Executive SummaryThis report documents the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) assessment of the feasibility of making gasoline via the methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) route using syngas from a 2,000 dry metric tonne/day (2,205 U.S. ton/day) biomass-fed facility.The thermochemical route of biomass gasification produces a syngas rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The syngas is then converted into methanol, and the methanol is converted to gasoline using the methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) process first developed by Exxon Mobil. Using a methodology similar to that used in previous NREL design reports and a feedstock cost of $50.70/dry U.S. ton ($55.89/dry metric tonne), a plant gate price (PGP) was estimated. For the base case the PGP is predicted to be $16.60/MMBtu ($15.73/GJ) (U.S. $2007) for gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) produced from biomass via gasification of wood, methanol synthesis, and the methanol-to-gasoline process (MTG). The corresponding unit prices for gasoline and LPG are $1.95/gallon ($0.52/liter) and $1.53/gallon ($0.40/liter) with yields of 55.1 and 9.3 gallons per U.S. ton of dry biomass (229.9 and 38.8 liters per metric tonne of dry biomass), respectively. For comparison to ethanol, this is $1.39 per gallon ($0.37/liter) ethanol on an energy equivalent basis. In comparison, based on analysis work completed at NREL, the predicted plant gate prices for ethanol produced via the thermochemical and biochemical pathways are $1.57 per gallon ($0.41 per liter) and $1.49 per gallon ($0.39 per liter), respectively (OBP 2009). Note that the PGP is for the base case. A sensitivity analysis is included in the report to demonstrate the impact that modifications in the design and costing assumptions have on the PGP. A range of PGP values is to be expected due to uncertainties in capital costs, yields, and technoeconomic factors.This report is a future look at the potential of the described biomass-to-gasoline process, based on calculations for a mature plant (also called the n th plant) and 2012 technology targets as established in the Multi-Year Technical Plan of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Biomass Program. In order to achieve the $1.95/gallon ($0.52/liter) PGP, there are critical research milestones that must be achieved. First, the 2012 tar reforming targets of 99.9% tar and 80% methane conversion (among others) are essential. Also, utilization of a fluidized bed MTG reactor, instead of the commercially proven fixed bed, is pertinent in keeping capital costs down. Thus, further research on this type of reactor is needed 1) to verify that at the conditions specified the products generated match the model assumptions and 2) to analyze effects of scaleup on product distribution. It should be emphasized that the PGP for a first-of-a-kind plant will be significantly higher than the PGP for an n th plant.To predict the PGP for this study, a new technoeconomic model was developed in Aspen Plus, based on the model developed for NREL's thermochemical ethanol design report )....

This work describes a technoeconomic analysis of the feasibility of making gasoline using biomass-derived syngas that was completed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The process includes the following steps: (1) biomass gasification of woody residues, which produces a syngas rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide; (2) syngas cleanup by means of tar reforming and scrubbing, followed by the removal of acid gases; (3) synthesis of methanol from clean syngas by passing it over a copper/zinc oxide/alumina catalyst; (4) conversion of methanol to gasoline using a ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst, first developed by Exxon Mobil as the methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) technology; and (5) multiple gasoline separation and finishing processes. The process was modeled in Aspen Plus, and information taken from the Aspen Plus simulation was used to complete a discounted cash flow rate of return (DCFROR) analysis. The results of the DCFROR, using a poplar wood feedstock cost of $55.89/dry metric tonne ($50.70/dry U.S. ton), give an estimated plant gate price (PGP) of $15.73/GJ ($16.60/MMBtu) (2007 U.S. dollars) for gasoline and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). The corresponding unit prices for gasoline and LPG are $0.52/L ($1.95/gal) and $0.40/L ($1.53/gal), respectively, with yields of 229.9 L of gasoline and 38.8 L of LPG per metric tonne of dry biomass (55.1 gal of gasoline and 9.3 gal of LPG per short ton of dry biomass). This report is a future look at the potential of the biomass-to-gasoline process, based on calculations for an nth plant and 2012 technology targets for clean syngas from biomass as established in the Multi-Year Program Plan of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Biomass Program.

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