Novel Approaches to Low Carbon Advanced Hydrocarbon Biofuels and Co-products

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The global economy is rapidly shifting towards a low, or zero, carbon focus with a strong desire for economic diversification and environmental sustainability. Canada has taken strong positions on both greenhouse gas abatement as well as commitments towards diversifying our energy usage away from petroleum and coal towards renewable energy systems. ***Over the past 14 years, NSERC Discovery grants have enabled the Bressler laboratory to be a key contributor and international leader in the development of a novel advanced biofuel technology. This Discovery program has developed the science behind the Lipid-to-Hydrocarbon (LTH) technology, which is a high temperature conversion technology, focused on the low carbon footprint conversion of lipid resources to hydrocarbon fuels without the use of catalysts or hydrogen. ***The basic research activities, supported by NSERC, gave way to patenting, licensing of the technology, pilot activities, and now finally commercial deployment in 2018 in Sombra, Ontario through the support of Sustainable Development Technology Canada, strategic investment, and the creation of Forge Hydrocarbons, a University of Alberta spin-off company.***Although the LTH technology is well positioned for successful commercialization, several new opportunities for basic research have been identified that would compliment this platform technology enhancing both the sustainability and the economic durability of these fuels. Over the next 5 years, an aggressive research plan is being developed that will seek to develop a new portfolio of products for this new technology platform. ***THEME A: Firstly, advanced exchange resins will be explored to efficiently separate and recover short chain fatty acid byproducts of the current technology. This approach is poised to replace the current caustic wash and will simultaneously pursue solvent recovery from the resin as well as supercritical fluid regeneration of the resins. The second key focus will be fermentation of the less valuable short chain acids with oleaginous organisms.***THEME B: The second line of investigation will focus on the refining, isomerization and upgrading of a portion of the raw hydrocarbon product stream from the LTH technology to a biojet fuel product. This initiative aligns well with national strategies and may provide a novel approach with lower costs and better carbon footprint.***THEME C: Finally, The Bressler laboratory has recently (2017) constructed and commissioned the first high pressure and temperature microwave pyrolytic reactor. The goal of this research project will be to look into a step change advancement of the LTH technology through the incorporation of microwave heating unlocking new kinetics and product opportunities. This unexplored regime of pyroltic chemistry will yield numerous primary publications and discoveries as to date, all microwave heating has been limited to ambient or low pressures.