Chemical Engineering May 2012 - 15

CHEMENTATOR
Scaleup for a new
delignification process
his month, Borregaard Industries Ltd. (Sarpsborg, Norway;
www.borregaard.com) will start up an integrated,
pilot-demonstration plant to further develop a new pretreatment
process for converting biomass into lignin and
fermentable sugars. Located at the company's R&D Center
in Sarpsborg, the pilot plant will convert up to two metric
tons (m.t.) of feedstock per day. The fully integrated facility
will operate continuously for at least three years, says Klaus
Neumann, vice president Business Development.
The so-called BALI process (for Borregaard Advanced
Lignin), consists of two main steps, explains Neumann.
The first involves the fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass
by means of a chemical pretreatment, which renders
the lignin water-soluble and leaves behind purified fiber. In
step two, the fiber is hydrolyzed enzymatically - with high
yields and low enzyme consumption - to supply cellulosic
sugars (C5 and C6) for further conversion, he says.
The BALI technology allows utilization of all fractions
T
of lignocellulosic biomass - the water-soluble lignin can
be converted into high-value chemicals, such as vanillin (a
market for which Borregaard is a market leader), and the
sugars fermented into ethanol for fuel. The process has been
tested with a large variety of lignocellulosic feedstocks.
Borregaard will explore both opportunities to scale up
and operate the technology, as well as licensing it to third
parties, says Neumann. A first commercial plant should
be reached by 2015-2016, with a capacity - depending on
the application for sugars - on the order of 200,000 m.t./d
of feedstock (approximately 25 million gal/yr of ethanol
equivalent), he says.
New polysilicon granule-drying system
boosts processing yields and purity
A
novel cold-dry process makes possible the utilization of
fine form-factor silicon, such as granules and sand-like
fines, in the production of high-purity polysilicon for solar
photovoltaic cells and semiconductors, where such finegrained
material would normally have to be sent back up
the supply chain rather than into the crucible.
The patent-pending drying system, known as FlashDry,
was developed by MEI LLC (Albany, Ore.; www.meillc.com)
and is a critical component of a new wet-processing suite
for ultrapure polysilicon. The effectiveness of the drying
scheme means polysilicon makers can chemically etch,
rinse and dry granular silicon, which increases yields while
maintaining ultrahigh purity. " Tiny particles of silicon
were thought to be impossible to dry fully in large quantities, "
explains David Gibbel, development engineering
manager at MEI. " FlashDry opens the door to etching fine
and granular polysilicon, as well as reclaimed scrap silicon
material, since it can effectively and rapidly dry the etched
and rinsed polysilicon. "
(Continues on p. 16)
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Chemical Engineering May 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering May 2012
