National Activities - Sweden Ethanol as Transport Fuel in Sweden

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Electricity : Liquid Biofuels and Biogas : National Activities - Sweden : Process Engineering : Solid Biofuels : Straw : Wood (Lignocellulose)

SUMMARY

In 1996, there will be approx. 300 heavy duty buses and trucks on the Swedish roads running on ethanol. Most of them are inner city buses using neat ethanol with additive for improved ignition. Some run on a diesel/ethanol mixture in fleet tests at five locations. Total consumption of ethanol to the buses will be about 12 000 m3 95 % ethanol/year.

200 Ford Taurus FFV (Flexible Fuel Vehicle) have been imported from USA for an extensive fleet test of cars, and give reason for build-up of an infrastructure of fuel stations. The demand for ethanol as fuel for the cars will be about 600 m3 100 % ethanol during 1997.

The consumption of ethanol for vehicles in Sweden will then be higher than the domestic supply. The present production of ethanol is based on the fermentation of sulphite liquor and produces 12 000 m3/year, 95% ethanol. Most of the production is sold for technical uses as solvent and additive. Imported wine ethanol from EU supplies most of the fuel m~rket in Sweden at the moment. A first step to increase domestic production is to build one or two grain based plants for a total capacity of 100 000 m3 of ethanol. These plants could be in operation by the end of 1998. The next step is to invest in reference plants for ligno-cellulose based ethanol:

• One will be based on the SWAN Biomass enzyme process. Wheat straw and other annual cellulose crops will be used as raw material. Proposed location is the same site as an ethanol plant based on wheat grain.

• A second plant will be based on diluted acid hydrolysis and wood fibres from saw dust, forest chips etc. This plant will be located in connection with a chemical plant or a combined district heating and power station.

• A third plant will again be based on the SWAN Biomass enzyme process. The raw material is sorted waste paper and fibres, not reusable in the pulp and paper industry. This plant will be located in the Stockholm area.

These plants can be in operation by 1999-2000 and produce approx. 30-50 000m3 ethanol per annum, and 30-50 000 tons of lignin. The lignin is a renewable solid fuel, suitable for domestic heating in houses or power and district heating plants. Ethanol plants with higher capacity, based on the techniques above, can not be in operation before 2002, if the experiences from the first plants are to be used.

It is difficult to judge the development beyond the year 2000. A study done by SSEU together with the authorities shows a potential increase from the 150 000m3 year 2000 to approx. 1.200.000 till 2010. This corresponds to about 15% of the transport fuel market in Sweden.

INTRODUCTION

The Swedish Ethanol Development Foundation (SSEU, abbreviation of Stiftelsen Svensk Etanolutveckling) was founded in 1983 and is based at Ornskoldsvik, 550 km north of Stockholm. The founders consist of MoDo, Akzo Nobel, SEKAB (Swedish Ethanol Chemistry AB), regional and local Government, the Swedish board for civil defence, the confederation of Swedish farmers and Chematur Engineering AB. During the last ten years, the focus has been to develop production processes as well as fuel compositions for different types of engines in collaboration with the vehicle suppliers.

The objective of SSEU is that 5% of the fossil fuel should be replaced in 2005 and by 2010 about 15% should be bio-ethanol. The objective should be reached in co-operation with other partners to:

• build up an infrastructure of fuel stations

• develop fuel mixtures and spec lfications to increase engine efficiency at increased consumption of ethanol

• develop processes for cost and energy effective production of ethanol

• initiate construction of demonstration plants.

ETHANOL AS A DIESEL REPLACEMENT

During 1985 fleet tests with two city buses started in Ornskoldsvik in northern Sweden. A break through came in the worlds largest fleet test at SL (Stockholm urban traffic), with 32 inner city buses. By the end of 1996, there will be about 280 buses in 15 cities running on neat, 95% ethanol with additive to improve ignition. Most of the buses are operated at commercial conditions without governmental subsides. Local environmental aspects and commitment to Agenda 21 inspires local fleet owners to run on ethanol despite 10% higher costs. Local environment has been improved due to the ethanol fleets. Fleet tests with Volvo light to heavy duty diesel vehicles for distribution and waste collection have also been started in 1996, with equally good preliminary results.

FLEXIBLE FUEL VEHICLES IN SWEDEN

Following a pilot test with 3 vehicles in 1994, 200 Ford Taurus FFV (Flexible Fuel Vehicle) have been imported from the US for ethanol fleet tests. These cars may be refuelled with normal unleaded petrol if a suitable ethanol filling station is unavailable, without any manual re-adjustment. Total mileage is now over 3 000 000 km The drivers are contracted to report monthly refuelling logs, mileage and observations concerning driving under different conditions. On average, consumption is 13 litres/100 km E85(ethanol/gasoline) compared to 10 litres/100 km of pure petrol. The drivers refuel with E85 in more than 75% of the occasions. By the end of 1996 there are some 20 refuelling stations for E85 in Sweden, with a steady increase.

ETHANOL DIESEL MIXTURE IN EVERY DIESEL

With an emulsifier it is possible to mix ethanol and diesel for fuel to a normal diesel engine without loosing storage stability. Fleet tests have been carried out with approx. 50 vehicles in Sweden. The vehicles have been buses, distribution lorries and heavy vehicles for log transports. The results are very promising, but the fuel has to be certified before introduction in a wider scale.

PRE-STUDIES AND PILOT TESTS - DILUTED ACID PROCESS INTEGRATED WITH DISTRICT HEATING AND POWER PRODUCTION

Pilot plant tests and a pre project of an ethanol plant for 10 000m3/year were carried out in 1994. The production was based on raw material supply of 50 000 tons DS of sawdust and wood chips.

The reasons for the chosen capacity level were limitations set out in discussions about access to raw materials in the region and the investment costs for the test plant. It is also easier and less expensive to operate a small plant under test conditions. The reasons why a smaller plant is not chosen concern that sales margins should cover fixed costs and depreciation besode variable production costs.

Production costs are further affected by capacity of available equipment designed for use in the more voluminous pulp and paper industry, meaning that there is a minimum capacity level for practical purposes.

The results have been presented in a project report with process flowsheets, flow and energy balances and investment calculations. The studies conclude:

• Recommendations for process design based on diluted acid hydrolysis.

• Use ofthe suggested equipment in this process divided in two stages.

• That the sales margins cover production costs in a test and demonstration plant.

• Production at full scale will be competive to market price of fuels following process optimizing and designated further development.

• Location of the first plant to Domsjo (Ornskoldsvik) shows considerable advantages.

Total investment is calculated at SEK 350 Millions (USD 44 Millions), of which SEK 150 Millions (USD 20 Millions) represent value of the existing plant.

Feasibility studies of production plants integrated with municipal power stations have also been completed. They indicate favourable investments in plants under condition of set plans for long term taxation policies and the continued exclusion of ethanol from energy taxes and carbondioxide environmental taxation.

REFUSE TREATMENT PRODUCING ETHANOL IN STOCKHOLM

SSEU started a pre-project already by 1988-89 with SKAFAB, the Stockholm municipal company for waste disposal, to produce ethanol from the paper contents of the collected household waste. SKAFAB had already commissioned a plant for mechanical sorting of the paper fraction.

Ethanol production from waste introduces a new method for waste treatment supplementary to incineration etc to reduce land fill. The ethanol process is also a suitable method for disposal of the cellulose contents of the waste, even accepting slight contamination by other materials in the raw material. In Stockholm, ethanol production could be implemented as an extension to the incineration plant at Hogdalen. Part of the material for incineration was instead used for ethanol production.

The production of ethanol from waste introduces a new method of wastet reatment that is supplementary to well known ones. The ethanol process is also a suitable method of treating the cellulose content of waste, even if it is slightly contaminated by others materials.

Ethanol production could be implemented in Stockholm by an extension to the incineration plant at Hogdalen. Part of the household waste could be treated in the ethanol plant instead of the incinerators.

SKAFAB have conducted the studies of the CHAP process in co operation with SSEU. This has enabled SSEU to evaluate the pre-requisites for ethanol production from the relevant machine sorted paper fraction..

From these studies and trials it has been shown that:

• The proposed techniques and process design have been verified and optimized for the production of ethanol.

• The total investment level to establish an ethanol production plant will be SEK 156 millions (USD 20 millions) for an annual production volume of 9 600 cubic meters of E95 (i.e 95% ethanol).

• The production costs for ethanol, calculated as E95, will be about 75% of the current world market price of ethanol.

• Pollutions and residual products are insignificant from an enviromental point of view. As hydrochloric acid is used as a catalyst, the focus of chlorine in Swedish enviromental discussions is a problem.

• The size of this ethanol plant is a full scale demonstration plant showing that ethanol yield can be increased and the plant should be able to produce ethanol at commercially competitive price.

Finally, it has been established that there are several other units in the scheme for refuse treatment in the city of Stockholm, for possible firther extensions with ethanol plants. One of these has now been scheduled for an ethanol production plant before 2000. To avoid the issue of chlorine, studies are conducted to utilise the SWAN-Biomass process in this case.

GRAIN BASED ETHANOL PRODUCTION

According to analyses, 100-200 000 m3 of ethanol would be a full expansion of grain-based plants in Sweden. Further expansion would give a surplus of protein without a market in Sweden. Exports are deemed unprofitable.

SSEU are studying locations in Sweden for one or two plants inside these capacity limits, in a joint venture with the confederation of Swedish farmers and a group of inventors.

COST AND TAXATION OF FUELS

At present. bio-ethanol fuel is exempted from certain taxes in Sweden, i.e. the ordinary energy and carbon-dioxide taxes on petrol and diesel fuel. For petrol, this tax is approx. 4.00 SEK/litre (USD 0.60/litre), for diesel fuel 2.50 SEK/litre (USD 0.37.litre). This means that bio-ethanol is competitive to petrol. To the owners of large diesel fleets, fuel price with ethanol is almost double when taking the different mileage consumption into account.

Several fesbility studies show that bio-ethanol based on cellulose residuals can be produced at 2.50 to 3.50 SEK/litre (USD 0.37-0.52/litre) already by 2005-2010. For demonstration plants and plants based on grain, the price will be 4.00-4.50 SEK/litre (USD 0.60-0.67/litre), the higher price mainly depending on smaller plants and short depreciation time.

Market price for un-leaded petrol in Sweden is about 8.00 SEK/litre (US $1.20/litre). For owners of large fleets, diesel fuel costs 4.00 SEK/litre (USD 0.60/litre). Commitment to Agenda 21 and local environment requirements indicate future tax increases for fossil fuels, according to indications and policy decisions by the government.