Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)

If required, this step aims at ensuring a syngas purity suitable for the FT catalyst. It can treat syngas from any conventional acid gas removal process.

The reaction takes place in a three-phase slurry bubble column (SBC) reactor where syngas is brought into contact with the solid FT catalyst to produce long-chained liquid hydrocarbons. The liquid products are recovered in Liquid/Solid and Gas/Liquid separators and sent to the upgrading section.

The raw FT liquid product is stabilised, hydrotreated (olefins and oxygenates), hydrocracked, and isomerised. The fully converted product is then separated, and it offers flexibility towards different production modes (max kerosene or max middle distillates/diesel with a small production of naphtha).

Biomass is conditioned with drying and torrefaction. These steps homogenize feedstock quality, facilitate grinding, and increase storage stability and biomass energy density. Flexible process conditions allow adjustments due to changes in biomass quality and supply strategy.

The applied Uhde entrained-flow gasification process with direct quench (PDQ) is a high pressure and high temperature partial oxidation converting carbonaceous material into tar-free syngas.

Syngas is conditioned to FT requirement by adjusting the H₂/CO ratio via a water gas shift reaction, followed by acid gas removal and a final purification.

Gasel® technology uses CO & H₂ building blocks to form long chains of liquid hydrocarbons. The reaction takes place in a 3-phase Slurry Bubble Column (SBC). The SBC allows perfect control of the high exothermicity and good homogeneity of the reaction. FT products are then upgraded toward the targeted products.

An Integrated Biomass To Liquids (BTL) Solution for Advanced Biofuels

Movie on BioTfueL® technology

An energy-efficient, single train, continuous technology was selected and optimized for converting biomass feedstock such as energy crops, agricultural, and wood residues to a standardized pretreated substrate, highly digestible, and with low moisture. High hemicellulose conversion is attained while product degradation is minimized.

Inhibitors-resistant tailor-made biocatalysts (enzymes and yeasts) were designed, adapted, and improved to optimize process performances. Futurol^® offers on-site enzyme production and yeast propagation using lignocellulosic substrate, which strongly contributes to ethanol production cost reduction.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass and co-fermentation of C_₅ and C₆ sugars take place simultaneously in the same vessel (‘one-pot’ process). This process configuration capitalizes on a synergy between biocatalysts and allows for both Capex and Opex minimization while achieving high ethanol yield through full conversion of C₅ and C₆ sugars.

State of the art distillation and dehydration allow recovery of advanced bioethanol suitable for biofuel applications or further processing in chemical production. Lignin and stillage are recovered and routed to energy production while water is recycled.

Polymer-grade ethylene is produced by ethanol dehydration (Atol®).

The Ethylene is then oligomerized into SAF utilizing stable catalysts which can be generated and/or on the fly changeout when required.

A last step of hydrogenation is necessary to reduce the olefin content of the product to fulfill ASTM specifications for the final products.