EPSRC-SFI:Tailored Production and Utilisation of Sustainable Low Cost Lignocellulosic Advanced Biofuel Blends as Diesel and Petrol Substitutes:SusLABB

该项目将开发一种全新的、完全定制的生物燃料混合生产工艺方法，根据一系列目标优化混合物及其生产设计参数：发动机性能、与汽油和柴油混合的实际排放、整体可持续性、汽车使用的实际适用性以及生物燃料生产成本。其目的是开发一种能够使用各种低品位生物质原料的工艺设计，从而为欧盟可再生能源指令（RED）下一阶段增加使用先进生物燃料的要求做出贡献。运输部门对全球温室气体（GHG）排放的贡献约为14%，主要来自石油衍生的液体燃料。因此，交通运输是发展低碳经济的一个关键挑战。由于开发替代传动系统或重型货物、航运和航空部门的推进系统所面临的能量密度挑战，社会对液体燃料的依赖可能会持续到短期以后。因此，与化石燃料相比，生产寿命期温室气体排放量更低的液体燃料至关重要。这是欧盟通过RED规定的，要求成员国到2020年将可再生能源占运输能源的10%，到2030年增加到32%。修订后的RED II要求在欧盟销售的所有道路运输燃料至少包括3.5%的“先进生物燃料”——从非化石原料中提取的液体燃料，在土地使用方面不与粮食直接竞争；基本上规定了木质纤维素和废物的使用。由于木质纤维素原料的劣性，先进的生物燃料面临着与化石燃料，甚至第一代生物燃料在成本上具有竞争力的挑战。因此，本工作强调了加工步骤较少的方法为具有成本效益的生产提供了更大的潜力，这将为生产与柴油或汽油兼容的生物燃料混合物开发最佳工艺。混合生物燃料的使用可能比单组分生物燃料（如乙醇）具有优势，因为多组分混合物可以延长混合壁，因此有可能促进在与石油燃料混合时使用更大的生物燃料馏分，从而有可能更大程度地减少温室气体。该项目将开发一种生产生物燃料混合物的工艺，以烷基乙酰丙酸酯、酯和醇成分为基础，通过几种不同的起始酒精路线。在第一阶段，实验研究将参数化不同酸水解配置对不同糖和碳水化合物来源（例如模型化合物、芒草、纤维素、藻类、生活垃圾）的性能，使用甲醇、乙醇、丁醇和不同类型的酸。将研究温度、压力和反应时间对产率、能量需求、工艺难度和产品与现有基础设施的兼容性的影响。与此同时，将确定生物燃料混合物的重要化学和物理特性，以及可持续性因素，为混合燃料中不同成分的可行馏分提供界限。在第二阶段，将使用实验和模型模拟工具，详细研究发动机排放和燃料与柴油/汽油混合时的性能特征。真实世界的排放因子将建立基于仪表发动机和道路车辆的燃料混合物。这些排放因素以及所有的技术经济因素将被纳入最终的生命周期技术经济可持续性（TES）评估，以确定最佳的混合方案。温室气体和与空气质量有关的排放都将包括在内。该TES将与优化程序相结合，以确定适合生产最佳混合物的工艺条件。该项目的总体产出将是一个适合生产最佳技术经济和可持续的先进生物燃料的工艺设计。

The project will develop methodologies for a novel, fully tailored, biofuel blend production process which optimises the blends and their production design parameters on the basis of a range of targets: performance in engines, real world emissions on blending with gasoline and diesel, overall sustainability, practical suitability for automotive use, and biofuel production costs. The aim is to develop a process design which is able to use a variety of low grade biomass feedstocks, thus contributing to the requirements of the next phase of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) for increased use of advanced biofuels. The transport sector contributes ~14% to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, principally from petroleum derived liquid fuels. Transport therefore presents a key challenge in developing low carbon economies. Due to energy density challenges in developing alternative drive trains, or propulsion systems for heavy goods, shipping and aviation sectors, societal reliance on liquid fuels is likely to continue beyond the near term. It is therefore crucial to produce liquid fuels with lower lifetime GHG emissions compared to fossil fuels. This is mandated by the EU through the RED requiring member states to source >10% of transport energy from renewables by 2020, rising to 32% by 2030. The revised RED II requires all road transport fuels sold in the EU to include a minimum 3.5 % of "advanced biofuels" - liquid fuels derived from non-fossil feed stocks not in direct competition with food for land use; essentially stipulating the use of lignocellulose and wastes. Advanced biofuels face challenges to be cost competitive with fossil fuels, and even 1st generation biofuels, due to the inferior nature of lignocellulosic feed stocks. Methodologies with fewer processing steps offer greater potential for cost effective production are thus emphasised in this work which will develop optimal processes for the production of biofuel blends compatible with either diesel or gasoline. The use of biofuel blends may present advantages over single component biofuels such as ethanol, as multi-component mixtures can extend blend walls and therefore potentially promote the use of larger biofuel fractions on blending with petroleum fuels, leading to the potential for greater GHG reductions. The project will develop a process for the production of biofuel blends based on alkylevulinate, ester and alcohol components via several different starting alcohol routes. In Phase I, experimental studies will parameterise the performance of various acid hydrolysis configurations on different sugar and carbohydrate sources (e.g. model compounds, miscanthus, cellulose, algae, household wastes), using methanol, ethanol, butanol, and different acid types. The influence of temperature, pressure, and reaction time, on yields, energy requirements, process difficulty and product compatibility with existing infrastructure will be studied. In parallel, important chemical and physical properties of the biofuel blends will be determined, as well as sustainability factors, providing boundaries on feasible fractions of the different components in the blended fuel. In Phase II detailed engine emissions and performance characteristics of the fuels on blending with diesel/gasoline will be investigated, using experimental and model simulation tools. Real world emissions factors will be established for the fuel blends based on instrumented engines and on-road vehicles. These emissions factors as well as all techno-economic factors will feed into a final lifecycle techno-economic-sustainability (TES) assessment to determine optimal blends. Both GHG and emissions of relevance to air quality will be included. This TES will be coupled to an optimisation procedure to determine process conditions suitable for the production of optimal blends. The overall output of the project will be a process design suitable for producing an optimum techno-economic & sustainable advanced biofuel.