PROJECTS

Starting date of project:

Production of biobutadiene from bioethanol (BIODIENE)

Funding: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, European Union (FEDER)
Duration: 2016 - 2018

Description: The technology for the production of butadiene from ethanol was abandoned in the 1960's due to lack of competitiveness against butadiene from oil. The aim of this project is to investigate critical issues of the production of butadiene from ethanol that can make this technology competitive again. This research is encouraged by the remarkable development of butadiene synthesis catalysts in the last 20 years. The project deals with research areas like process design and reaction systems in order to find optimum process configurations and reaction conditions. The economics and sustainability of these configurations will also be compared against butadiene production from fossil-based butadiene.

The project is divided in two interconnected parts: (1) experimental research with best butadiene synthesis catalyst developed so far in order to find optimum reaction conditions and develop kinetic models and (2) conceptual design of new process configurations more efficient and economic and sustainability comparison (in terms of greenhouse gas reductions) with fossil-based butadiene

Thermochemical biorefinery based on DME

Financing: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
Duration: 2013 - 2015

The aim of this project is the study of new concepts of a thermochemical biorefinery based on dimethyl ether (DME) as a platform chemical and the polygeneration (multiproduction) of electricity, fuels (ethanol and DME) and chemicals (methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, acetic anhydride). Two main tasks considered in this research project: (1) An experimental study of carbonylation and hydrocarbonylation of DME with the aim to identify the best reaction conditions and develop kinetic models (2) The conceptual design, simulation and assessment of a set of different process configurations of such a thermochemical biorefinery in terms of techno-economic and sustainability criteria

Bio-AndaluS

Financing: Abengoa Bioenergía Nuevas Tecnologías, CDTI
Duration: 2012 - 2014

In this project the most promising alternatives for the transformation of ethanol into added-value bioproducts, such as biobutanol and bio jet-fuel, will be investigated. The Bioenergy Group will focus on those alternatives based on catalytic routes by testing new catalysts in the laboratory as well as creating a conceptual design, simulation and economic evaluation and analysis of the life-cycle of the most promising processes.

Sustainable Biorefineries (BIOSOS)

Financing: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España, Abengoa Bioenergía
Duration: 2009 - 2012

In this project, led by Abengoa Bioenergía, the Bioenergy Group has two distinct research areas. The first focuses on the fine-tuning of a gasification technology suitable for alternative biomass fuels which are particularly difficult to process with the aim of producing a synthesis gas for the production of biofuels or other chemical products. The other area continues the study of ethanol production, but this time by means of alternative routes, such as the hydrocarbonylation of DME, the hydrogenation of acetic acid, as well as the fermentation of synthesis gas. In the field of process analysis, the study of the production of other biofuels and/or bioproducts such as methanol, DME, SNG, Diesel-FT, as well as bio-olefins and biogasoline, by means of MTO and MTG routes, respectively, has been widened.

Sustainable Exploitation of CO2 (SOST-CO2)

Financing: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España, Sociedad Española de Carburos Metálicos
Duration: 2008 - 2011

In this project the assessment of CO2 as an alternative to its underground confinement is studied, analyzing from the capture of CO2 in industrial emission sources, through its transportation, its storage and its assessment on a large or medium scale. The project gathers a consortium of 24 companies and 26 national research centers led by the Sociedad Española de Carburos Metálicos. The tasks of the Bioenergy Group were to propose and evaluate different processes to produce ethanol using CO2 as a raw material, as well as characterizing hydrogenation catalysts of CO2 to ethanol.

Research and development of fuel grade bioethanol (I+DEA)

Financing: Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo de España, Abengoa Bioenergía
Duration: 2007 - 2010

In this project all the aspects of the production of bioethanol from biomass for use as a fuel in the transport sector are studied. This covers the study of the means of generation of raw materials, the transformation technologies of same in bioethanol, as well as eventual use in engines. The project gathers a consortium of 25 companies and 27 national research centers led by Abengoa Bioenergía. The Bioenergy Group characterized and determined the kinetics of new direct synthesis catalysts developed by Abengoa Bioenergía in collaboration with the Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ) of Valencia. The kinetic model was integrated into the simulations with the intention of optimizing the operating conditions of the reactor and minimizing the production cost of bioethanol .

Production of fuel grade bioethanol via thermochemical route (BIOCOM)

Financing: Proyecto Plan Nacional. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España
Duration: 2006 - 2008.

This Project follows the research started in the RENEW project. On one hand, the performance of direct synthesis catalysts is studied in a slurry reactor rather than in a fixed bed. On the other hand, the techno-economic and life-cycle assessments of new alternatives of the process for the direct synthesis of ethanol by thermochemical conversion are carried out, supported by new laboratory data.

Renewable Fuels for Advanced Power Trains (RENEW)

Financing: VI Framework Programme. European Commission
Duration: 2004 - 2007

The RENEW project had as a general aim the development, comparison and, in some cases, demonstration of several production methods of transport fuels from primarily lignocellulosic biomass. It is a project in which numerous companies and European research centers participated and it was financed by the European Commission as part of the VI European Framework Programme. The Bioenergy Group participated in subproject four of the RENEW project “SP4: Optimisation of Bioethanol Production”, led by Abengoa Bioenergy New Technologies. The tasks carried out in the subproject were:
1) Experimental study of the catalytic conversion of synthesis gas to ethanol in a laboratory scale fixed-bed reactor using catalysts by Abengoa Bioenergía NT.
2) Techno-economic analysis of process alternatives for the production of ethanol by means of a thermochemical process.
3) Experimental study of the optimum biomass gasification conditions in a fluidized-bed gasifier to produce a synthesis gas focused on ethanol synthesis