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Evaluation of technologies and processes for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals
RISE offers an opportunity to evaluate technologies and processes that can contribute to increased and more efficient production of renewable fuels and chemicals. The evaluations are based on techno-economics, climate performance and system analysis.
With the help of our expertise in evaluating conversion processes with regard to techno-economic and climate performance, the development of energy, cost and climate efficient processes can be accelerated. Our expertise is applicable both in the early process development stage and for commercial processes.
Typically, production techniques, or combinations thereof, are evaluated with respect to:
- Production cost, including investment and operating costs
- Environmental performance, often measured as greenhouse gas reduction compared to alternative fossil products
- Production potential, for example limited by raw material supply
For new processes, which are under development, issues may, for example, be to prioritize different development paths and control technology development. Among other things, we can identify bottlenecks where further process development work is needed to drastically improve the cost performance of a process. Based on process data or conceptual data, we can evaluate optimal process conditions and process choices through simulations and calculation studies. Our work often takes place in the same project that performs technology development to maximize synergies.
For commercial processes, analyzes of this type can be used to evaluate and compare different available technology alternatives, assess the effect of integration and estimate the profitability of a production facility during planning. In this context, we can contribute everything from early conceptual studies to support during engineering work in preparation for a facility construction.
The projects we work in are of a basic or applied nature, often linked to or on behalf of e.g. the chemical industry, the petroleum industry, the pulp and paper industry, the transport sector and biorefinery companies. Often the raw materials are residual products from the forest industry and agriculture, e.g. branches and tops, bark, sawdust, lignin, straw and sludge. Examples of processes and techniques we have worked with are gasification, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), steam reforming, hydrotreating, fermentation and digestion.