Honeywell chosen for renewable energy project
Des Plaines-based Envergent Technologies LLC, a Honeywell company, announced it has been selected by High North BioResources Ltd. Partnership to perform detailed engineering for a project to convert wood residuals to renewable heat and electricity.
The High North facility, to be built in Alberta, Canada, will be the world's largest fast pyrolysis plant for renewable heat and power generation and is projected to process 400 bone-dry metric tons of sawmill residuals per day to produce over 20 million gallons of pyrolysis oil annually.
The pyrolysis oil, a light, clean-burning liquid produced by Envergent Technologies' RTP Rapid Thermal Processing technology, will be used to generate renewable electricity and heat for a co-located sawmill owned by Tolko Industries Ltd.
The High North plant will also have the capability of producing a renewable resin ingredient that can be used in the manufacture of wood panel products.
“This project demonstrates how use of RTP technology can turn biomass such as wood residuals into a renewable source of energy while reducing a facility's overall carbon footprint,” said Mark Reno, managing director for Honeywell's Envergent Technologies joint venture. “We are proud to support High North to create the world's largest fast pyrolysis plant for renewable heat and power generation.”
Envergent Technologies will perform a site assessment and identify strategies for integration with the Tolko sawmill, as well as provide equipment scoping, detailed engineering, a constructability analysis and a plant construction schedule for the RTP unit in support of High North's plan for the facility.
RTP technology works by rapidly heating biomass such as wood chips or straw at ambient pressure to generate high yields of pyrolysis oil. The oil can be burned in industrial burners and furnaces for heat or to power electric generators.
Envergent Technologies is a joint venture of Honeywell's UOP and Ensyn Corp. It combines nearly 100 years of refining and process technology development from UOP and more than 25 years of pyrolysis technology experience from Ensyn Corp. RTP is currently in use in seven commercial biomass processing plants in the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to the use of pyrolysis oil for renewable power and heat, Envergent Technologies is also focused on development and commercialization of technology to upgrade pyrolysis oil into green transportation fuels, and plans to have the technology available for license by 2012. A demonstration unit of this upgrading technology is currently in engineering design in Kapolei, Hawaii under a grant from the United States Department of Energy.
High North BioResources Limited Partnership was created by Tolko Industries, Ltd. and Ensyn Technologies, Inc. to build the world's largest commercial fast pyrolysis plant in Alberta, Canada.
Honeywell's UOP is a leading supplier and licenser of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents and services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. It has been active in the development and licensing of renewable fuel technologies since 2006. Ensyn Corporation has more than 20 years of commercial experience with RTP technology producing pyrolysis oil for various natural chemical and fuel products. Ensyn's technology is currently utilized in seven commercial biomass processing plants in the U.S. and Canada.