Upgrading alternative, residual biomass feedstocks and conversion of excess heat to liquid fuels in a combined gasification, Fischer Tropsch and Aqueous Phase reforming plant.

01.09.2017 - 30.04.2022
Research funding project

Heat-To-Fuel will deliver the next generation of biofuel production technologies towards the de-carbonisation of the transportation sector. Heat-To-Fuel will achieve competitive prices for biofuel technologies (< 1 €/l) while delivering higher fuel qualities and significantly reduced life-cycle GHG reductions. Heat-To-Fuel will result in increased energy production savings (> 20 %) and enhanced EU¿s energy security by the use of local feedstocks, which in turn ensured local jobs are preserved and increased. The benefit of combining technologies like in Heat-To-Fuel is, that the drawbacks of the single technologies are balanced. Fischer Tropsch (FT) and Aqueous Phase Reforming (APR) are promising technologies for the efficient production of 2nd generation fuels. But currently the economic border conditions don¿t allow the implementation, similar to many other biofuel technologies. The radical innovation of combining an APR with a FT reactor is the basis to overcome this barrier. The large organic wastes (from Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) or other streams) can be conveniently treated with APR to produce H2. Both dry and wet organic wastes can be integrated with mutual advantages, i.e. steam production for gasification, HTL and APR preheating; FT heat cooling without external utilities. Using the synergies between these technologies maximizes the total process efficiency. Heat-To-Fuel aims will be met thanks to the diversification of the feedstock for biofuels production, reducing the supply costs and upgrading the efficiencies of promising and flexible conversion.

People

Project leader

Subproject managers

Institute

Grant funds

  • European Commission (EU) H2020 III.3 Secure, clean and efficient energy Pillar Societal Challenges Framework programme Horizon 2020 European Commission Call identifier H2020-LCE-2016-2017 Application number 727737

Research focus

  • Climate Neutral, Renewable and Conventional Energy Supply Systems: 100%

External partner

  • Johnson Matthey PLC.
  • BEST - Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH
  • Consorzio per la Ricerca e la Dimostrazione sulle Energie Rinnovabili
  • Skupina Fabrika Raziskave in Razvoj Doo
  • Beta Renewables SpA
  • COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
  • Universitat de Barcelona
  • Centro Ricerche Fiat ScpA
  • Atmostat
  • R2M Solution Spain S.L.
  • Instytut Chemicznej Przerobki Wegla
  • Güssing Energy Technologies GmbH
  • Politecnico di Torino

Publications