An innovative process for production of syngas (H2 and CO) for biojet synthesis through hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass/organic wastes followed by supercritical water gasification

This project aims to convert feedstocks to H2-rich syngas for FT biojet fuel synthesis by using a two-stage system. The first is a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process, one of the most promising thermochemical pathways to liquefy solid biomass into liquid products including bio-crude with higher heating values and an aqueous product. The second is a gasification process using water in supercritical range (SCWG) and in the presence of a catalyst, during which the liquefied biomass (after separating out char and ash), from first stage can be transformed to clean and H2-rich syngas. The two-stage system will be optimized to maximize yield, minimize char formation, eliminate ash/minerals, and produce cleanest possible syngas with a proper H2:CO ratio, appropriate for synthesis of FT biojet fuel. Successful implementation may allow the company to develop this process on a pilot scale, and eventually build plants across Canada for cost-effective and sustainable biojet fuels production

Faculty Supervisor:

Charles Xu

Student:

Yulin Hu

Partner:

Greenfield Global

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

Program: