Blends of low carbon and conventional fuels with improved performance characteristics
The present invention provides a blended fuel and methods for producing the blended fuel, wherein a low carbon fuel derived from a renewable resource such as biomass, is blended with a traditional, petroleum derived fuel. A blended fuel which includes greater than 10% by volume of low carbon fuel has an overall improved lifecycle greenhouse gas content of about 5% or more compared to the petroleum derived fuel. Also, blending of the low carbon fuel to the traditional, petroleum fuel improves various engine performance characteristics of the traditional fuel.
1. A blended fuel comprising:
(a) about 5% to about 90%, by volume, of a petroleum fuel; and
(b) about 95% to about 10%, by volume, of a low carbon fuel produced from a renewable biomass feedstock, using a thermochemical or biochemical conversion process,
wherein the low carbon fuel has a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content which is at least about 50% lower than a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content of the petroleum fuel, and the low carbon fuel has at least two performance characteristic values which are at least about 30% improved than corresponding performance characteristic values of the petroleum fuel; and
wherein the blended fuel has a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content which is at least 5% lower than the well-to-wheels greenhouse content of the petroleum fuel, and the blended fuel has at least two performance characteristic values which are at least about 5% improved than corresponding performance characteristic values of the petroleum fuel.
2. The blended fuel of claim 1 , wherein the low carbon fuel is produced by a process that involves converting a renewable biomass feedstock into a syngas; and reacting the syngas with a catalyst to produce the low carbon fuel.
3. The blended fuel of claim 1 , wherein the performance characteristic values are any two of a cetane number, a lubricity value, a sulfur content, and an oxidative stability value.
4. The blended fuel of claim 3 , wherein the lubricity value of the low carbon fuel is at least 30% lower than the lubricity value of the petroleum fuel measured by ASTM D 6079.
5. The blended fuel of claim 3 , wherein the cetane number of the low carbon diesel fuel is at least 30% higher than the cetane number of the petroleum diesel fuel measured by ASTM D613.
6. The blended fuel of claim 3 , wherein the lubricity value of the low carbon fuel is less than about 450 microns by HFRR at 60° C. (scar) measured by ASTM D 6079.
7. The blended fuel of claim 3 , wherein the lubricity value of the blended fuel is less than about 450 microns by HFRR at 60° C. (scar) measured by ASTM D 6079.
8. The blended fuel of claim 3 , wherein the cetane number of the low carbon fuel is greater than about 65 measured by ASTM D 613.
9. The blended fuel of claim 1 , wherein the renewable feedstock is a renewable agricultural residue.
10. A process for producing a blended fuel comprising:
converting a renewable biomass feedstock into a syngas;
reacting the syngas with a catalyst to produce a low carbon fuel; and
blending about 10% to about 95%, by volume, of the low carbon fuel with about 5% to about 90%, by volume, of a petroleum diesel fuel,
wherein the low carbon fuel has a cetane number of greater than about 65, and the low carbon fuel has a lubricity value which is less than about 450 microns by HFRR at 60° C. (scar) measured by ASTM D 6079.
11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the catalyst has a pore diameter greater than about 120 angstroms, an effective pellet radius of less than 600 microns, a crush strength of greater than 3 lbs/mm, and a BET surface area greater than 100 m 2 /g.
12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the catalyst is produced in a fixed bed reactor that is reduced in-situ at a temperature below 550° C.
13. A blended fuel produced by the process of claim 10 .
14. The blended fuel of claim 13 , wherein the renewable biomass feedstock is a cellulosic waste material.
15. The blended fuel of claim 13 , wherein the low carbon fuel is a non-ester diesel fuel and the petroleum fuel is a petro diesel fuel.
16. The blended fuel of claim 13 , wherein the low carbon fuel has a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content which is at least about 50% lower than a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content of the petroleum fuel.
17. The blended fuel of claim 13 , wherein the blending of the low carbon fuel increases performance non-linearly as the proportion of the low carbon fuel becomes higher in the blend.
18. A process for producing a blended fuel comprising:
converting a sugar into isoprenoids using yeast,
processing the isoprenoids into a low carbon fuel for blending,
blending about 10% to about 95%, by volume, of the low carbon fuel with about 5% to about 90%, by volume, of a petroleum diesel fuel,
wherein the blending of the low carbon fuel increases performance non-linearly as the proportion of the low carbon fuel becomes higher in the blend.
19. A blended fuel produced by the process of claim 18 .
20. The blended fuel of claim 19 , wherein the low carbon fuel has a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content which is at least about 50% lower than a well-to-wheels greenhouse gas content of the petroleum fuel.