This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will focus on the refinement of catalyst compositions identified during the Phase I program for production of fuels from biomass. New catalyst materials are needed to make liquid fuels and hydrogen from biomass more economical and efficient. In this Phase II project a scalable synthesis method will be utilized to prepare 1kg/day batches of high surface area catalysts with proprietary additives to improve low temperature shift activity. During the Phase II research, pH Matter will demonstrate the performance of the novel catalyst compositions under additional customer-specific gas feed environments and demonstrate a method for scaling up the catalyst synthesis process for delivery to BTL system developers and commercial catalyst manufacturers. The end goal is production of catalysts and generation of performance data demonstrating that the catalyst can operate in the full range of contaminants found in biomass sources,reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of fuel production from biomass.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is potentially quite large. The production of energy and liquid fuels from biomass will have a number of beneficial societal impacts. Biomass gasification processes are carbon neutral, since it uses C0 2 that was captured from plants; therefore, biomass gasification will replace energy production from fossil fuels, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike fuel crops, biomass can be garnered from second generation sources like waste products that have no use for human consumption, so the technology does not compete with food sources. Further,using biomass as a source of liquid fuel will reduce the dependence of our nation on foreign sources of energy. The technology developed and refined during the Phase II NSF SBIR program could have application to a wide range of other catalytic reactions as well. Potential applications include: lean burn diesel engine exhaust treatment,hydrocarbon reforming for fuel cells, electrode materials in fuel cells,and gas-to-liquid processes. Overall,the project will contribute novel results to the body of literature in catalysis and materials development.
Commercially available water gas shift (wgs) catalysts do not meet the needs of biomass gasification systems. The levels of sulfur typically found in biomass fall into a range where there is currently a gap in acceptable commercial catalysts. Consequently, the initial goal of the project was to develop catalysts that can operate in gasified biomass streams. Compositions were identified that could perform in the ranges of biomass sulfur and other biomass contaminants such as alkali, ammonia, and chlorine. Other compositions were investigated to replace high temperature iron chromium catalysts. European Union mandates require the removal of hexavalent chromium from chemical processes due to its carcinogenic nature. The catalyst developed on the program could potentially be a drop in replacement for existing iron chromium based catalysts. Chemical processes were identified for making the catalysts and we are currently pursuing a licensing opportunity as a means of commercializing the catalyst. The development of biomass based sources of fuel will reduce the need for foreign sources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Biomass gasification processes are carbon neutral, since it uses CO2 that was captured from plants. Unlike fuel crops, biomass can be garnered from second generation sources like waste products. The development of an alternative catalysts that do not utilize chromium will have environmental benefits.
