Cool Planet Energy Systems and the Production of Carbon Negative Fuels

摘要

Cool Planet Energy Systems is a 3-year old start-up producing gasoline blendstock fromrenewable non-food biomass feedstock. We have devised an economical biomass-to-liquid thermochemicalconversion process that simultaneously produces liquid fuels and sequesterable biochar usefulas a soil amendment. Fuel produced from this process is termed negative-carbon fuel since more carbondioxide is removed from the atmosphere than released from combustion. The process for producing thisfuel relies in part on a unique thermochemical decomposition of biomass that ramps the biomasstemperature while the biomass is being subjected to pressure shocks. Co-produced biochar is convertedinto a soil amendment. We have built a 200,000 gallon per year pilot plant using this process and havedemonstrated in laboratory studies that biochar generated using this process can exhibit excellent soilamendment properties. Fuel produced from this pilot plant has been fleet tested in a blend formulationin several standard configuration automobiles. The process is widely tunable in the producedbiochar/fuel ratio. We also describe our plans to mass produce trailer-sized modular refinery units usingthis technology. We are backed by some of the world's largest energy companies and top Silicon Valleyventure capitalists. We will discuss the company's trajectory from infancy to present status, and its fit inthe bio-economy.