PRE-TREATMENT

The pre-treatment concept for homogenizing biomass* is a significant step in creating clean, renewable energy. While some proponents claim to have 'cracked the code' to unlocking this abundant resource, many difficulties remain, such as toxic byproducts, severe corrosion, damaged catalysts, etc. These toxic byproducts interfere with the widespread use and conversion of this resource. SBR's pre-treatment process technology uses proprietary solvents addressing these issues, converting refuse to resource wherever organics are widely and continuously available.

* Also known as biological material from living, or recently living organisms.

CLEANING ORGANICS

Biomass pre-treatment is similar to a pre-wash cycle in clothes washing machines. It is meant to rinse away accumulated filth (alkalines, chlorides, heavy metals, etc.) that cause problems in subsequent uses. Since organics such as forest residuals, agricultural and municipal wastes have many levels and combinations of reactive inorganic minerals, it is vital to pre-treat the material with special solvents for higher value applications. This rinse does not create more toxic compounds. Rather, it separates and distills the reactive minerals to be beneficially re-purposed as soil amendments and industrial chemicals. This clean and sustainable "closed-loop" process does not generate waste.

HIGH VALUE CONVERSION

Highest value organic waste conversion results from "cooking" the material instead of burning it. The process is much like using a pressure cooker on your stovetop. When pre-treated homogenized biomass is heated in the absence of oxygen (called gasifying), it produces an artificial gas called syngas, much like natural gas. Resulting Syngas can then be used to fuel generators, to create electricity, heat, or cooling through absorption chillers.  Pre-treated biomass works well where there are high costs for electricity or feed-in tariffs paying premiums for renewable energy. Clean Syngas can also be used processes like Fisher-Tropsch to produce liquid fuels like bio-diesel and Jet-A fuel / Sustainable Air Fuel.

MAINTAINING CATALYSTS

As processes like Fischer-Tropsch use sensitive catalysts, clean syngas resulting from pre-treatment runs continuously without contaminating the catalyst. Consequently, by cleaning and 'cooking' the biomass (organics), diverse organic feedstock streams can be mixed together to provide year-round, sustainable inputs through economically-viable processes. Sarvel BioRenewals (SBR) delivers the pre-treatment technology on behalf of the patent holder (Thermorefinery Tehcnologies) to clean and homogenize biomass. The Thermorefinery process has been endorsed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an International clearing house for emerging technology, who has recognized Sarvel for furthering the development of the pretreatment process.

RESOURCING

The next stage is working directly with organizations that can provide sustainable, organic resource supplies and stable locations to regionalize Sarvel BioRenewals (SBR) pre-treatment facilities. In the U.S. alone, the Department of Energy seeks to establish hundreds of pre-treatment facilities that can feed their decentralized outputs to a centralized bio-refinery. The world anxiously awaits the delivery of this solution.