Biofuels & e-Fuels Training Course

Consultant/Trainer: Dr. Colin Schaverien

Biofuels & e-Fuels: Challenges and Solutions

As the demand for low-carbon energy solutions grows, businesses face critical hurdles in scaling up biofuels, integrating new technologies, and complying with evolving regulations. This course equips participants with the technical knowledge and strategic insights needed to address these challenges effectively. Taught by renowned industry leader Dr. Colin Schaverien, an expert in the field of biofuels research, refinery operations, and technology deployment.

Participants

As a participant to this course, you will explore renewable fuels like biofuels and e-fuels, covering production processes, sustainability, regulations, and market trends. You will gain practical insights to contribute to biofuel and e-fuel projects and navigate the evolving energy landscape.

Participants may include: scientists and technologists from oil & gas, petrochemical and pulp & paper or other bio/e-fuel industries; business managers; government departments interested in renewables; investors from venture capitalists and financial institutions will also highly benefit from this course.
E-fuels
Biofuels

Learning Objectives

You will gain a deep and thorough understanding and critical comprehension of biofuels and e-fuels, their promise for the future as well as an appreciation of the technical and economic challenges and the role of government legislation, mandates & subsidies and feedstocks. In particular the pros and cons of the various biofuels and e-fuels processes, their scaling up towards commercialisation, their chances of success looking to 2025, 2030 and beyond, are presented.
1st day – Introduction to biofuels & Advanced biofuels

  • 1st generation biofuels such as ethanol and fatty acid methyl esters, the current default solutions for blending in gasoline and diesel, respectively, to achieve mandate compliance
  • Hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO) for diesel blending from the hydrogenation of vegetable oils, used cooking oils, animal fats and other waste feeds.
  • Coprocessing of vegetable oils in refinery units such as HDS units


Practical and technological aspects of the hydrotreating processes and coprocessing of vegetable oils including engineering challenges:

  • Cellulosic ethanol and butanol
  • Gasification of biomass to methanol
  • Gasification with Fischer Tropsch to BTL
  • Introduction to e-fuels from FischerTropsch processes, to methanol, and to ammonia
  • Renewables legislation and subsidies, especially in USA and EU

2nd day – Advanced biofuels & E-fuels: in depth discussion of the various e-fuels and routes

Practical worked examples on technoeconomic evaluations of manufacturing routes, especially of the biofuel processes:
  • Sustainable aviation fuels
  • Integrated Hydropyrolysis and Hydroconversion (IH2)
  • Lanzatech’s conversion of carbon rich flue gases to ethanol
  • Alcohol routes to renewable jet and diesel
  • Pyrolysis oil from biomass and from waste plastics
  • Hydrothermal liquefaction
  • Algae as a CO2 sink to produce lipids as sustainable substitutes for vegetable oils

  • Technology maturity assessment, scale-up risks, TRL
  • Requirements / options for integration of technologies into existing production routes
  • Green electricity: basic options, cost projections, associated risks & uncertainties
  • For carbon-based materials: sourcing of (green) CO2 feedstocks (options, issues & technologies)
  • Basic economic assessments, including projections on expected costs and their evolution
  • Projected market potential of products in e-fuels

Programme

1st day – Introduction to biofuels & Advanced biofuels

  • 1st generation biofuels such as ethanol and fatty acid methyl esters, the current default solutions for blending in gasoline and diesel, respectively, to achieve mandate compliance
  • Hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO) for diesel blending from the hydrogenation of vegetable oils, used cooking oils, animal fats and other waste feeds.
  • Coprocessing of vegetable oils in refinery units such as HDS units


Practical and technological aspects of the hydrotreating processes and coprocessing of vegetable oils including engineering challenges:

  • Cellulosic ethanol and butanol
  • Gasification of biomass to methanol
  • Gasification with Fischer Tropsch to BTL
  • Introduction to e-fuels from FischerTropsch processes, to methanol, and to ammonia
  • Renewables legislation and subsidies, especially in USA and EU

2nd day – Advanced biofuels & E-fuels: in depth discussion of the various e-fuels and routes

Practical worked examples on technoeconomic evaluations of manufacturing routes, especially of the biofuel processes:
  • Sustainable aviation fuels
  • Integrated Hydropyrolysis and Hydroconversion (IH2)
  • Lanzatech’s conversion of carbon rich flue gases to ethanol
  • Alcohol routes to renewable jet and diesel
  • Pyrolysis oil from biomass and from waste plastics
  • Hydrothermal liquefaction
  • Algae as a CO2 sink to produce lipids as sustainable substitutes for vegetable oils

  • Technology maturity assessment, scale-up risks, TRL
  • Requirements / options for integration of technologies into existing production routes
  • Green electricity: basic options, cost projections, associated risks & uncertainties
  • For carbon-based materials: sourcing of (green) CO2 feedstocks (options, issues & technologies)
  • Basic economic assessments, including projections on expected costs and their evolution
  • Projected market potential of products in e-fuels