Synthetic Fuel Development

 

The technology for synthetic fuel production from biomass has been being developed seriously for the past 20 years.  A lot of the efforts have been around the Fischer-Tropsch process, developed in the 1930s by the Germans, and used to convert coal into liquid fuel. Efforts to use Fischer-Tropsch to make liquid fuels from biomass  been largely unsuccessful with some expensive failures. 

 

The production of pyrolysis oils from biomass goes back to the 1920s but the serious production of fast pyrolysis oils with an eye toward liquid fuels has only about a 20 year history.  There is a large data base of experience in making the fast pyrolysis oil from a wide range of biomass materials with a focus on woody feedstock materials.  The difficulty has been the economic conversion of the bio-oils into liquid fuels.  Most processes try to upgrade with catalysts alone which give a low yield and continual carbonization of the catalyst.  The best process for upgrading is the use of hydrogen but that has been too expensive.  ACGE brings to this experience a cheap source of hydrogen.  ACGE also brings an experience base of making large thermochemical processing systems and a history of cutting edge materials product development through the development scientists. ACGE intends to develop this process from a commecially viable technology.