Technology

The thermo-catalytic reforming TCR® produces renewable liquid fuels from waste biomass, which can replace fossil fuels. These fuels comply with European standards for gasoline and diesel EN228 and EN590, which have already been demonstrated on a pilot scale.

The TCR® technology converts a broad range of residual biomass into three main products: H2-rich synthesis gas, biochar and liquid bio-oil, which can be upgraded. By high pressure hydro-deoxygenation HDO and conventional refining processes, a diesel or petrol equivalent is created in the distillation and is ready to be used directly in internal combustion engines.

The TCR® technology opens up long-term opportunities to convert organic waste into renewable fuels and to directly implement these fuels into existing petroleum infrastructure.

Innovation

To demonstrate and validate the technical and commercial viability of this integrated approach, this project will combine in one plant TCR®, thermo-catalytic reforming, HDO, hydro-deoxygenation, and PSA, pressure swing adsorption, together with respective environmental and social sustainability mapping.

The main objective is to create TCR® and HDO and the separation of H2 through the combination of a new value chain.

The HDO unit is the part of the plant where the bio-oil is upgraded. The bio-oil feedstock from the TCR is fed with hydrogen from the PSA into a fixed bed reactor. There reactions over the catalysts occur which result in the removal of heteroatoms of the bio-oil such as sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen. This process runs with a surplus of hydrogen. In respect to the economic efficiency and the environment this will be recycled through the PSA unit.
This technology makes it possibly to get a drop-in fuel.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 745749.
The project responds to the topic LCE-19-2016-2017, Demonstration of the most promising advanced biofuel pathways.