Company Overview

ENERKEM TECHNOLOGIES INC. is an advanced technology and knowledge based corporation in the emerging sector of small- scale environmental energy plants. Backed by over twenty years of innovative science and engineering, ENERKEM's technologies provide well-designed answers in response to growing needs for clean energy and commodities of increased social and environmental acceptability.

ENERKEM's mission is twofold: To develop advanced technologies for the conversion of wastes and biomass into marketable energy, biofuels and co-products; to implement its technologies in the market place via (a) operation of its own plants or in partnership with established users; and (b) licensing to independent users.

HISTORY

A new awareness on the needs for alternate energy sources was the consequence of the early 1970's 'oil crisis'. The biomass connection was considered one of the alternatives. A partnership between researchers of the Universit de Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada) and the National Research Council of Canada, led to the creation of the Groupe de Recherche sur les technologies et procds de conversion (GRTPC) dedicated to fundamental and applied research in biomass conversion. Two areas were developed:

Thermochemical and catalytic conversion processes centered on fluid bed gasification as key technology; Aqueous/steam fractionation leading to specific biomass fractions that can be upgraded to marketable defined products;

Following nearly two decades of intense research and development, a spin-off company, KEMESTRIE Inc., was created in 1993 to commercialize the know-how of the GRTPC. In 1998, ENERKEM TECHNOLOGIES INC. was established by KEMESTRIE as its operating unit focusing on markets for its environmental energy and co-products technologies.

Stimulated by a portfolio of international projects and partnerships as well as by the environmental drive that emerged from the Rio and Kyoto summits, ENERKEM aims at becoming a global producer of green energy & green commodities.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Today's continual move towards sustainable waste management and the ensuing progress in the emerging waste-to-energy sector require ENERKEM to develop and maintain a competitive edge in the world market place. ENERKEM's continuous R&D of novel technologies offer an economically viable approach, not only to the world's waste management problems, but also for the clean energy market.

ENERKEM currently has a portfolio of four (4) processes covered by 8 patents. The technology platform of the company is anchored in an international R&D network having its focal points at the Universit de Sherbrooke (Canada) and at KEMESTRIE INC., the parent company of ENERKEM, specialized in process scale-up. ENERKEM is also extending its R&D efforts to the development of a new generation of technologies combining the gasification of waste and biomass with the production of electricity via fuel cells.

For additional information, contact:

ENERKEM TECHNOLOGIES INC. Corporate office; 414 McGill S.204, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 2G1; Telephone: (819) 569-4888; Facsimile:

(819) 569-8411; E-mail: enerkem@attcanada. net; Web site:

www. enerkem. com

ENERKEM TECHNOLOGIES INC. Engineering and R&D 4220 Garlock Street Sherbrooke, Quebec J1L 2P4 Telephone: (819) 569-4888 Facsimile: (819) 569-8411 E-mail: enerkem@attcanada. net Web site: www. enerkem. com

Company Information

Additional Details

Legal Name: Enerkem Technologies

Contacts

Products

• Biosyn Fluid Bed Gasification Technology

  BIOSYN TECHNOLOGY Fluidized bed reactor technology for the gasification of organic matter makes possible the conversion of biomass and wastes into a synthetic gas that can be used for the production of energy. Gasification is an alternative to combustion. The BIOSYN process has an energy efficiency exceeding that of conventional combustion processes by approximately 50%, with a reduction of both the atmospheric emissions and the volume of residues to be landfilled. The technology can be applied to organic residues from any source, including sorted municipal waste, wastewater treatment sludges, forest biomass and agricultural residues, post-consumer wastes such as plastic-rich packaging, as well as specific industrial wastes such as spent oils, rubber residues, used PP/PE bags, etc. To maintain high performance, any of these feedstocks has to be fed to the gasifier at a moisture content not exceeding 20% and a bulk specific gravity (i. e. density) higher than 0.25. The BIOSYN process involves three main stages: preparation of the raw material (reduction of biomass particle size and moisture adjustment); biomass gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor; gas conditioning via cold or hot treatments depending on end use. The synthetic gas obtained can be used for energy production in the following ways: burned as is, or in combination with natural gas, in commercial boilers to produce steam or process heat; as a fuel, alone or with natural gas, in internal combustion engines to produce electrical energy and process heat (from the hot gases exiting the engine); as a fuel, alone or with natural gas, in gas turbines to produce electrical energy. Combined cycles are also possible leading to co-generation of electrical energy. The energy efficiency of biomass gasification varies from 75 to 80%. The variables determining the energy performance of the BIOSYN process are: the composition and calorific content of the raw material, its humidity and its inorganic inert matter content.

• Biosyn Process.

  BIOSYN TECHNOLOGY

  Fluidized bed reactor technology for the gasification of organic matter makes possible the conversion of biomass and wastes into a synthetic gas that can be used for the production of energy. Gasification is an alternative to combustion. The BIOSYN process has an energy efficiency exceeding that of conventional combustion processes by approximately 50%, with a reduction of both the atmospheric emissions and the volume of residues to be landfilled.

  The technology can be applied to organic residues from any source, including sorted municipal waste, wastewater treatment sludges, forest biomass and agricultural residues, post-consumer wastes such as plastic-rich packaging, as well as specific industrial wastes such as spent oils, rubber residues, used PP/PE bags, etc. To maintain high performance, any of these feedstocks has to be fed to the gasifier at a moisture content not exceeding 20% and a bulk specific gravity (i. e. density) higher than 0.25.

  The BIOSYN process involves three main stages: preparation of the raw material (reduction of biomass particle size and moisture adjustment); biomass gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor; gas conditioning via cold or hot treatments depending on end use.

  The synthetic gas obtained can be used for energy production in the following ways: burned as is, or in combination with natural gas, in commercial boilers to produce steam or process heat; as a fuel, alone or with natural gas, in internal combustion engines to produce electrical energy and process heat (from the hot gases exiting the engine); as a fuel, alone or with natural gas, in gas turbines to produce electrical energy. Combined cycles are also possible leading to co-generation of electrical energy.

  The energy efficiency of biomass gasification varies from 75 to 80%. The variables determining the energy performance of the BIOSYN process are: the composition and calorific content of the raw material, its humidity and its inorganic inert matter content.

• Environmental Products And Services
• Feedstock Impregnation And Rapid Steam Treatment (first) Technology For Aqueous/Steam Fractionation.

  FIRST TECHNOLOGY FIRST stands for 'Feedstock Impregnation and Rapid Steam Treatment'. It is the key technological strategy, based on aqueous/steam treatments, that ENERKEM has developed for fractionating biomass into its four constitutive chemical families: extractives, hemicelluloses, lignin and cellulose. FIRST is environmentally-friendly, it uses equipment readily available around the world, it is flexible and adaptable to specific biomass types. FIRST consists of a sequence of unit operations that can be applied to any lignocellulosic type after detailed analytical characterization of the raw material. FIRST is based on catalyst impregnation of the raw material with specific acid/base catalysts, pressure dewatering of the impregnated material, and rapid steam treatment of the dewatered yet saturated material at severities that induce destructuring and disaggregation of the lignocellulosic matrix and depolymerization of the constitutive fractions. In the context of 'bioenergy', ethanol as well as electricity and/or process heat are desired end products. Ethanol will be produced via fermentation of the sugar-rich liquors obtained from hydrolysis of the hemicelluloses, amorphous cellulose and crystalline cellulose. Electricity and/or process heat will be obtained via gasification of any organic residue generated during the different operations. ENERKEM's BIOSYN technology will be used for the gasification. Co-products are an essential part of the economics of the biomass refinery. Other than 'biomass-derived fine chemicals, i. e 'bio-molecules' isolated from the extractives and that are obviously function of specific biomass types, 'green commodities co-products' can be derived from the unfermented pentoses present in the hemicellulose-rich liquors (i. e. residual molasses), from the lignin and from the cellulosic-rich fibrous residue.

  ENERKEM has proprietary know-how that offers alternate upgrading strategies for these fractions depending upon feedstocks, markets and project requirements: xylitol, lactic acid, furfuryl alcohol and furan derivatives can be produced from pentoses; oxyaromatics obtained from lignin include vanillin and syringyl aldehyde (and their derivatives) as well as alkylaromatics and oxyaromatic-ethers as high octane fuel additives; cellulose-rich fibrous residue can be adequately processed to fiber pulp whose properties can range from Kraft-like pulp to specialty celluloses depending upon the selected upgrading strategy.

• La Technologie 'feedstock Impregnation And Rapid Steam Treatment (first)'

  TECHNOLOGIE FIRST

  FIRST reprsente 'l'imprgnation de la matire de base et traitement rapide la vapeurr '. C'est la stratgie technologique principale, base sur des traitements aqueux / vapeur, dveloppes par ENERKEM pour le fractionnement de la biomasse en ses quatre familles chimiques constitutives: extractifs, hmicelluloses, lignine et cellulose. FIRST est cologique, utilisant des quipements facilement disponibles autour du monde, il est flexible et adaptable des types de biomasse spcifiques.

  FIRST consiste en une srie d'oprations d'units qui peuvent tre appliques tout type lignocellulosique aprs une caractrisation analytique dtaille de la matire premire. Le principe de FIRST est bas sur l'imprgnation de la matire premire avec des catalyseurs spcifiques base d'acide, le schage sous pression du matriel imbibe, et le traitement rapide la vapeur du matriel assch mais encore des conditions svres qui induisent la dstructuration et la dsagrgation de la matrice lignocellulosique et la dpolymrisation des fractions constitutives.

  Dans le contexte de la bionergie, l'thanol, l'lectricit et/ou la chaleur de processus sont des produits finals dsirs. L'thanol sera produit par la fermentation de liquides -riches en sucres obtenues la suite de l' hydrolyse des hmicelluloses, de la cellulose amorphe er de la cellulose cristalline. L'lectricit at la chaleur de processus seront obtenus par la gazification des rsidus organiques produits pendant les diffrentes oprations. La technologie BIOSYN d'ENERKEM sera utilise pour la gazification.

  Les co-produits sont une partie essentielle de la raffinerie de biomasse. Autre que les produits chimiques drivs de la biomasse ou 'bio-molcules', les 'co-produits verts' peuvent aussi tre drivs des pentoses non fermentes qui sont prsents dans les liquides riches en hmicellulose (mlasses rsiduelles ), des lignines et rsidus fibreux riches en cellulose.

  ENERKEM a le savoir-faire pour les stratgies d'amlioration de ces fractions, selon le type de la matire de base, du march en question et des exigences du projet; les drivs xylitoliques, d'acide lactique, d'alcool furfurylique et les drivs de furfuranne peuvent tre produits partir des pentoses; les oxyaromatiques obtenus de la lignitine incluent la vanilline et l'aldhyde de syrngyl (et leurs drivs), ainsi que les alkylaromatiques et les thers oxyaromatiques, utilisables comme des additifs de carburant valeur d'octane leve; les rsidus riches en fibres de cellulose peuvent tre convertis en pulpe de fibre dont les qualits peuvent tre de type 'Kraft' ou de celluloses applications spciales selon la stratgie de modification utilise.

• Technologies

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