Rentech on track to produce synthetic (bio)fuels this spring

Rentech, Inc. recently announced that its Product Demonstration Unit (“PDU”) at its Rentech Energy Technology Center (“RETC”) in Commerce City, Colorado remains on track for fuel production in spring 2008. Rentech’s PDU is designed to produce synthetic ultra-clean diesel and aviation fuels from natural gas and various coals and types of biomass on a demonstration scale.

The Rentech Fischer-Tropsch (FT) gas-to-liquids (GTL), biomass-to liquids (BTL), and coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology is a three-step process, also known as 'indirect liquefaction', whereby:

1. Carbon-bearing resources such as natural gas or coal are converted into synthesis gas, a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
2. The synthesis gas is then sent through a FT reactor containing a catalyst where it is converted back to an ultra-clean liquid hydrocarbon.
3. This initial product is upgraded into diesel fuel and jet fuel.

Rentech utilizes a patented and proprietary iron-based catalyst in its Fischer-Tropsch reactors. The Rentech catalyst was chosen to be used over cobalt catalyst for two very specific reasons: (1) The qualities of iron catalyst make it the most flexible catalyst, able to convert synthesis gas made from the widest range of hydrocarbon feedstocks with excellent economic efficiency; (2) specific to CTL, iron catalyst can tolerate low levels of sulfur contamination and ammonia compounds that may get into the synthesis gas and still maintain economic levels of conversion. Cobalt catalysts on the contrary have little or no resistance to poisons that may be contained in the synthesis gas produced from coal and once contaminated must be replaced.

According to Rentech, significant progress has been achieved as the PDU nears completion. All major equipment has now been installed at the site. In addition, over four thousand pounds of the Rentech catalyst have been manufactured, tested and are onsite and ready to be loaded into the reactor immediately prior to start-up of the process. Catalyst has also been loaded into the steam methane reformer, enabling the activation of the equipment and the production of synthesis gas for the process:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: coal-to-liquids :: gas-to-liquids :: biomass-to-liquids :: gasification :: Fischer-Tropsch :: synthetic biofuels ::

In addition, successful testing of Rentech’s proprietary wax catalyst separation system has been conducted at RETC.

Over the next few weeks, as more systems are completed and turned over to the operations group, the Company will be completing pressure tests on the piping systems and will continue instrument loop checks. The finalization of the testing will enable Rentech to launch production of ultra-clean synthetic fuels at the PDU this spring.

D. Hunt Ramsbottom, President and CEO of Rentech, said the PDU will provide significant value to the company by enabling it to demonstrate its process and provide ultra-clean synthetic fuels to potential customers, including the Air Force, this year for testing purposes.

As part of a collaboration effort with the Southern Research Institute of Birmingham, Pall Corporation, and Thermochem Recovery International, Rentech was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of four biomass-to-liquids projects receiving a combined $7.7 million in research funding (previous post).

Rentech, Inc. aims to transforms under-utilized domestic energy resources into valuable and clean alternative fuels and chemicals. These energy resources include coal, petroleum coke, biomass and municipal solid waste.

References:
Rentech: Rentech’s Product Demonstration Unit Remains on Track for Fuel Production in Spring 2008 - January 17, 2008.

Biopact: US DOE to invest $7.7 million for four biomass-to-liquids projects; more than $1 billion for biofuels this year - December 05, 2007