Biomass

Gasification + CCS

Gasification/Pyrolysis

Reforming

NSERC Industrial Chair Program in Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering

Feedstocks for Biomass-based Hydrogen (Biohydrogen) Production Considered biomass feedstocks:

Whole forest – whole-tree biomass.

Forest residues – tree tops, branches, needles which are left after the logging operation.

Agricultural residues – blend of straw from wheat and barley crops.


Biohydrogen Production Pathways

8

Biological Conversion Methods

BIOMASS

Thermochemical Conversion Methods

GasificationHydrothermal

Process Pyrolysis

Biohydrogen

Syngas Bio-crude/Bio-oil

Reforming Shift Reaction

Hydrothermal Gasification

Hydrothermal Liquefaction

Steam Reforming & Water-Gas Shift

Reaction

Biohydrogen Production Pathways: Gasification

Biomass harvesting

Chipping & drying Gasification

Purification of H2

Water-gas shift reforming

H2 compression, storage, & transport

Gas clean up & compression

Tar cracking

Biomass gasification of whole-tree-based biomass

forest residues and agricultural residues


Biohydrogen (Gasification)

GTI Gasifier

Oxygen-flow in gasifier

High pressure

Pressurized

GTI

Gasifier

Dried Biomass

Steam

Oxygen

Ash

Syngas

Cyclone

BCL Gasifier

No air-flow in gasifier

Atmospheric pressure

GasifierChar

Combustor

Cyclones Tar

Cracker

Dried Biomass

Steam Air

Flue GasSyngas


Energy Resource Characterization

Specification of Unit Operations for H2

Production Pathway

Characterization Process Equipment for Unit

Operations

Determination of Energy/Resource Inputs for Process Equipment

Cost Estimation Data: Scale Factors, Feedstock Cost, Capital Costs, Labour and

Installation Costs, etc.

Techno-Economic Model

Economic Data and Assumptions: Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Inflation, Plant Lifetime etc.

H2 Cost Metrics

H2 Cost Sensitivities

Generalized Modelling Methodology


Biohydrogen (Gasification) Production Cost

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

Plant size (dry tonnes/day)

H2

prod

ucti

on c

ost

($/k

g)

Straw_GTI

Straw_BCL

Forest residues_GTI

Forest residues_BCL

Whole-tree_GTI

Whole-tree_BCL

Source: Sarkar and Kumar, Energy, 2010, 35(2), 582-591; Sarkar and Kumar, Trans. of ASABE, 2009, 52(2), 1-12.


Biohydrogen Production Pathways: Pyrolysis

Biomass harvesting

Chipping, grinding, & drying

Fast pyrolysis

Water-gas shift reforming

Bio-oil steam reforming

Purification of H2

Bio-oil/CH3OH transportation

Bio-oil quenching and separation

Biomass pyrolysis of whole-tree-based biomass, forest

residue, agricultural residue


H2 for bitumen upgradingHydrogen compression

Hydrogen purification

Water-gas shift reaction

Syngas clean up

Bio-oil reforming

Pipeline Truck

Bio-oil transportationBio-oil separation

Methanol

Biomass pyrolysis

Feedstock drying

Feedstock size reduction

Biomass transportation

Biomass processing

Biomass harvesting

Biohydrogen (Pyrolysis): Unit Operations


Bio-Hydrogen (Pyrolysis): H2

Cost

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

Plant size (dry tonnes/day)

Del

iver

ed b

ioh

yd

rog

en c

ost

($

/kg

) . Straw

Forest residues

Whole-tree

Source: Sarkar and Kumar, Bioresource Technology, 2010, 101(19), 7350-7361.


Transportation cost of Biohydrogen

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

Transportation distance (km)

Tra

ns

po

rta

tio

n c

os

t ($

/kg

H2) Cryogenic tank

Tube trailer

Pipeline

* For 167 tonnes of H2/day


Source: Sarkar and Kumar, Trans. of ASABE, 2009, 52(2), 1-12.

Biohydrogen Cost of Production – Different Biomass & Pathways

*Sarkar and Kumar, 2010. All costs in 2016 C$.

5.68

3.00

3.75

2.922.73 2.88

Bio-hydrogen(Pyrolysis) - Wheat

straw

Bio-hydrogen(Pyrolysis) - Whole

Tree

Bio-hydrogen(Pyrolysis) - Forest

residue

Bio-hydrogen(Gasification) -

Whole Tree

Bio-hydrogen(Gasification) -Forest Residue

Bio-hydrogen(Gasification) -Wheat Straw

Bio

hyd

roge

n P

rod

uct

ion

Co

st (

$/k

g)

17

Biohydrogen GHG Emissions –Different Biomass & Pathways

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

Bio-hydrogen(Pyrolysis) - Whole

Tree

Bio-hydrogen(Pyrolysis) - Forest

Residue

Bio-hydrogen(Pyrolysis) - Wheat

straw

Bio-hydrogen(Gasification) -

Whole Tree

Bio-hydrogen(Gasification) -Forest Residue

Bio-hydrogen(Gasification) -Wheat straw

Life

Cyc

le G

HG

Em

issi

on

s (k

gCO

2e

q./

kg H

2)


HYDROGEN PATHWAYS: COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC AND

ENVIRONMENTAL METRICS


Comparative Techno-Economics

53.5 126166 166 166 166 166 166

607660

Pro

du

ctio

n S

cale

(to

nn

es/

day

)

Hydrogen Production Scale

* Data for Wind-Hydrogen, SMR-CCS and UCG-CCS from Olateju and Kumar, 2015


*All production costs have an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 10%, other than UCG at 15%. All costs in $CAD 2016.

Comparative Techno-Economics – Hydrogen Production Cost

6.06

2.74

5.68

3.00

3.75

2.92 2.73 2.882.41 2.38

Hyd

roge

n P

rod

uct

ion

Co

st (

$/k

g)


Comparative GHG Economics/Footprint

0.68 1.15

2.41.83

1.151.61

1.1

6.02

1.26

Life

Cyc

le G

HG

Em

issi

on

s (k

g C

O2e

q./

kg H

2)

Comparative GHG Footprint


Comparative GHG Abatement Cost

325

138

222

370

122 123 129

8038

GH

G M

itig

atio

n C

ost

($

/to

nn

e C

O2) GHG Mitigation Cost


Key Observations• Biomass-based hydrogen has low GHG footprint

compared to hydrogen from natural gas sources.

• Biomass-based hydrogen is more cost-efficientcompared to other renewable source like wind.

• Biomass can provide baseload hydrogenproduction similar to natural gas.

• GHG abatement cost is higher than $100/tonneof CO2 mitigated.

• Biohydrogen could be one of the GHG mitigationpathways for oil sands with technologyimprovement and incentives.


Acknowledgment

NSERC/Cenovus/Alberta Innovates AssociateIndustrial Research Chair Program in Energy andEnvironmental Systems Engineering.

Cenovus Energy Endowed Chair Program inEnvironmental Engineering.

A number of other organizations, industry andindividuals for their inputs with data and feedbacksincluding Alberta Innovates – Bio Solutions, AlbertaInnovates – Energy and Environment Solutions,Cenovus Energy Inc. and Suncor Energy Inc.

NSERC Industrial Chair Program in Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering

THANKS

Contact Information:

Dr. AMIT KUMAR

Professor

NSERC/Cenovus/Alberta Innovates Associate Industrial Research Chair in Energy and

Environmental Systems Engineering

Cenovus Energy Endowed Chair in Environmental Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta

[email protected]

www.energysystems.ualberta.ca

+1 780 492 7797

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.energysystems.ualberta.ca/

biohydrogen from alberta's biomass resources for bitumen

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