Biorefinery case study - integration of bio-based processes and renewable resources into an established fossil-based refinery site
ID: 3445

Abstract: Renewable, biogenic materials are becoming increasingly important as feedstock for chemical manufacturing applications. Biogenic materials are the only suitable and easily-accessible source of carbon that can be replenished on a short- to medium-term basis (i.e., several years to several decades). To make use of such feedstock for chemical manufacturing and to obtain a wide range of chemical intermediates as well as products, it is critical to identify and optimize suitable renewable sources, to develop the most efficient and effective conversion processes for them, and to scale-up these processes from the laboratory to technical dimension.

Several examples of manufacturing processes utilizing biogenic resources or certain intermediates derived from such feedstock have been published recently, with some of them having already been implemented (PLA, 1,3 PDO) or being implemented currently (ethylene from bioethanol, others). These approaches - in most cases - do not take advantage of the entire value chain from renewable resources to final products, but utilize either intermediates also competing with food- and feed-use (e.g., corn sugar for 1,3 PDO) or utilize well-known (e.g., catalytic dehydration of bioethanol to ethylene) but not necessarily the best possible processes. As a result, many approaches utilizing biogenic resources for chemical manufacturing applications are not taking advantage of such resources in the best possible and most effective way, and therefore still face challenges in competing with established technologies. To overcome these shortcomings an integrated approach that spans the entire value chain from selected feedstock, including optimized manufacturing processes and their scale-up to industrial dimension for a wide variety of products is required.

The panel addresses these questions from several perspectives provided by players in the industrial plant-engineering, large-scale industry, applied research, as well as the SME field. With three distinctive presentations the topic is highlighted from three different vantage points to converge in a unique common approach that brings a solution to above challenges. The attendees will learn about a new, integrated concept that utilizes renewable feedstock materials for chemical manufacturing taking advantage of a unique process-development and scale-up facility (“Biorefinery”) that is currently being built at a large-scale chemical manufacturing site in central Europe.

Presentation 1 describes the complex and highly integrated structural concept behind the approach and lays out the engineering implementation that has been developed specifically for this project. Presentation 2 focuses on the technological implementation of the concept, its integration in a large-scale chemical manufacturing site, and the unique way that was developed to optimize the interaction of partners and stakeholders involved. Presentation 3 finally describes the benefits of the concept from the perspective of an innovative SME and how such an approach dramatically accelerates the development of new, innovative manufacturing processes for new and commercially attractive products.

The panel will be concluded by a discussion of the topic with the audience and a summary of the results achieved so far in the process of implementing the Biorefinery concept and the discussion with the audience.

Moderator: Uwe Welteroth, Linde-KCA-Dresden GmbH (Germany)

Presenter 1: Engineering Intelligence from Fossil-Based Refineries for a Highly Integrated Biorefinery-Concept
Uwe Welteroth, Linde-KCA-Dresden GmbH, (Germany)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 2: Implementing Process-Development and Scale-Up Facilities at a Large-Scale Chemical Manufacturing Site 
Markus Wolperdinger, InfraLeuna GmbH, (Germany)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 3: Benefits for Innovative SMEs by Having Access to Development Facilities for the Scale-Up of New Manufacturing Processes 
Marc Struhalla, C-LECTA GMBH, (Germany)  [Confirmed]

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Panel Organizer:
Markus Wolperdinger, InfraLeuna GmbH, (Germany)

Why should your submission should be selected for this year’s program?
The presentations give new insight into highly relevant topics in the field. They provide real world examples of ongoing activities. They highlight new and innovative approaches in process-development and scale-up. All speakers have many years of experience in their fields of expertise and are regular speakers at industry events and scientific conferences.