Published November 2012
Biomass pyrolysis is still in a very early stage of commercial development. Interest in biomass pyrolysis is driven by the perception that it is the cellulosic biofuels opportunity that has the best chance to compete at parity with fossil fuels.
In this report we examine the application of pyrolysis to the conversion of biomass to liquid fuels. We present design and process economics for a biomass pyrolysis facility, extrapolate the technology to look at its intermediate-term potential, and explore possible feedstock opportunities. We present a design representing the current state of the art as applied by Kior, Inc. at their new facility in Columbus, Mississippi. We also extrapolate the technology to present what we believe to be achievable in the near- to intermediate-term. We provide process economics for both cases. We also examine the use of other feedstocks: switchgrass, sugarcane bagasse, corn stover, algae, and miscanthus. We provide process economics for all of the five feedstocks under both our current and extrapolated design models.
