Assessment of Conversion Technologies for Bioalcohol Fuel ...

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The SEPCO Project, while not constructed, serves as a landmark case study of a fully reviewed and permitted cellulosic biomass-to-ethanol and electric generation project in California. Although 12 years have passed, there are still numerous similarities to some of today’s biorefinery project concepts. The voluminous project documentation developed by the project proponents, consultants and vendors, the CEC and others includes information and analysis on a variety of subjects potentially still relevant and useful to the pursuit of bioalcohol and other types of bioenergy projects in California and elsewhere. Among the aspects of the SEPCO Project that offer valuable experience and applicable lessons going forward are: Environmental Analysis and Mitigation Measures–Detailed environmental analysis was conducted on a full range of issues, including air quality, water supply and water quality, hydrology, and biological resources. Issuance of an air quality permit for the entire project was based on emission offsets to be obtained via the discontinuation of rice straw burning resulting from use of rice straw as the ethanol plant feedstock. Flood plain concerns resulted in modifications to the facility site plan. Original plans to use groundwater wells were changed to use of surface water; water supply arrangements included mitigation measures at the Sacramento River water intake to protect salmon. Various other mitigation measures were adopted involving several different endangered species found on the site. Public Acceptance and Health and Safety Issues–The suburban site location engendered considerable public interest and some local opposition to the project. A review of a number of alternative sites was conducted. Land use, traffic, noise, fire protection, visual impacts, and hazardous material transport and storage issues were all addressed. An initial incompatible use determination was resolved with a county zoning amendment. Several changes in on-site use of chemical materials were instituted. An intervener petition for a thirty-year epidemiological study of project impacts on workers and nearby residents was rejected. Project Integration Issues–The unique features of the project, combining rice straw to ethanol production and electricity cogeneration, posed a number of considerations not previously encountered in CEC or other California regulatory proceedings. Reliability of the unproven cellulosic ethanol production process stood to affect both the cogeneration performance and emission offset viability of the power plant. Various issues associated with the feedstock supply plan based on the yet-to-be-demonstrated use of rice straw were addressed. In the end, the range of site and environmental issues raised during the SEPCO Project regulatory proceeding were successfully resolved and the project was approved for construction, despite its unconventional technology features and location in a developing suburban community. Whether the project did not go forward because of complexities of the joint venture approach and multiple parties involved, or because 12
the technological approach was too advanced for the time, or due to other reasons remains debatable. But as an early test case of the California regulatory process for permitting a biorefinery-type facility combining new bioalcohol production technology and electricity generation, the project serves as an instructive example and at least a partial success story. Reference documents on the SEPCO Project (housed in the CEC Library) are listed below: SEPCO Project Application for Certification, August 1992 SEPCO Project Application for Certification (Appendices), August 1992 SEPCO Project Data Adequacy Responses, October 1992 SMUD Cogeneration Pipeline Project Application for Certification, May 1993 Presiding Member’s Proposed Decision on the SEPCO Project, March 1994 Revised Presiding Member’s Proposed Decision on the SEPCO Project, April 1994 Commission Decision on the SEPCO Project, May 1994 Commission Decision on the SMUD Cogeneration Pipeline Project, May 1994 Commission Decision on Modifications to the License for the SEPCO Project, December 1996 Gridley Ethanol Project The Gridley Ethanol Project (GEP) was initiated as a potential solution to the rice straw disposal problem in the Sacramento Valley region of California. Gridley is located in Butte County in the heart of California’s rice growing area, and its economy is uniquely dependent on rice production and markets. The rice straw disposal problem became acute with legislative mandates to significantly reduce the amount of rice straw burning after the fall rice harvest. The Rice Straw Burning Reduction Act of 1991 (AB 1378) mandated a reduction in rice straw burning by the year 2000 to no more than 25% of the planted acreage. The California rice straw burning phase down has proceeded as required by the statute, with growers burning less than the statutory limitations. Other open-field burning laws and regulations further limit the actual rice straw acreage burned annually. The total rice acreage burned annually has declined from 303,000 acres in 1992, the first year of the phase down, to slightly less than 72,000 acres in 2002. Despite the ongoing reduction of rice straw burning, no alternative market or disposal option sufficient to handle the quantities of rice straw being produced has yet 13
Page 1 and 2: Northern California Rice field Asse
Page 3 and 4: APPENDIX 1. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPER PR
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF TABLES Table 1-Categories o
Page 7 and 8: INTRODUCTION The State of Californi
Page 9 and 10: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provi
Page 11 and 12: distributed production of bioalcoho
Page 13 and 14: from corn, sugarcane and other suga
Page 15 and 16: Table 1-Categories of Biomass Conve
Page 17: SECTION 2 - PAST CALIFORNIA BIOMASS
Page 21 and 22: conversion technology at NREL, prep
Page 23 and 24: will use matching funds from the U.
Page 25 and 26: Report: Feasibility Study for Rice
Page 27 and 28: Environmental issues Market issues
Page 29 and 30: Presentation: Collins Pine Cogenera
Page 31 and 32: Syngas Production The thermochemica
Page 33 and 34: Alcohol Synthesis The direct synthe
Page 35 and 36: SECTION 4 - BIOCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIE
Page 37 and 38: Feedstock Pretreatment There are a
Page 39 and 40: Achieving such cost reductions woul
Page 41 and 42: Another novel approach to bioalcoho
Page 43 and 44: have been run for a sufficient time
Page 45 and 46: concerns. This evaluation determine
Page 47 and 48: The data in Table 5 are based upon
Page 49 and 50: Thermochemical System (Electricity)
Page 51 and 52: SECTION 8 - OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALL
Page 53 and 54: For all of the biomass resource cat
Page 55 and 56: The above CEC and CBC inventories o
Page 57 and 58: Economic and Institutional Challeng
Page 59 and 60: SECTION 9 - GOVERNMENT ROLES AND IN
Page 61 and 62: SECTION 10 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMM
Page 63 and 64: initial attractive application may
Page 65 and 66: SECTION 11 - REFERENCES Barrett, J.
Page 67 and 68: Collaborative, California Energy Co
Page 69 and 70:
CATEGORY 1-THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
Page 71 and 72:
and CO at the compression stage. Th
Page 73 and 74:
Range Fuels, Inc., Denver, Colorado
Page 75 and 76:
CATEGORY II-THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSE
Page 77 and 78:
Figure A4. Enerkem Process Diagram
Page 79 and 80:
The slag leaves the gasifier and is
Page 81 and 82:
Figure A6. Thermogenics, Inc., Tech
Page 83 and 84:
CATEGORY VIII-BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
Page 85 and 86:
Figure A8. BlueFire Arkenol Technol
Page 87 and 88:
Figure A9. BEI Process Celunol Corp
Page 89 and 90:
support systems and using the conve
Page 91 and 92:
several years ago, HFTA has been wi
Page 93 and 94:
Figure A11. Losonoco Wood-to-Ethano
Page 95 and 96:
OxyNol process. TVA is decommission
Page 97 and 98:
Technology Characteristics-The biom
Page 99 and 100:
Figure A14. PEC Biomass-to-Ethanol
Page 101 and 102:
CATEGORY IX - BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
Page 103 and 104:
Richland Washington, with U.S. DOE
Page 105 and 106:
construction of which could begin i
Page 107 and 108:
Figure A16. Iogen Biomass-to-Ethano
Page 109 and 110:
commercialize a biomass-to-ethanol
Page 111 and 112:
developed by CBE, is used to separa
Page 113 and 114:
Figure A19. DuPont Process BioGasol
Page 115 and 116:
Technology Characteristics-The Swan
Page 117 and 118:
CATEGORY X-OTHER BIOLOGICAL PROCESS
Page 119 and 120:
CATEGORY XI-INTEGRATED BIOREFINERY
Page 121 and 122:
CATEGORY XII-FERMENTATION OF SYNGAS
Page 123 and 124:
APPENDIX 2. CALIFORNIA ETHANOL PROD
Page 125:
Proposed Advanced Technology (Cellu
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