Novel Vertimass Catalyst for Conversion of Ethanol and Other Alcohols into Fungible
Gasoline, Jet, and Diesel Fuel Blend Stocks
Charles E. Wyman, PhD President and CEO
Vertimass LLC Irvine, California
DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)
Bioenergy 2015 Washington, DC
June 24, 2015
1"
Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
Vertimass Overview • Vertimass catalyst converts ethanol into gasoline blend stock
that eliminates blend wall as obstacle to market growth • Hydrocarbon products also open up new ethanol markets for
diesel and jet fuels and chemicals (e.g., BTX) • Simple one step bolt-on results in low CAPEX and OPEX • Advantages include no hydrogen addition, operation at
atmospheric pressure and moderate temperatures, near 100% energy yields, minimal light gas production, compatibility with 5-100% ethanol in water, product flexibility, and one hour reaction time
• Exclusive worldwide rights to 2 issued patents, 5 patent applications
• DOE recently selected Vertimass for $2 million award to scale up the technology
2"Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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Source: Biofuels for Energy Security and Transportation Act of 2007- U.S. Market
0"
5"
10"
15"
20"
25"
30"
35"
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022Advanced"Biofuels"Production Cellulosic"Ethanol"Production" Corn"Ethanol"RFS
Effective 2010: Energy legislation mandating cellulosic fuels
BG
Y
60% of Biofuels
from Cellulosic 21BGY
20% of Fuel
Stream from
Biofuels >$75B Market
Ethanol Blend Wall (10% of ~130-140 BGY)
2007 RFS and 10% Ethanol Blend Wall
3 Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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Might call it a Blend Ceiling
EPA Slashes Biofuels Targets for 2014, 2015, 2016 under Renewable Fuel Standard*
“Due to constraints in the fuel market to accommodate increasing volumes of ethanol, along with limits on the availability of non-ethanol renewable fuels, the volume targets specified by Congress in the Clean Air Act for 2014, 2015 and 2016 cannot be achieved. However, EPA recognizes that the statutory volume targets were intended to be ambitious; Congress set targets that envisioned growth at a pace that far exceeded historical growth rates. Congress clearly intended the RFS program to incentivize changes that would be unlikely to occur absent the RFS program. Thus while EPA is proposing to use the tools provided by Congress to waive the annual volumes below the statutory levels, we are proposing standards that are directionally consistent with Congress’ clear goal of increasing renewable fuel production and use over time. The proposed volumes would require significant growth in renewable fuel production and use over historical levels. EPA believes the proposed standards to be ambitious but within reach of a responsive marketplace.”**
4 Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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*Biofuels Digest, May 29, 2015
**EPA-420-F-15-028, May 2015
Challenges for Fuel Ethanol • Ethanol is not fully fungible with petroleum fuels for
transport via existing pipelines • Ethanol creates concerns about lower mileage and
different solvent properties • Existing ethanol production of ~14 billion gallons is
saturating U.S. 10% gasoline blend market • Higher level blends require additional infrastructure,
engine modifications for lower air-fuel ratios, and auto and oil company acceptance
• Ethanol energy density is too low for jet fuel • Ethanol cannot be easily run in compression ignition
engines for heavy duty vehicles 5 Vertimass
Transformative fungible biofuels
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Hea
t E
xcha
nger
Cat
alys
t
Dec
ante
r
Jet Fuel
Diesel
JP-8
Gasoline
Fractionation (if needed)
Through the ethanol blend wall and opening up new ethanol markets
Existing infrastructure
The Vertimass Bolt-On Solution
5-100% Ethanol
Chemicals, e.g., BTX
Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
2 Park Plaza, Suite 700Irvine, California 92614Direct: 949.417.13976ѝJL!� � ���������Cell: 949.351.2319IZOVWVќ']LY[PTHZZ�JVT
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Catalyst Transforms Ethanol into Fungible Blend Stocks in One Step without Adding Hydrogen
Low-cost metal-exchanged zeolite catalyst
Hydrous ethanol from distillation column
Aromatic and aliphatic HCs typical of blend stocks (C4-C12) with water and trace ethylene
Group& %&Volume&
Paraffins" 3.855"
I/Paraffins" 9.588"
Olefins" 5.371"
Naphthalenes" 1.988"
Aroma=cs" 79.198"
Oxygenates" 0.00"
Uniden=fied" 4.203"
7 Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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• Processed up to 2 gals/day ethanol to hydrocarbon fuels
• Catalyst regenerated repeatedly with
air over long lifetime
• Achieves high liquid fuel yields with high energy efficiency
• Performed well in small scale engine
tests • (RON+MON)/2 = 100 • RVP = 5.1
Catalyst Developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
8"
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 50 100 150 200
% B
lend
Sto
ck
Time (hr)
LHSV = 0.585
Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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Catalyst Advantages • Single step conversion of ethanol and other alcohols into
hydrocarbon blend stocks with high yields • No hydrogen addition • High yields of targeted products with minimal light gases • Mild (atmospheric pressure and 275-350oC) operating
conditions • Robust catalyst • Ability to process 5 to 100% ethanol concentrations • Avoids mole sieve and could displace rectification as well
• Could allow increased ethanol production in given plant • Product flexibility to respond to changing market demands • Minimal disruption to existing biofuels production • Simplicity results in Low CAPEX and OPEX
9"Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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2
Access to the sugars in lignocellulosic biomass is the current critical barrier
• Overcoming this barrier will cut processing costs significantly and be used in most conversion processes
• This requires an integrated,
multi-disciplinary approach • BESC believes
biotechnology-intensive solutions offer greatest potential
Removal of the Recalcitrance Barrier
Rural Employment
Expanded Markets
Human Resource
Development
Energy Security &
Sustainability
Other Fuels, Chemicals
Cellulosic Ethanol
Plants with Improved Sugar
Release
Biomass Deconstruction • Enzyme - Microbe - Substrate Interface
Cell Walls • Biosynthesis • Structure • Recalcitrance Pathways
More Effective Microbes
Enabling Technologies • Systems Biology • Biomass Characterization • Pretreatment
More Effective Pretreatment
Und
erst
andi
ng
Inno
vatio
n
Soci
etal
Ben
efits
Enabling Intellectual
Legacy
Versatile, New Manufacturing
Platform
More Effective Combinations
1
BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) A multi-institutional, DOE-funded center performing basic and applied science dedicated to understanding biomass recalcitrance and improving yields of biofuels from cellulosic biomass
University of Georgia University of Tennessee
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
West Virginia University
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of California--Riverside
North Carolina State University
University of California—Los Angeles
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
ArborGen, LLD
Ceres, Incorporated
Mascoma Corporation
DuPont
GreenWood Resources
300+ People in 17 Institutions
www.bioenergycenter.org
Funding for Development of Transformative Catalyst
10"
*Catalyst"research"and"development"was"sponsored"by"the"U.S."Department"of"Energy,"Office"of"Energy"Efficiency"and"Renewable"Energy,"BioEnergy"Technologies"Office"under"contract"DE/AC05/00OR22725"with"UT/BaUelle,"LLC.""Ini=al"proof"of"concept"funding"was"by"the"BioEnergy"Science"Center"(BESC)"which"is"supported"by"the"U.S."DOE"Office"of"Biological"and"Environmental"Research"in"the"Office"and"by"the"Oak"Ridge"Na=onal"Laboratory"Laboratory"Directed"Research"and"Development"funds"of"Science."
Robert(Wagner,(062111(
DOE(Lab(AcDviDes(SupporDng(High(Octane(Fuels(
(
DOE(Lab(Partners:(Jeongwoo"Han"(ANL)"
Kris:"Moriarty"and"Brad"Zigler"(NREL)"Brian"West"(ORNL)"
((
Ag/Auto/Ethanol(Workshop(USCAR,(Southfield(MI(
June(3,(2014(
Work supported by DOE Biomass Energy Technology Office and Vehicle Technologies Office
Robert(Wagner,(062111(
DOE(Lab(AcDviDes(SupporDng(High(Octane(Fuels(
(
DOE(Lab(Partners:(Jeongwoo"Han"(ANL)"
Kris:"Moriarty"and"Brad"Zigler"(NREL)"Brian"West"(ORNL)"
((
Ag/Auto/Ethanol(Workshop(USCAR,(Southfield(MI(
June(3,(2014(
Work supported by DOE Biomass Energy Technology Office and Vehicle Technologies Office
Department of Energy BioEnergy Technology Office (BETO) "
Following proof-of-concept through support by: "
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Laboratory Directed Research and Development funds "
Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
2 Park Plaza, Suite 700Irvine, California 92614Direct: 949.417.13976ѝJL!� � ���������Cell: 949.351.2319IZOVWVќ']LY[PTHZZ�JVT
>PSSPHT�(��:OVWVɈ�Chairman
BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) supported by U.S. DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the Office of Science
"
Why Ethanol as a Platform?
• Large scale ethanol production in place • U.S. ~13.4 billion gals/year mostly from corn starch • Brazil ~6.3 billion gals/year from cane sugar • Rest of world ~2.8 billion gals/year
• Cellulosic ethanol production starting to ramp up • Includes Abengoa, American Process, DuPont,
Enerkem, Ineos, M&G/Beta-Renewables, and POET
• USDA and DOE estimate up to ~1.4 billion dry tons/year of biomass could be available to produce ~100 billion gallons of gasoline equivalent
11 Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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Huge Game Changer Potential
Source: http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/iedindex3.cfm?tid=79&pid=80&aid=1&cid=US,&syid=2008&eyid=2012&unit=TBPD 12
2012 U.S. and World Transportation Fuel Sales
Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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Fuel type U.S. World billion gallons/year Gasoline 133 346 Jet fuel 21 83 Diesel fuel (distillate oil) 57 404 Total of above 211 833 Ethanol 13.4 22.5
How is Vertimass Technology Unique?
• Discontinuous: • Makes entirely different product from existing
platform without need for entire production process
• Defensible: • 2 patents issued • 5 other patent applications filed • Very positive freedom to operate analysis
• Disruptive: • Overcomes blend wall for light duty vehicles • Opens up jet and diesel fuel markets to ethanol
13 Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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Fermentation broth of ethanol in water
Water, cells, solids
Dis
tilla
tion
Dehydration Catalytic conversion
Anhydrous ethanol Jet, diesel,
and/or gasoline
blend stocks
Existing ethanol production and dehydration
14"
More Product Flexibility or Displace Mole Sieves or Mole Sieves Plus Rectification
Vertimass Bolt-on
Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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~40% ethanol
~92% ethanol
Next Step: Position to Scale-Up in 2 Years
• Engaged major engineering firm to start scale up to commercial operations within 2 years – Worldwide operations – Project management, EPC for the energy and chemicals
industries – Conceptual studies, Basic Engineering Packages (BEPs),
EPC, commissioning, startup, and validation – Existing catalyst piloting facilities with 40 years
experience in catalyst testing and process development – Scale-up catalytic processes by up to 106 times
• DOE Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) selected Vertimass for $2 million award to accelerate scale-up
15 Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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The Vertimass Team – Synergistic Expertise
• Chairman – William A. Shopoff • President and CEO – Charles Wyman, Ph.D. • COO – John Hannon, Ph.D. • EVP – Tom Mullen • CFO – Sandra Sciutto, CPA • Board Member– Martin Keller, Ph.D. • Technology Development Engineer – Brian Davison, Ph.D. • Catalyst Development Scientist – Chaitanya Narula, Ph.D. • Team of consultants with extensive experience in: • Biofuels development and commercialization • Catalyst research and development • Catalyst scale-up • Ethanol technology and markets • Petroleum refining and markets
16"Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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Vertimass Take Home Messages • Disruptive Vertimass technology:
– Built on established low cost ethanol production – Eliminates Blend Wall that threatens ethanol market growth – Opens up air travel and heavy duty vehicle markets to ethanol
• Catalyst offers numerous operational advantages • Low CAPEX and OPEX for simple one step Vertimass Bolt-On • Secure worldwide position through exclusive rights to 2 issued
patents, 5 applications, and strong freedom to operate analysis • Prosaic catalyst for ethanol/water vapor conversion can be scaled up
after 2 years through piloting by major engineering firm • DOE BETO selection of Vertimass for $2 million award accelerates
commercialization of catalytic ethanol conversion to fungible fuels • Vertimass is seeking strategic partners and investors to ready the
process for commercialization within 3 years 17"Vertimass
Transformative fungible biofuels
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Input Market Output Process
Ethanol • US: corn
ethanol • Brazil: cane
sugar ethanol • World:
cellulosic biomass ethanol
Catalytic Conversion
• Simple process
• Short reaction times
• Cheap catalyst • High yields • Mild
conditions • Like refining
catalysts
Gasoline, Jet, and Diesel Fuel
Blend Stocks • High yields of
hydrocarbon blend stocks
• Tailored to markets
• Fungible in pipelines
Transportation Fuels
• Expanded gasoline market
• Aviation • Heavy duty
vehicles • Chemicals,
e.g., BTX
Business: Develop and License Technology for Ethanol Conversion into Fungible Hydrocarbon Fuel Blend Stocks
18 Vertimass Transformative fungible biofuels
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