I-Corps: Feasibility of a Novel Concept to Produce Biocoal for Power and Enhanced Bio-Oil.

研究小组开发了一种将任何含碳物质转化为生物煤的方法，生物煤是一种与煤相似的材料。焙烧过程包括以下几个阶段：(1)生物质的预处理（粉碎和干燥），(2)利用离心力进行快速热传递的快速预热，(3)利用放热相变进行自热的焙烧反应器，(4)缩小阶段，(5)压实以生产适合物流、操作和安全的致密生物煤。通过控制焙烧过程（停留时间、温度），研究人员可以定制一种生物煤产品，以匹配给定的煤类型，如烟煤或亚烟煤。通过这一过程，研究团队还能够在定制生物煤的生产和特定应用中生物煤性能的准确评估之间提供协同方法。这个项目背后的想法是生产一种清洁可持续的煤炭替代品，从生物质——生物煤——作为所有煤炭应用的替代燃料：热解产生的液体运输燃料，主要用于发电的燃烧能源，以及气化产生的化学物质。在10-15年内，美国的潜在市场总量约为10亿吨，价值为1500 - 3000亿美元。这项技术被称为热处理，是在200-300摄氏度的温度下，在没有氧气的情况下对生物质进行热处理。生物煤是一种受环境法规驱动的产品，符合可再生能源组合。如果成功实施，该技术可能使制造商能够为客户的特定系统定制生物煤，从而降低一些高成本的风险因素。

The research team has developed a torrefaction approach for converting any carbonaceous material into biocoal, which is a material similar in its characteristics to coal. The torrefaction process comprises of the following stages: (1) pretreatment of the biomass (shredding and drying), (2) fast preheating that uses centrifugal forces for fast heat transfer, (3) a torrefaction reactor that uses exothermic phase transition for self-heating, (4) a downsizing stage, (5) compaction to produce densified biocoal suitable for logistic, operational, and safety. Through control of the torrefaction process (residence time, temperature) researchers can customize a biocoal product to match a given coal type such as bituminous or sub bituminous coals. Through this process the research team is also able to offer a synergistic approach between the production of customized biocoal and an accurate assessment of the biocoal performance in a specific application.The idea behind this project is to produce a clean sustainable replacement for coal, from biomass - biocoal - as a drop-in fuel in all coal applications: liquid transportation fuel from pyrolysis, energy through combustion mostly for power generation, and chemicals through gasification. The total addressable market is about 1 billion ton in the US in 10-15 years at a value of $150-300 billion. The technology is called torrefaction which is a thermal treatment of the biomass at temperatures of 200-300 degrees Celsius in absence of oxygen. Biocoal is a product that is driven by environmental regulations and meets Renewable Energy Portfolios. If successfully implemented, this technology may enable manufactures to customize biocoal for a customer's specific system, reducing a number of risk factors with high cost implications.