Processes for producing high biogenic concentration fischer-tropsch liquids derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstocks
Processes for producing high biogenic concentration Fischer-Tropsch liquids derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstock that contains a relatively high concentration of biogenic carbon (derived from plants) and a relatively low concentration of non-biogenic carbon (derived from fossil sources) wherein the biogenic content of the Fischer-Tropsch liquids is the same as the biogenic content of the feedstock.
1. A process for producing a transportation fuel or fuel additive derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising the steps of:
a) in a feedstock processing step, producing a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials;
b) converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in a bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon; and
c) upgrading the Fischer-Tropsch liquids into a transportation fuel or fuel additive while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon.
2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the step of converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in the bio-refinery, further comprises:
converting the processed MSW feedstock in a gasification island.
3. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power.
4. The process according to claim 1 wherein in the feedstock processing step, more than 10% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed.
5. The process according to claim 1 wherein in the feedstock processing step, up to 80% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed.
6. The process according to claim 1 wherein in the feedstock processing step, between about 10% and 90% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed.
7. The process according to claim 1 , the converting step being comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
1) steam reforming the processed feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons;
2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and
3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas.
8. The process according to claim 7 , further comprising:
conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2 and provide a CO 2 recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2 to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2 ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value;
converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids in one or more F-T reactors;
separating the F-T liquids in a separation system into heavy F-T liquids (HFTL) and medium F-T liquids (MFTL); and
upgrading the separated F-T liquids in an upgrading system comprising a hydrotreating/hydrocracking reactor and fractionation system configured to upgrade the HFTL and MFTL into a transportation fuel.
9. A process for producing Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising the steps of:
a) in a feedstock processing step, producing a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials; and
b) converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in a bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon.
10. The process according to claim 9 , wherein the converting step is comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
1) steam reforming the processed feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons;
2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and
3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas.
11. The process according to claim 10 , further comprising:
conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2 and provide a CO 2 recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2 to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2 ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value; and
converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in one or more F-T reactors.
12. The process according to claim 9 wherein in the feedstock processing step, more than 10% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed.
13. The process according to claim 9 wherein in the feedstock processing step, up to 80% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed.
14. The process according to claim 9 wherein in the feedstock processing step, between about 10% and 90% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed.
15. The process according to claim 9 , further comprising the step of:
in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power.
16. A process for producing Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising:
providing to a bio-refinery, a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials; and
converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids in the bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon.
17. The process according to claim 16 , wherein the converting step is comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
1) steam reforming the processed MSW feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed MSW feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons;
2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and
3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas.
18. The process according to claim 17 , further comprising:
conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2 and provide a CO 2 recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2 to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2 ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value; and
converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in one or more F-T reactors.
19. The process according to claim 16 , further comprising the step of:
in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power.
20. A process for producing a transportation fuel or fuel additive derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising the steps of:
a) providing to a bio-refinery, a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials;
b) converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in the bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon;
and c) upgrading the Fischer-Tropsch liquids into a transportation fuel or fuel additive while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon.
21. The process according to claim 20 wherein the step of converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in the bio-refinery, further comprises: converting the processed MSW feedstock in a gasification island.
22. The process according to claim 20 , further comprising the step of:
in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power.
23. The process according to claim 20 , the converting step being comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
1) steam reforming the processed MSW feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed MSW feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons;
2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and
3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas.
24. The process according to claim 23 , further comprising:
conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2 and provide a CO 2 recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2 to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2 ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value;
converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids in one or more F-T reactors;
separating the F-T liquids in a separation system into heavy F-T liquids (HFTL) and medium F-T liquids (MFTL); and
upgrading the separated F-T liquids in an upgrading system comprising a hydrotreating/hydrocracking reactor and fractionation system configured to upgrade the HFTL and MFTL into a transportation fuel.