ABC-Salt: Advanced Biomass Catalytic Conversion to Middle Distillates in Molten Salts

The ABC-Salt research consortium will validate at laboratory scale a novel route to produce sustainable liquid biofuels (middle distillates) from various lignocellulosic waste streams for the transport industry, both on roads (biodiesel) and in air (jet fuel), targeting a yield over 35 wt.% in the middle distillate range, based on the biomass dry input, and a carbon yield of 55 %.

Nine European partners are working together to solve the following technical challenges: liquefaction and subsequent catalytic hydro-pyrolysis of the biomass in a molten salt environment, followed by the catalytic hydro-deoxygenation of the vapour phase using suitable catalysts to obtain a hydrocarbon product suitable for use as a middle distillates biofuel. ABC-Salt Consortium will then operate an integrated laboratory scale reactor during over 100 hours to provide lab-scale validation of the whole process, bringing this technology to TRL 4.

The project includes technical aspects (such as substrate flexibility, biomass liquefaction and hydro-pyrolysis in molten salts and subsequent hydro-deoxygenation and their integration), but also a socio- and techno-economic viability study of the technology (substrate availability and supply chain, future end-users and economic sustainability of the process). This will ensure the future deployment of this new technology considering its social related issues, such as acceptance or modification of the perception of transport induced by such sustainable fuels. Such a holistic approach considering the full value chain, combined to communication with stakeholders during the course of the project, will provide valuable input for scale up and industry-oriented research after this project, maximizing the impact, amongst other in the biomass, biofuel and transport industry.

This four-year project was launched in April 2018 is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, and a general presentation on the ABC-Salt project objectives and concept is available from here.