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Keywords: Carbon, Climate change, Sustainability, Resource sector, Process metallurgy, Pyrolysis, Renewable energy
Abstract
In a sustainable future, the value of minerals and metals to
society will have to be delivered in ways that are in balance with
the ecology of the planet. A central challenge will be learning
how to operate mining and metallurgical processes in balanced
carbon cycles. At present the industry relies predominantly on
fossil fuels for sources of carbon to meet the needs for
electricity, heat, liquid fuels and reductants. This paper discusses
the challenges and principles for sustainable metals production.
The Crucible Group is developing technologies that address the
challenges and opportunities, which includes algae production
for liquid fuels and a carbon fuel cell for high efficiency
electricity generation. Particular attention is given here to the
Crucibles pyrolysis technology, which is currently being
commercialised. The process outputs are biochar, which can be
a source of renewable carbon in metallurgy and a clean biogas
rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide for process heat,
electricity generation or synthetic fuels production. The
presentation will provide an update on commercialisation
activities, especially projects being developed in Canada.
GDP - US$
per person
Ecological
Footprint - ha
per person
IMPACT
One can see in Figure 3 [4], how the net carbon flux to the
atmosphere (red line) reflects the world economy; steady growth
since the industrial revolution, a faltering during the depression
and the second world war, unprecedented post war growth until
the oil shocks of the early 1970s, followed by more growth.
Company
BlueScope Steel
$ 60
OneSteel
$ 122
Alumina
$ 147
Orica
$ 189
Boral
$ 217
Newcrest Mining
$ 278
BHP Billiton
$ 435
Leighton Holdings
$ 435
Rio Tinto
$ 526
Level 1:
The System
Context
Level 2:
Success
Principles
Level 3:
Strategies
Level 4:
Actions
Level 5:
Metrics
One can see that the sectors energy needs have significant
material and chemical features, especially the need for liquid
fuels and reductants. Thus the value of carbon for our industry
lies as much in its physical and chemical forms, as in its energy
content. As such, carbon cannot simply be substituted by solar,
wind, geothermal and other carbon free energy forms. In this
regard, it can be argued that the industry has a strong strategic
interest in the emergence of bio-energy solutions, which are
carbon neutral not carbon free.
Fossil fuels were produced over millions of years from land and
aquatic biomass (vegetation and algae). Bio-energy draws on the
same biomass resources, but in balanced carbon cycles where
CO2 emissions contain carbon that was recently taken from the
atmosphere by photosynthesis, not from fossil stores.
Pyrolysis
Of the emerging bio-energy technologies, pyrolysis is
considered the most strategically important. Pyrolysis is thermal
decomposition of organic material without oxygen, where the
primary outputs are gas, oil/tar liquids and char. Pyrolysis is the
carbon neutral technology that in principle could best deliver a
flexible platform of gas, liquid and solid products to substitute
for fossil fuels.
Two criteria need to be satisfied for pyrolysis to emerge as an
effective source of bio-carbon substituting for coal, diesel and
natural gas based products.
Firstly, there will need to be a commitment to sustainable
biomass supply, with respect to biodiversity, nutrient cycles, soil
quality and water impacts. In general this will mean avoiding
mono-cultural plantations and making maximum use of wastes
and residues. Pyrolysis works on abundant lingo-cellulosic
(woody) material, making it intrinsically scalable. It does not
require the biomasss to have readily available oils or sugars and
thus reduces the food versus fuel problems associated with
some energy crops.
Secondly, it will have to become economically attractive.
Currently available biomass pyrolysis technology is capital
intensive and energy inefficient with no significant commercial
deployment to date.
StandardBiochar
Mode
Feedstock
EnergyContent
Energyfor
ProcessHeat
HighGas
Mode
Acknowledgement
The authors are most pleased to be able to contribute to the
Guthrie Honorary Symposium. We have a long relationship of
collaboration and friendship, dating back the 1980s when Dr
Herbertson first worked as a post doctoral researcher with
Professor Guthrie at McGill University.
References
1.
20GJ
2.
1GJ
1.5GJ
350kg
100kg
(10GJ)
(2.5GJ)
Biogas
Generation
9GJ
16GJ
Electricity
Option
1MWh
1.8MWh
Biochar
Output
3.
4.
The Crucible is working in partnership with BC based Poncho
Wilcox Energy [8] to develop these opportunities. The first
commercial unit is expected to be in operation around the end of
2011.
5.
6.
7.
8.