Mobile and Flexible Industrial Processing of Biomass

ended

MOBILE FLIP aims at developing and demonstrating mobile processes for the treatment of underexploited agro- and forest based biomass resources into products and intermediates. The processes will be evaluated in terms of raw material flexibility, as the biomass resources are typically scattered and seasonal. Process concepts have been designed around the key technologies pelletizing, torrefaction, slow pyrolysis, hydrothermal pretreatment and carbonisation. The products vary depending on the process concept, being typically fuels as such or for co-combustion (pellets, torrefied pellets, biocoals), biochars for soil remediation, biodegradable pesticides for agricultural or forestry use or chemicals for wood panel industry and sugars and hydrolysable cellulose as intermediate for the sugar platform. Some of the products are marketable as such, while some others are intermediates to be further valorised by integrated large industries. In the latter case, the mobile unit pre-extracts the valuable components or densifies the biomass to reduce transportation costs. Over-the-fence integration to large industries will be one means to ensure the availability of utilities, such as steam and electricity, whereas in some mobile process concepts the utilities can be produced at site for internal or external uses. The concept evaluations are supported both by research and industrial (SME and large industries) partners in the whole value chains. Preliminary business plan is presented in the proposal and will be updated during the project. Dissemination, communication and exploitation activities will be an integral part of the project. A milestone is defined in the midterm of the project to identify the most feasible process lines for demonstration. Life-cycle analysis and a wide sustainability evaluation (economic, environmental and social assessment) will be carried out for the process concepts in order to clarify their potential for flexible raw material valorisation.