Making Biorefineries Competitive:
PRO.E.SATM
The only sugar platform available today
Guido Ghisolfi
June 8, 2012
Three points that will change the industry:
 Commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, Q3 2012:
20 million gallons, Crescentino (13 to start)
 Cellulosic costs less
 No subsidies required
M&G Group: Biomass Technology & Experience
Engineering Division
$3B per year
#2 producer of PET
Technology for
biomass to sugars
PRO.E.SATM Technology Step by Step
2006 – 2008
 Scouting of
technologies;
 Generation of key
inventions;
 Proof of UNIT
OPERATION in the
labs.
2009 – 2010
2011 – 2012
 Pilot plant
 Crescentino unit;
construction & start
up (June 2009);
 Technology licensing.
 Pilot plant operation
and data gathering;
 Test of plant flexibility
using multiple
biomasses.
PRO.E.SATM Technology
YEAST
BIOMASS
PRO.E.SATM
Technology
C6 Sugar
Fermentation
C5 Sugar
Separation
ETHANOL
LIGNIN
( Energy Generation)
Ready solution for
industrial production of 2G Ethanol
A Total Project Solution based on:
1. Agronomy: Field experimentation and best energy crops identified
and characterized;
2. Biomass Pre-Treatment and Viscosity Reduction: Continuous
process developed and piloted to produce cost-effective and clean
fermentable sugars;
3. Hydrolysis and Fermentation: Unique hybrid SSCF process scheme
yielding high ethanol concentrations.
Crescentino Plant
PRO.E.SATM Technology: From Biomass to Sugar
 Without use of chemicals;
 Optimizing C5 and C6 sugar extraction;
 Minimizing the formation of by-products/inhibitors;
 Using continuous equipment enabling design for
large scale plant;
 Minimizing CAPEX and OPEX.
The Continuous Pilot Plant: How it operates…
 Biomass agnostic;
 No biomass drying / grinding required;
 Low level of inhibitor (lower then in P.O.C.);
 No use of chemicals (only steam is added);
 Reduced enzyme loads;
 Rapid liquefaction of the solid material;
 High solid concentration (>40%) in the hydrolysis step.
Biomass: Our Experience at Pilot Plant
 PRO.E.SATM technology is flexible in feedstock supply: possibility
to treat worldwide crops;
 Several biomasses were evaluated and tested as potential
feedstock for the PRO.E.SATM technology:
Internal analysis according to Chemtex methods
Pre-Treatment Section: Biomass Type
High feedstock flexibility
Energy crops:
 Arundo donax (giant reed);
 Miscanthus giganteus;
 Panicum virgatum
(switchgrass).
Agricultural and industrial
residues:
 Wheat straw;
 Rice straw;
 Sugarcane bagasse.
Woody species:
 Eucalyptus;
 Poplar,
Internal data tests at pilot scale
 Differences in yield (4 to 5 tons dry biomass/tons EtOH)
index mainly depends on feedstock composition;
 It is possible to reduce the yield variability optimizing the
process condition.
Hydrolysis and Fermentation
High solid concentration enzymatic hydrolysis is needed
to guarantee the economics of
ethanol recovery through distillation
20
C5 conv=90%
C5 conv=60%
18
M&G solution
C5 conv=30%
16
C5 conv=0%
EtOH in beer, % wt
14
12
10
8
6
4
Available solution
2
0
20
25
30
35
Solid content in hydrolysis, % wt
40
45
LCA – Full Scale Projection
 The lifecycle performances of bioethanol produced through
Chemtex technology at a full industrial scale have also been
estimated by means of the GREET model;
 Scale benefits will allow a further improvement of the bioethanol
environmental profile.
E100
Gasoline
CO2 emissions
[g/km]
15
169
GHG emissions
[gCO2 eq/km]
27
172
- 91%
- 84%
Baseline Process Scheme
2G Bioethanol Plant
TECHNOLOGY
Biomass
IS
PRO.E.SA™
READY!
M&G
2G BIOETHANOL
Lignocellulosic
sugar
technology
C6 Sugars
C5 Sugars
By-product Lignin
THOSE INTERMEDIATES REPRESENT
A STARTING POINT FOR A NEW GREEN
CHEMISTRY BASED ON RENEWBLES
How to exploit PRO.E.SATM Technology
ENZYMES
ETHANOLOGEN
PRO.E.SA™
M&G
Lignocellulosic
sugar
technology
…?
…?
…?
We can adapt the composition of the sugar stream to
various fermentations:
 With / without lignin;
 Higher / lower sugar concentration;
 Free from inhibitory compounds.
How to exploit PRO.E.SATM Technology
JET FUEL
ETHANOL
GREEN DIESEL
1,4 BDO
ADIPIC
ACID
ACETIC
ACID
FATTY
ALCOHOLS
PE
BUTANOL
EG
PX
THE BIOMASS SUGAR PLATFORM