PHOTO: HONEYWELL’S UOP
FIREDUP¦
BEGINNING WITH BIO-OIL: Phase one of the integrated biorefinery in Kapolei, Hawaii, has been completed.
demonstrate viability of the RTP technology, test the fuels produced and evaluate the environmental footprint of the fuels and process technology. Dave Cepla, managing director for Envergent Technologies, says phase one of the project focuses on producing a direct substitution for heavy fuel oil. “We will operate that phase for some period of time, and the second phase—engineering, which is ongoing—will upgrade the technology, probably beginning during the middle of next year.”
The fuel will then be upgraded into transportation fuels to produce a blend of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, according to Cepla. Regarding feedstock, Cepla says the objective of the project is to produce a wide variety of biomass material native to Hawaii—grasses, some bagasse, certain trees—and some that are not indigenous as well. “Are resources limited on the island? Certainly,” Cepla says. “There is only so much land mass. But we’re working with commercial developers who are looking
toward the future, looking at either acquiring or leasing land on a number of the islands to plant purpose-grown crops in a sustainable fashion. We believe there’s enough land mass to be able to sustain a long-term commercial operation on the land.” Cepla says most of the resources needed for the project requires capabilities not commonly found on the islands, so most are being shipped in. “The Hawaiian Islands don’t really have a heavy industrial presence, and so most of the skill sets needed from individuals and manufacturing facilities don’t exist,” he continues. Cepla says the project site was chosen for a number of reasons, but mostly because of the partners involved, particularly Tesoro Refining. “They’ve given us land space on which to build the facility, and that was an important element,” he says. There are more partners, including the University of Hawaii, and to a great extent the project was driven by those partners and their location. Cepla adds that Hawaii is welcoming of projects such as this one. “They’re very dependent on bringing oil in, which is an expensive proposition, so they are heavily invested in trying to find alternatives,” he says. —Anna Simet
JULY 2012 | BIOMASS MAGAZINE 17