Enhanced Biofuels is a Houston based technology development and licensing company. The company is comprised of seasoned professionals with distinguished and proven track records in process and chemical engineering, project management and business development. Enhanced Biofuels is currently operating two fully automated pilot units with nominal capacities of 3,000 gpy and 250,000 gpy. State of the art process simulator CHEMCAD is utilized for optimization and scale-up.
Process
The HS Reactor System™ uses a proprietary process and internals which accelerate the reaction without the use of a caustic or acid based catalyst. This novel approach has the following additional characteristics:
- Unique reactor design
- Compact
- Robust
- Single step, continuous process
Plan
Enhanced Biofuels commercialization efforts includes add-ons and retrofits of existing conventional and alternative fuel refiners, biodiesel and ethanol producers, pulp & paper (tall oil fatty acid) palm oil (palm fatty acid distillate) processors and rendering facilities with complementary infrastructure for the production of advanced biofuels and refinery feed.
Strategy
Enhanced Biofuels intends to leverage its novel proprietary technologies and knowledge base to establish the necessary business relationships and strategic alliances to support the commercialization efforts of the HS Reactor System.
Team
The background of the members includes two chemical engineers, each with 20+ years of experience in process development and optimization within the chemical, petrochemical, and refining industries; one biologist with extensive knowledge in analytical chemistry and pilot unit design, construction, and operation; and one entrepreneur with a strong operational and strategic base, who founded and operated several start-ups.
Innovations & Benefits
The HS Reactor System™ can process and upgrade feedstock with free fatty acid (FFA) and/or carboxylic acid (CA), including naphthenic acid, content of up to 100% in a cost effective fashion. No other technology can effectively match this performance. The system can be cost effectively integrated or co-located as an add-on to existing industrial operations to leverage infrastructure, and increase production flexibility and profitability. The HS Reactor System™ enables process companies such as conventional refiners, alternative fuel refiners, ethanol producers, edible oil and palm oil refiners, pulp and paper and crude tall oil operators, rendering facilities, and even biodiesel producers to convert their low value high acidity feedstock into higher value refinery feed and advanced biofuels. Furthermore, the HS Reactor System™ can be economically installed from small to large scale with reasonable capital investment because of its streamlined equipment design. This provides greater optionality to all types of refiners.
Technology Implementation
- A retrofit with the HS Reactor System™ will provide a conventional biodiesel plant the ability to process feedstock with up to 100% FFA (recycled greases, animal fats, DDG oil, PFAD, TOFA, etc.) while at the same time producing premium glycerin. The retrofit will reduce operating costs by minimizing yield losses, waste water, and other inefficiencies.
- The HS Reactor System™ enables the dry mill ethanol producer to leverage their existing infrastructure, storage and logistics to convert low value dry distiller's grain (DDG) oil into valuable biodiesel in a timely and cost effective fashion. About 7 gallons of biodiesel can be produced for every 100 gallons of ethanol capacity. Approximately 700 million gallons per year of DDG oil could be produced at current ethanol throughput. All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
- The HS Reactor System™ enables rendering facilities to leverage their existing infrastructure, storage and logistics to convert low value animal fats and recycled greases into valuable biodiesel in a timely and cost effective fashion. About 1 gallon of biodiesel can be produced for every gallon of fats and recycled greases. There are approximately 4 billion gallons of animal fats available globally. All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
- The HS Reactor System™ enables the crude tall oil (CTO) refiner to leverage their existing infrastructure, storage and logistics to convert co-products, such as tall oil fatty acid (TOFA) into valuable biodiesel in a timely and cost effective fashion. About 30 gallons of biodiesel can be produced for every 100 gallons of CTO capacity. There are approximately 900 million gallons of CTO Worldwide. All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
- The HS Reactor System™ enables the palm oil refiner to leverage their existing infrastructure, storage and logistics to convert low value co-products such as palm oil fatty acids (PFAD) into valuable biodiesel in a timely and cost effective fashion. About 5% to 10% of a palm oil refiner capacity is PFAD and other acidic products. One pound of PFAD converts into one pound of biodiesel. There are approximately 1.2 billion gallons per year PFAD available globally. All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
- The HS Reactor System™ enables the conventional refiner or crude oil producer to leverage their existing infrastructure, storage and logistics to upgrade discounted "opportunity high acid crude oil" in a timely and cost effective fashion to lower corrosiveness and improve stability. A World Bank report estimates that high acid crudes represent 10% of the total global crude oil production. All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
- The HS Reactor System™ enables the conventional refiner to leverage their existing infrastructure, storage and logistics to upgrade biocrude in a timely and cost effective fashion to lower corrosiveness and improve stability. Biocrude is generated by introducing biomass into existing refinery upgrader units. The Department of Energy Billion Ton Study estimates a billion tons per year of biomass available, this translates to approximatelly 120 billion gallons per year of alternative fuel feedstock or 60% of all transportation fuel consumed in the US. All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
- The HS Reactor System™ enables the pyrolysis oil facility to leverage their existing infrastructure, storage and logistics to upgrade pyrolysis oil in a timely and cost effective fashion to lower corrosiveness and improve stability. Pyrolysis oil is produced by converting biomass in a thermochemical process. The Department of Energy Billion Ton Study shows a billion tons per year of biomass available, this translates to approximatelly 120 million gallons per year of fuel feedstock or 60% of all transportation fuel consumed in the US. All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
- Many other plants are also attractive retrofit candidates for the HS Reactor System™. Key criteria include: location relative to feedstock and market, available rail, barge and truck infrastructure, storage capacity, utilities, and general site infrastructure (labs, control room, maintenance shop, etc.). All retrofits must be reviewed on a case by case basis as each plant is different.
Member