Integration of Advanced Biofuel in Alberta

Abstract

Increasing production of biofuels is one way for Canada to meet its Paris Agreement targets on greenhouse gas emissions. The production of advanced biofuels from residual biomass is an area of growing interest. Steeper Energy has developed technology for producing an advanced biocrude using hydrothermal liquefaction and has tested methods to upgrade said biocrude into usable liquid fuels. Alberta already has a substantial refining infrastructure, which can co-process biocrude along with oil distillate products. Co-processing can reduce the cost of producing biofuels from residual biomass by leveraging existing processes in a refinery. Co-processing in fluid catalytic crackers and hydrotreaters in Western Canadian refineries could co-process up to 53,000 BPD of biocrude. A lifecycle greenhouse gas intensity assessment found biofuel produced using hydrothermal liquefaction approximately 60% less greenhouse has intensive than diesel produced from crude oil