by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As Alberta looks at what might works for them in industrial biotech — Jacobs comes up with a useful take on Renmatix, GTI, LanzaTech, Enerkem, REG and OPX Bio — and 8 rules for getting it done, making it happen.
While in Alberta last week, we came across a report commissioned by Alberta Innovates looking at how a number of technologies might apply to the feedstocks and markets in Western Canada.
It’s a fascinating report — not least because it goes into depth on some key and closely-watched technologies from the likes of GTI, Renmatix, LanzaTech, Enerkem and the former LS9 (now REG Life Sciences) — and looks how combinations of technologies also might play in Alberta with the provinces woody biomass and MSW feedstock base.
The caveats
A couple of caveats before we discuss the findings.
First, these are estimates prepared by a consultancy — talented though they are — not based on actual commercial-scale results in the field. Plus, several of these technologies are not yet at commercial-scale. So, technology risk applies.
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Chosen on the basis of “reasonable chance of being economically produced” were: diesel, gasoline, ethanol, acrylamide, and diluent for bitumen transport (thinners for heavy crudes to make it possible to ship them by pipeline). Hot molecules such as BDO and organic acids were excluded on the basis of a small market in Alberta.
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How to make it happen in Alberta, or elsewhere
1. Support pilot runs for the core platform technologies.
2. Focus on high-value products or those with a large spread between cost of production and market price. “Perform rigorous due diligence prior to funding”.
3. Entice a major chemical producer/chemical process developer to focus on Alberta biomass conversion. Jacobs offers BASF, BP., Cargill, DuPont, Koch, Marathon Oil, POET-DSM, Shell, Honeywell;s UOP, Valero and Waste Management as potential partners.
What it takes to succeed: 8 Habits
Jacobs identified 8 qualities which they described as “key attributes of successful process development groups.”
1. They do no target incremental improvement. They target novel process scheme that will: replace an expensive step, eliminate a step, produce a high-value product from a much cheaper feedstock.
2. They target processes that do not require subsidies.
3. They have considerable experience in process development.
4. They have access to “versatile, highly instrumented piloting facilities”.
5. They have “close access to laboratory facilities…[for] quick turnaround.”
6. “They seek out experience – fast – to solve problems.”
7. They “understand the value of rigorous material balances. They are extremely knowledgable in process scale up issues…they are experts at experimental design.”
8. They are “led by multi-disciplinary individuals with process development backgrounds.” READ MORE