Advantages

Unlike other technologies that rely on one primary source of feedstock, the INEOS Bio process can produce ethanol and renewable energy from numerous feedstocks, including construction waste, municipal solid waste and forestry and agricultural waste, while breaking the link between food crops and ethanol production. This flexibility allows facilities, like the Florida BioEnergy Centre, to be built anywhere in the world, wherever there is biomass waste, providing jobs and locally sourced renewable energy for urban and rural communities.

Leading economics – The outstanding energy efficiency, selectivity to ethanol and feedstock flexibility of the INEOS Bio advanced bioethanol process result in highly cost-competitive production of ethanol.

Feedstock flexibility - Unlike conventional bioethanol technologies, which use food crops, or even the emerging cellulosic fermentation technologies, which can convert cellulose and hemi-cellulose but not lignin, the INEOS Bio process can convert all ligno-cellulosic materials and other carbon materials into ethanol. The range of organic materials that can be used includes, but is not limited to;
  • The biogenic portion of municipal solid waste (MSW), which includes garden and food wastes
  • Organic commercial & industrial wastes
  • Contaminated waste wood
  • Forestry wastes (e.g. brash, bark, saw dust, wood chippings)
  • Agricultural wastes (e.g. sugar cane bagasse, corn stover, straw)
  • Ligno-cellulose energy crops (e.g. trees, coppice, miscanthus and switch grass)

Energy efficient - The winning combination of a thermo-chemical process (gasification) and a low temperature, low pressure biochemical process (bacterial fermentation) with excellent heat integration throughout delivers high energy efficiency.

Biocatalyst advantages – Conventional catalysts used for the conversion of syngas to transport fuels can be expensive to prepare, are easily poisoned, need to be replaced regularly, require high temperatures and pressures, and can have relatively poor selectivity to the target fuel product (e.g. ethanol or diesel). In contrast, the proprietary INEOS biocatalyst is low cost, regenerates itself, is tolerant to impurities in the syngas, has extremely high selectivity to ethanol and operates at low temperature and pressure.

Security of energy supply – The feedstock flexibility of the INEOS Bio technology enables almost any country in the world to manufacture a portion of its own road transportation fuel from the biomass and wastes it generates. Wherever there are people, wastes are generated and transportation fuels are needed. Every major city in the world could potentially have its own INEOS Bio plant or plants.

Climate friendly – When the bioethanol is used as a road transport fuel, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced by at least 90% compared to gasoline (petrol). This outstanding GHG performance puts clear water between INEOS Bioethanol and bioethanol made from sugar and starch crops and from emerging cellulosic fermentation technologies.

Society – A localized approach that reduces landfill and air pollution, creates jobs, generates tax revenue and safely produces renewable fuel and clean energy.

Reduced pressure on land use - Significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings can be achieved from the road transport sector without increasing pressure on land use, or increasing agrichemical use (e.g. fertilizers and pesticides). The diversion of organic wastes from landfill avoids harmful effects of landfill.

World changing technology – In summary, the INEOS Bio process has the potential to make a substantial contribution across many policy issues whilst creating significant value to society.