1. Technologies for biofuel production (a brief survey) S. Miertus Pure & Applied Chemistry Area ICS-UNIDO First-High Level Biofuel Conference in Africa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 30 th July - 1 st August 2007 INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY United Nations Industrial Development Organisation

2. Biofuel value chain and UNIDO radius of attention Oil bearing plants Agricultural crops and residues Woody biomass Industrial and municipal waste Biomass resources Harvesting, collection, handling, and storage Supply systemsConversion Biochemical (fermentation) Thermochemical (gasification) Chemical (transesterification) End products Transportation fuels (biodiesel, bioethanol) Heat Electricity Solid fuels (wood pellets, charcoal) High added-value chemicals (pharmaceuticals, polymers) Physical chemical (extraction) byproducts UNIDO (ICS-UNIDO expertise) UNIDO and FAOFAO UNIDO and UNCTAD

3. Biofuel typeSpecific nameFeedstockConversion Technologies Pure vegetable oilPure plant oil (PPO), Straight vegetable oil (SVO) Oil crops (e.g. rapeseed, oil palm, soy, canola, jatropha, castor, …) Cold pressing extraction Biodiesel - Biodiesel from energy crops: methyl and ethyl esters of fatty acids - Biodiesel from waste - Oil crops (e.g. rapeseed, oil palm, soy, canola, jatropha, castor, …) - Waste cooking/frying oil - Cold and warm pressing extraction, purification, and transesterification - Hydrogenation BioethanolConventional bio- ethanol Sugar beet, sugar cane, grainHydrolysis and fermentation BiogasUpgraded biogasBiomass (wet)Anaerobic digestion Bio-ETBEBioethanolChemical Synthesis Overview of Biofuel Production Technologies First Generation of Biofuels

4. Biofuel typeSpecific nameFeedstockConversion Technologies BioethanolCellulosic bioethanolLignocellulosic biomass and biowaste Advanced hydrolysis & fermentaion BiogasSNG (Synthetic Natural Gas)Lignocellulosic biomass and residues Pyrolysis/Gasification BiodieselBiomass to Liquid (BTL), Fischer-Tropsch (FT) diesel, synthetic (bio)diesel Lignocellulosic biomass and residues Pyrolysis/Gasification & synthesis Other biofuelsBiomethanol, heavier (mixed) alcohols, biodimethylether (Bio-DME) Lignocellulosic biomass and residues Gasification & synthesis BiohydrogenLignocellulosic biomass and biowaste Gasification & synthesis or biological process Overview of Biofuel Production Technologies Second/Third* Generation Biofuels *Use GMO as a feedstock to facilitate hydrolysis / technologies for hydrogen production

5. Techn. Effort a Overall efficiency c [%] Expected plant capacity b [MW bf ] Current stage of development a regarding system complexity(+less promising….++++very promising) b related to biomass feedstock c according state of development(many different concepts)only theoretical values d suitability for current distribution and use(+less promising….++++very promising) Distri- bution d Use d Comparison of technologies Technology aspects Many different concepts for biofuel options of the 2 nd generation; associated with appropriate benefits and bottlenecks along the pathway. Source: IEE Leipzig, 2007

6. Overall biorefinery concept - a new chemical industry sector - equivalent to the petrochemistry concept

7. Biomass to high added value chemicals, an emerging chemistry Biomass Extraction of chemicals Biodiesel production Glycerol Sugar fermentation Thermochemical conversion Ethanol Lactic acid Chemicals Proteins Vitamins Fragrances Pharmaceuticals Bio-SNG Chemicals

8. DST concept Biofuel/biofuel production technology selection criteria Technological criteria (energy content, non renewable energy consumed, availability, carbon residue, sulfur content, viscosity, density, efficiency, scale up, …) Technological criteria (energy content, non renewable energy consumed, availability, carbon residue, sulfur content, viscosity, density, efficiency, scale up, …) Financial criteria (static, dynamic, risk) Financial criteria (static, dynamic, risk) Environmental criteria (CO 2, CO, NO x, SO 2, etc.) Environmental criteria (CO 2, CO, NO x, SO 2, etc.) Socio-economic criteria Socio-economic criteria

9. Comparison of technologies Economic versus environmental aspects Source: IEE Leipzig, 2007

10. A) Awareness and capacity building EGM on “Technologies for Exploitation of Renewable Feedstock and Waste Valorisation”, 20-30 May 2006 Trieste, Italy EGM on “Technologies for Exploitation of Renewable Feedstock and Waste Valorisation”, 20-30 May 2006 Trieste, Italy Workshop on “Sustainable Plastics and chemical products from renewable resources”, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, June 2006 Workshop on “Sustainable Plastics and chemical products from renewable resources”, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, June 2006 Workshop on “Bio-fuels from palm oil: emerging technologies and their assessment” 4 July 2007, Malaysia Workshop on “Bio-fuels from palm oil: emerging technologies and their assessment” 4 July 2007, Malaysia Workshop on “Technologies for renewable feedstock exploitation and bio-fuels production” Accra, Ghana, December 2007 – in cooperation with UNIDO ECB branch Workshop on “Technologies for renewable feedstock exploitation and bio-fuels production” Accra, Ghana, December 2007 – in cooperation with UNIDO ECB branch Joint event in Senegal, February 2008 Joint event in Senegal, February 2008 Promotion of joint pilot projects in Africa (UNIDO + ICS) Promotion of joint pilot projects in Africa (UNIDO + ICS) Selected ICS-UNIDO activities 2006/2007: Renewables to biofuels and biobased products B) In house development of expertise tools Survey of technologies for exploitation of renewable feedstock for biofuels (technological, economic, environmental parameters) Survey of technologies for exploitation of renewable feedstock for biofuels (technological, economic, environmental parameters) Decision support tool for assessment of technologies for renewable feedstock exploitation Decision support tool for assessment of technologies for renewable feedstock exploitation Molecular modelling of chemical processes (catalysis, separation, etc.) Molecular modelling of chemical processes (catalysis, separation, etc.) Strategies for developing countries Strategies for developing countries

11. Example 1: Malaysia – ICS-UNIDO-MPOB cooperation proposal Catalytic processes for exploitation of palma biomass Project 1: Transesterification Solid basic catalysts (supported alkali and alkaline earth metal oxides/salts, modified or pretreated Group II-III metal oxides, hydrotalcite-like materials, alkali exchanged zeolites and molecular sieve materials, strong organic bases grafted on inert support, super bases) Solid basic catalysts (supported alkali and alkaline earth metal oxides/salts, modified or pretreated Group II-III metal oxides, hydrotalcite-like materials, alkali exchanged zeolites and molecular sieve materials, strong organic bases grafted on inert support, super bases) Project 2: Glycerol based syntheses and products Substitute for polyols (microbiological and catalytic conversion of glycerol to 1,3 propanediol) Substitute for polyols (microbiological and catalytic conversion of glycerol to 1,3 propanediol) Polymeric materials. Polymeric materials. Glycerol as fuel (bio-transformation of into CO and methane, synthesis of glycerol tertbutyl ether as gasoline additive, catalytic transformation of glycerol into CO/CO 2 and H 2 ) Glycerol as fuel (bio-transformation of into CO and methane, synthesis of glycerol tertbutyl ether as gasoline additive, catalytic transformation of glycerol into CO/CO 2 and H 2 ) Carbonatation of glycerol (glycerol carbonate is a good protic polar solvent) Carbonatation of glycerol (glycerol carbonate is a good protic polar solvent) Project 3: Catalysts for palm oil biomass gasification

12. Example 2: 2008 – GREENOLYMP (Green Olympics, Beijing) – a project for green plastics Alcaligenes latus Cells for the production of environmentally degradable plastics 1 st to 45 th day The general structure of polyhydroxyalkanoates: The biosynthetic pathway of PHB and P(HB-HV) in Alcaligenes eutrophus: Agro food waste (by product of cheese production)

13. Recent ICS-UNIDO publication BIO-FUELS Technologies Status and Future Trends Feedstock and Product Valorisation Assessment of Technologies and DSTs 2007 Authors: A. Sivasamy 1, P. Foransiero 1, S. Zinoviev 1, S. Miertus 1 F. Mueller-Langer 2, D. Thraen 2 & A. Vogel 2 1 ICS-UNIDO, Trieste, Italy 2 IEE, Leipzig, Germany www.ics.trieste.it Available at ICS-UNIDO website: www.ics.trieste.itwww.ics.trieste.it

14. Stanislav.Miertus@ics.trieste.it www.ics.trieste.it