The interactive Digital Support Tools (DSTs) are designed for industries to determine the benefits of bioenergy retrofitting. The DSTs are based on the BIOFIT case studies, and they represent each industrial sector involved in the project (production of 1st generation biofuels, pulp & paper, fossil power and CHP and for fossil refineries). The DSTs focus on the techno-economic evaluation of the retrofit concepts, allowing to assess the net present value, internal rate of return and cash flows of the retrofit investments. Additionally, the impacts to greenhouse gas emissions are shown. The user interface allows modification of the key parameters of the retrofit concept.

Retrofits in district heat production

The DST is based on the BIOFIT case study of Sölvesborgs Energi och Vatten in Sweden. In the case study, fossil oil is replaced by bio-oils in a peak-load district heating plant. Click on the link below to open the tool. Please refer to the case description in the BIOFIT case study section.

Conversion of a fossil oil boiler to the utilization of bio-oil

Retrofits in pulp and paper sector

This DST shows the profitability of an investment to process pulp mill wastewater treatment sludge to biocoal instead of burning it in the recovery boiler. The produced biocoal is sold to external markets.

Before the retrofit investment, the sludge from pulp and paper mill’s wastewater treatment plant is disposed by incinerating it in the recovery boiler, which produces heat and electricity. In the suggested retrofit, Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) Technology is used to treat the wastewater sludge, producing biocoal. Click on the link below to open the tool.

HTC technology integration into a pulp mill to process wastewater treatment sludge to biocoal

Retrofits in fossil refineries sector

This DST shows the profitability of co-feeding pyrolysis oil in the Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) of a refinery. This way, green, second-generation (advanced) transportation fuels can be produced. The retrofit scenario has a co-feeding percentage of 5%. Because a mixture of pyrolysis oil and fossil oil is fed to the FCC, the output is also a mix of fossil and green transportation fuels.

Pyrolysis oil is a liquid bioenergy carrier produced from lignocellulosic materials, such as wood and wood waste. Pyrolysis oil has a high energy density, which means that it can be transported and stored easily at low-cost. Production of pyrolysis oils can be distributed in smaller facilities, followed by transport to a single location, such as a refinery. Advantages of this concept are that only limited new infrastructure needs to be build, namely the pyrolysis oil production plants. These are relatively small, can be constructed fast (in 1 year), and capital requirements are modest in comparison with the costs of a refinery. Retrofitting the refinery to allow for co-feeding will likely entail only limited capital costs.

Click on the link below to open the tool. Please refer to the case description in the BIOFIT case study section for more details.

Co-feeding of pyrolysis oil in a fossil refinery to produce green transport fuels

Retrofits in 1G biofuel sector

Based on the case study on Biocarburantes de Castilla y Leon, Spain, this DST examines two alternative retrofits in a 1st generation biofuel production facility. Both retrofit alternatives results in a plant that produces both 1G and advanced ethanol.

In the first one (Case A), an industrial rich-ethanol waste and wine alcohol have been considered to replace roughly 5 % of the original corn feedstock. This scenario presents low technical complexity, low CAPEX and, therefore, could be quickly implemented.

In the second scenario (Case B), in addition to produce ethanol from industrial ethanol-rich waste and wine alcohol, also corn stover is used as raw material for advanced ethanol. Allowing a higher share of the original corn feedstock to be replaced, the retrofit will require several plant modifications.

Click on the link below to open the tool. Please refer to the case description in the BIOFIT case study section.

Conversion of the 1st generation ethanol production facility to produce advanced ethanol

Retrofits in fossil power sector

The DST was developed having in mind the case of a coal-fired plant that wishes to convert fully or partially (co-firing) to biomass. The user of the tool has the capacity to modify certain parameters in order to take into account different scenarios for the plant operation.

The tool does not differentiate between technology options for the conversion and biomass prices. The user should define appropriate values, e.g. for the conversion cost or the biomass LHV and fuel prices, depending on the scenario that needs to be investigated. Click on the link below to open the tool.

Conversion of fossil firing power plant/CHP to biomass