Diversified Energy Corporation and Evergreen Pulp have formed a partnership and submitted a proposal to pursue a project to replace natural gas usage at the pulp mill with syngas produced on-site by the gasification of low-value excess wood fines using HydroMax gasification technology. (Earlier post.) Using an iron/tin molten metal based reactor, the HydroMax system produces both carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) in separate and distinct streams from the reactor. In addition to providing fuel for heat and power, the syngas can be used in Fischer-Tropsch processing for fuels and chemicals, or to deliver a hydrogen stream for subsequent purification and use.dation of Fe to its pure form and produces a CO-rich syngas which is released for use.
Diversified Energy says that the HydroMax technique can deliver gasification systems at up to 50% the cost of traditional systems and with 80+% efficiency. This broader relationship could include installation of a full-scale HydroMax system capable of generating enough high-Btu syngas to replace all of the natural gas consumed at the Eureka, CA plant. This would make Evergreen Pulp the first US pulp mill to run its operations entirely fossil-fuel free.
Diversified Energy is also developing the Centia process to turn virtually any lipidic compound—e.g., vegetable oils, oils from animal fat and oils from algae—into aviation fuel or other high-value fuels. Centia integrates a sequence of three thermocatalytic-reforming processes that are either extensions of current commercial processes or based on recent laboratory breakthroughs. Centia can also be used to make additives for cold-weather biodiesel fuels and holds the potential to fuel automobiles that currently run on gasoline.
Read more: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/03/pulp_mill_propo.html