Method for producing a liquid biofuel or at least one of its primary components

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for producing a liquid fuel or at least one of its primary components from carbonaceous material, wherein a concatenation of individual processes, which make up the entire method, are employed. The concatenation of processes employed in said novel method has the potential to provide an exothermic operation during the production of the liquid fuel, or the at least one primary component, thereby producing a portion of its own raw material, supplying the majority of its energy requirements and consuming the majority of its byproducts, which in turn reduces feedstock reactant requirements for said method.

1 . A method of producing a liquid fuel or at least one of two liquid fuel primary components for said liquid fuel from carbonaceous materials, the steps of the method comprising:
 a) providing at least one photo-bioreactor for producing at least a first portion of a total feedstock needed for said method;   b) providing a feedstock outsource containing a second portion of a total feedstock needed for said method;   c) producing the total feedstock needed by combining the first and second portions of the total feedstock;   d) producing a primary synthesis gas from the total feedstock needed, the primary synthesis gas having a formulation rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide;   e) reformulating the primary synthesis gas for producing a synthesis gas stream having a specific hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio and a source of carbon monoxide not used in producing the synthesis gas stream stored for later use in said method;   f) producing at least one alcohol from the synthesis gas stream; and   h) producing a first liquid fuel primary component by reacting a provided source of oxygen and a portion of the stored source of carbon monoxide with the at least one alcohol, the first liquid fuel primary component being one of the at least one of two liquid fuel primary components.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
 a) producing at least one aldehyde from the at least one alcohol; and   b) producing a second liquid fuel primary component from the at least one alcohol and the at least one aldehyde, the second liquid fuel primary component being another one of the at least one of two liquid fuel primary components.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
 a) producing the liquid fuel by combining the first and second liquid fuel primary components.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the total feedstock is microalgae. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of producing the primary synthesis gas is a process chosen from the group consisting of gasification and pyrolysis. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of reformulating the primary synthesis gas for producing the synthesis gas stream comprises the step of:
 a) performing at least one chemical reaction in a unit operating at a temperature sufficient for said at least one chemical reaction to occur for producing an increase in hydrogen and carbon monoxide content to the primary synthesis gas within said unit and thereby forming the synthesis gas stream.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the step of:
 a) providing a source of water or oxygen or a source of water and oxygen to the unit operating at a temperature sufficient for at least one other chemical reaction to occur between the source of water or oxygen or the source of water and oxygen and components of the primary synthesis gas, other than hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the unit operating at a temperature sufficient for at least one chemical reaction to occur employed in the step of reformulating the primary synthesis gas for producing the synthesis gas stream is chosen from the group consisting of a plasma chamber, a reformer reactor and a water gas shift reactor. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the unit operating at a temperature sufficient for at least one chemical reaction to occur employed in the step of reformulating the primary synthesis gas for producing the synthesis gas stream comprises a plurality of sub-units used in coincidence, wherein at least two of the plurality of sub-units are employed, the plurality of sub-units chosen from the group consisting of a plasma chamber, a reformer reactor and a water gas shift reactor. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one alcohol is chosen from the group consisting of methanol and ethanol. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first liquid fuel primary component is chosen from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one aldehyde is chosen from the group consisting of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the formaldehyde is produced from methanol and the acetaldehyde is produced from ethanol. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the second liquid fuel primary component is chosen from the group consisting of dimethoxymethane, diethoxymethane, diethoxyethane and a mixture of acetal oligoethers. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of producing the total feedstock needed by combining the first and second portions of the total feedstock further comprises the steps of:
 a) grinding at least one of the first and second portions of the total feedstock in a grinding unit;   b) drying at least one of the first and second portions of the total feedstock in a dryer unit; and   c) mixing together the at least one ground and the at least one dried first and second portions of the total feedstock.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 a) removing water from the synthesis gas stream in a condenser unit.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of:
 a) separating a portion of carbon dioxide from the synthesis gas stream after it has been cooled by the condenser unit.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising the step of:
 a) producing hydrogen byproduct from the microalgae in the at least one photo-bioreactor.   
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one photo-bioreactor comprises at least two photo-bioreactors disposed in parallel in said method, each of said at least two photo-bioreactors growing a different species of photosynthetic organisms, or each of said at least two photo-bioreactors growing the same species of photosynthetic organisms, or each of said at least two photo-bioreactors growing a combination of species of photosynthetic organisms. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of:
 a) producing and storing hydrogen byproduct from a first of the different species of photosynthetic organisms in a first of the at least two photo-bioreactors; and   b) producing and storing oxygen byproduct from a second of the different species of photosynthetic organisms in a second of the at least two photo-bioreactors.   
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of:
 a) producing and storing, separately, hydrogen and oxygen from the same species or combination of photosynthetic organisms in the at least two photo-bioreactors, wherein each of the at least two different photo-bioreactors comprises a different feedstream.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising the step of:
 a) adding the hydrogen byproduct to the synthesis gas stream.   
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of producing at least one alcohol from the synthesis gas stream further comprises the step of:
 a) extracting thermal energy from the step of producing at least one alcohol for use in any unit of said method requiring thermal energy.   
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of producing at least one aldehyde from the at least one alcohol is affected through an endothermic reaction path of said method, the method further comprising the steps of:
 a) producing heat from at least one thermal energy-releasing unit of said method,   b) providing at least a portion of said heat to the endothermic reaction path of said method used in the step of producing at least one aldehyde from the at least one alcohol; and   c) producing a hydrogen byproduct.   
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising the step of:
 a) adding the hydrogen byproduct to the synthesis gas stream.   
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
 a) producing a hydrogen byproduct from the at least one photo-bioreactor or from the step of producing at least one aldehyde from the at least one alcohol or from the at least one photo-bioreactor and from the step of producing at least one aldehyde from the at least one alcohol;   b) feeding said hydrogen byproduct to the synthesis gas stream for producing an intermediate alcohol producing feed stream; and   c) producing an intermediate alcohol product from said intermediate alcohol producing feed stream.   
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the intermediate alcohol producing feed stream comprises hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in a molar relation wherein X is determined by the equation:
   X=([H 2 ]—[CO 2 ])/([CO 2 ]+[CO])   wherein,
   X≧2, 
   H 2  is a concentration level of hydrogen in the intermediate alcohol producing feed stream,   CO 2  is a concentration level of carbon dioxide in the intermediate alcohol producing feed stream, and   CO is a concentration level of carbon monoxide in the intermediate alcohol producing feed stream.   
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
 a) producing a first water byproduct from the step of producing at least one alcohol from the synthesis gas stream;   b) producing a second water byproduct from the step of producing a second liquid fuel primary component from the at least one alcohol and the at least one aldehyde;   c) producing a third water byproduct from the step of producing a first liquid fuel primary component; and   d) providing at least a portion of the first, second and third water byproducts to a boiler unit of said method for producing steam needed by at least the at least one photo-bioreactor or a unit used in the step of producing a primary synthesis gas or a unit used in the step of reformulating the primary synthesis gas for producing a synthesis gas stream.   
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of producing a second liquid fuel primary component from the at least one alcohol and the at least one aldehyde is an endothermic process, the method further comprising the steps of:
 a) providing at least one heat-releasing unit of said method;   b) extracting thermal energy from said at least one heat-releasing unit; and   c) providing said extracted thermal energy to a reaction path for the endothermic process for producing a second liquid fuel primary component.   
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 a) separating carbon dioxide from the primary synthesis gas during the step of reformulating the primary synthesis gas for producing a synthesis gas stream having a specific hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio.   
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the separated carbon dioxide is used as an anti-detonator in the step of producing a first liquid fuel primary component and as a feed source to the at least one photo-bioreactor. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising the step of:
 a) directing the oxygen byproduct to at least one unit of said method, the at least one unit used in the steps chosen from producing a primary synthesis gas from the total feedstock needed, reformulating the primary synthesis gas for producing a synthesis gas stream and producing a first liquid fuel primary component.   
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising the step of:
 a) providing an air separation system for satisfying an oxygen demand of said method that is not fulfilled by the oxygen byproduct.   
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the feedstock outsource is chosen from the group consisting of vegetal biomass from agricultural waste, cassava, and fast growing non-food crops, such as  Arundo donax  L., elephant grass, microalgae and corn stem. 
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the step of drying the at least one of the first and second portions of the total feedstock in a dryer unit provides a dried at least one of the first and second portions of the total feedstock having a water content below 25%. 
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 1  having a plurality of exothermic and endothermic processes and a total thermal energy requirement, the method further comprising the steps of:
 a) harnessing thermal energy from the plurality of exothermic processes of said method; and   b) providing a heat exchanger network for fulfilling the total thermal energy requirements of the plurality of endothermic processes of said method by using the harnessed thermal energy.