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Company
Name
Sekab
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Company Web
Site
http://www.sekab.com/
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Headquarters
Ornskoldsvik, SWEDEN
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Latest
News
Swedish ethanol producer Sekab Group said it intends to start construction of a demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in early 2009, which would scale up the technology that it has been testing in its pilot plant since 2004.
The demo-scale plant would continue to use the softwood feedstock being used in the pilot plant. However, Anders Fredriksson, vice president of Sekab BioFuels & Chemicals, said the company plans to use Brazilian sugarcane bagasse in the future. "We see a lot of competition developing for woody material," he explained.
The new plant will be built with full-size components but have a limited capacity of 5,000 tons per year (1.7 MMgy). The technology is based on acid hydrolysis, Fredriksson said. "We have tried enzymes, but it is still too expensive."
In late May, Sekab announced it will be supplying Sweden with the world's first verified sustainable ethanol. The company has been developing a framework for sustainability with its Brazilian sugarcane ethanol suppliers for the past 18 months. Not only have they focused on environmental sustainability in this framework, but they have also addressed working conditions, labor laws and wages. Initially, harvesting is required to be at least 30 percent mechanized and is expected to increase to 100 percent by 2014. The criteria call for at least an 85 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with fossil fuels.
"This initiative for verified, sustainable sugarcane ethanol is the first of its kind in the world, and a major step in the right direction for speeding the replacement of today's petrol and diesel," Fredriksson said. "The criteria will gradually be developed over the coming years and synchronized with coming European Union regulations when these are in place."
Sekab imports 200,000 tons of ethanol from Brazil each year (67 MMgy), supplying nearly 90 percent of the Swedish ethanol market. The company produces ethanol using black liquor waste from the pulp and paper industry in a facility that began producing ethanol in the 1940s.
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Funding
No specific funding information.
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Technology
No specific technology information.
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Other
Info
SEKAB was founded in 1985 and has its head office in Örnsköldsvik. In 2006, SEKAB has sales of SEK 1.8 billion and has grown from just over 40 employees in 2003 to approximately 140 employees in 2007.
Cellulose ethanol is nearing a breakthrough in terms of the establishment of commercially viable technology. Sweden has a long history of processing cellulose raw materials from forestry products and boasts world-class expertise and world-leading companies. SEKAB has been active within the development of cellulose ethanol since the end of the 1980s. The company has worked with researchers at various universities and departments, but particularly with the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University. In 2004, a pilot plant opened for the production of ethanol from wood chips. At present, an intensive development project is under way at the facility with the aim of verifying and further developing the process technology prior to the next stage of technological development. Significant efforts in relation to cellulose ethanol are being made internationally, too. Both the United States, Canada, Spain and China are currently preparing pilot plants for cellulose-based production of ethanol.
The Ethanol Pilot plant is a unique plant which has continued to receive a great deal of international attention since its opening in 2004. Here our researchers are able to verify and optimise on a large scale processes which have previously been developed in laboratories. The plant is designed to produce the necessary expertise for the expansion to commercial production. The development process includes everything from raw materials, chemical and biological processes, management and regulation technology to integration with other kinds of production.
The plant is located adjacent to SEKAB's plant within the Domsjo industrial site. It has a capacity of 300-400 litres of ethanol per 24 hours. The current raw material used in the development process is wood chips from pine trees, but other raw materials such as bagasse from sugarcane, wheat and corn stover, energy grass and recycled waste are also of future interest for the project. The ability to produce high-grade ethanol from waste products is an important piece of the puzzle in efforts to overcome the enormous challenges in transitioning from an oil-driven transportation sector to a biofuel-driven one.
Unique to the Ethanol Pilot in comparison with other pilot plants is that it is run continuously by shifts. Stoppages caused by such problems as deposits, clogging, and wear and tear, which occur during long-term operation, are a matter of critical importance for the financial viability of any future production plant, just as the integration into a bioenergy combine plays a crucial role. During the first two years of the plant's operation, the focus has been on accessibility, operational safety and process monitoring. A large number of process refinements have been made, especially in regard to the hydrolysis reactors. |
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