Title: Renewable fuels production to decarbonize “hard to abate” sectors
Abstract:
The decarbonization of the so-called “hard to abate” sectors is one of the key challenges to reach carbon
neutrality and to contain global warming. Renewable and nuclear sources can provide a significant contribution
for decarbonizing several sectors, including power generation and a number of industrial and residential
applications that can be easily electrified. But there are several sectors where the electrification is unfeasible and
where carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies are not sustainable from the
economic point of view. These so-called “hard to abate” sectors include industry and heavy transport (especially
heavy-duty trucks, aviation and shipping), currently deeply rooted on fossil or fossil-derived fuels like natural gas,
gasoline, diesel, naphtha, kerosene, etc. In this context, a key role for the decarbonization of these sectors can be
played by green fuels, directly produced from renewable energy sources.
This presentation aims to describe the most recent research and development activities achieved by Sotacarbo in
the field of green fuels production by means of two main approaches: hydrogen production from biomass and
waste gasification and e-fuels synthesis from the overproduction of electricity from non-programmable renewable
sources (i.e. wind and sun) and captured CO2. Particular emphasis is given to the main research strategies, as
well as the experimental facilities currently available.
Gasification thermochemically converts low rank primary fuels in a fuel gas (syngas) that can be used for power
generation, but also for the synthesis of other products, including hydrogen. The use of waste biomass (residues
from forest management, agriculture, or food industry) or non-recyclable plastic waste can allow the production of
renewable hydrogen and low-cost electricity, with the additional opportunity given by the possibility to integrate the
process with CO2 capture and sequestration units, thus allowing a negative carbon balance. In this field,
Sotacarbo is developing different gasification technologies (i.e. fixed-bed updraft, fixed-bed downdraft, and
bubbling fluidized-bed) and their possible integration with advanced gas cleaning technologies for syngas
purification and hydrogen production. Several gasification tests have been performed at bench-, pilot-, and
demonstration-scale in different facilities.
In parallel, e-fuels represent a very promising decarbonization strategy. Firstly, they can be used as a renewable
alternative of the conventional fossil-derived fuels. They also allow to chemically store the overproduction of
electricity from non-programmable renewable sources, with the additional advantages of balancing the electric
grid and promoting a further diffusion of renewable plants. Finally, e-fuels (especially methanol) are characterized
by a growing market since they can be also used as precursors to produce countless chemical products. In this
context, Sotacarbo is working on the development of processes and catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to e-fuels,
especially methane, methanol, and dimethyl ether (DME). The research is focused on the development of
advanced catalysts that – using innovative preparation methods and specific nanomaterials – can allow very high
performance. Two different facilities are available at the Sotacarbo Research Centre: a very flexible bench-scale
unit, used to characterize catalysts, and a new pilot-scale plant, currently under commissioning, to test and
develop the integrated power-to-fuels process in different operating conditions
Biography:
Alberto Pettinau is graduated in Mechanical Engineering and gained his Ph.D. at the University of Cagliari (Italy). He is employed in Sotacarbo S.p.A. (an Italian public research institute on low carbon technologies) since 2004, with the current role of Head of Research and Development.
His main fields of research are focused on low carbon power generation technologies, with particular reference to gasification technologies (with a wide experience on pilot- and bench-scale experimental tests), green fuels production (from biomass and renewable hydrogen), fuel characterization, carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage and techno-economic analyses and feasibility studies of low carbon power generation plants.
He managed several national and international research projects and technically coordinates international cooperation agreements with institutions from Australia, India, Pakistan, South Korea, United Kingdom and United States.
Dr. Pettinau is the Italian representative in the European SET Plan Implementation Working Group on CCUS (appointed by the Italian Government) and member of the Italian national Energy Board. He is the Italian proxy in the Research Infrastructure Consortium Committee of ECCSEL-ERIC (the European Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Laboratory Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium), Sotacarbo’s reference in the CO2 Value Europe association and in the Italian Energy Cluster, member of the Advisory Committee of the Degree Course on Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cagliari (Italy), and President of the CO2 Club Italy. He is also the Director of the Annual International Sotacarbo Summer School on low carbon technologies and member of the Advisory Committee and International Vice Chair of the International Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
He is author of several publications in international journals, books and conference proceedings (h-index 18) and a patent application on an “Efficient catalyst for the conversion of CO2 to methanol” (WO2019/185223A1).
He collaborates as reviewer for many international journals (Applied Energy, Applied Thermal Engineering, Energies, Energy, Fuel, Fuel Processing Technology, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, the Journal of Supercritical Fluids, Processes and many more) and worked as Guest Editor for two special issues of the international journal Fuel (Elsevier).