KIT presents latest processes for energy carriers at ACHEMA

The bioliq process accounts for the fact that straw and other biogenous residues arise in a widely distributed manner and have a low energy content. Bioliq has been developed to allow for an economically efficient large-scale production of fuel. First, the dry residual biomass is converted into a crude oil-like substance of high energy density by flash pyrolysis. This so-called biosyncrude can be transported efficiently over long distances for centralised conversion into customised fuels or basic chemical products. A close-to-industry pilot plant in Karlsruhe is already producing gasoline of high quality, fully equivalent to conventional gasoline and compatible with the environment. The output of the pilot plant is about 1t of fuel per day. As the bioliq process uses straw and other biogenous residues that do not require any additional cultivation areas, it does not compete with food or feed production. At the KIT booth, the complete four-stage bioliq process will be explained.

Microalgae are promising sources of animal feed, food, and biofuels of the third generation. Based on microalgae, various compounds, such as carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, can be produced. Microalgae can be cultivated in freshwater, salt water or waste water. Low-cost and low-energy growth of algae requires the development of new photobioreactors and the optimisation of existing strategies for process conduct. At KIT, horizontal photobioreactors of transparent zig-zag structure were developed and patented. They are characterised by low material costs, low hydrostatic pressure, and high light dilution. The surface structure and the small layer thickness ensure homogeneous light distribution and a high surface to volume ratio. Incident light at low angles is reflected to opposite surfaces. In this way, light utilisation is enhanced. The functioning prototype bioreactor will be presented at the KIT booth for detailed insights into the development.

About 40% of the costs of a lithium-ion battery are caused by the manufacturing process and in particular by electrode production. To produce electrodes, pastes on carrier foils are coated. Best battery properties are achieved by intermittent coating, in the case of which process speed is limited to about 25 to 30m per minute. A newly patented process of KIT now allows it to reach speeds of about 100m per minute. This results in major cost reductions during battery production. At the KIT Coating & Printing Lab, it was demonstrated on the pilot scale that this new slot die technology requires very few movable parts only and still reaches outstanding layer qualities with sharp start and stop edges and clean gaps. At the KIT booth, experts will explain the fundamentals of this new process based on the slot die displayed there.

Work of the KIT spinoff Ineratec is aimed at designing, constructing and selling turnkey container-based compact facilities for the decentralised conversion of natural gas and biogas into valuable products that can be stored. Depending on the source of the gas, it is possible to produce nearly greenhouse gas-neutral high-performance fuels or valuable basic chemical products. As a result of the decentralised approach, customised production and more efficient utilisation of the resources available are ensured. The basis is a miniaturised Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in compact microstructured, chemical reactors. The mobile container facilities might be used directly near biogas facilities or gas extraction plants and, hence, increase the value added. At the KIT booth, the Ineratec founders will present the technology.