ORIGINAL ARTICLE Non-homogeneous residual feedstocks to biofuels and chemicals via the methanol route Jean-Michel Lavoie & Stéphane Marie-Rose & David Lynch Received: 15 February 2012 / Revised: 3 June 2012 / Accepted: 5 June 2012 / Published online: 26 June 2012 # Springer-Verlag 2012 Abstract This paper discusses the thermal conversion of non-homogeneous residual biomass from urban wastes as well as from forest and agricultural operations into an ultra- pure syngas used for the thermo-catalytic synthesis of meth- anol. The latter is a commodity/building block for subsequent synthesis of fuels and chemicals. This paper focuses on the feedstock choices made by Enerkem and on its conversion technology which embraces staged gasification, syngas con- ditioning and conversion of syngas into methanol and of the latter into ethanol. The fundamental concepts that have led to the development of the technology are the result of a joint R&D experimental effort between the Université de Sher- brooke, Enerkem and the Edmonton Waste Management Center of Excellence. The technology has been scaled up, from 2009 to 2011, and production of biomethanol using 1.5 tonnes/h of feed (dry basis) is ongoing at Enerkem's demonstration plant in Westbury (Québec) since June 2011. The conversion of the produced biomethanol into bioethanol has been proven at bench scale level, and we foresee the latter to be piloted in the first half of 2012. Based on the results of the demonstration, Enerkem is erecting a 100,000-tonne/year commercial plant in Edmonton. It will use secondary recov- ered fuel from the mechanical biological treatment process already implemented at the Edmonton Waste Management Center. Production of methanol is initially targeted for 2013. Keywords Biofuels . Biomass . Gasification . Methanol . Ethanol . MSW 1 Introduction Our academic–industrial group has been particularly inter- ested in biomass-containing waste streams that can be found in municipalities around the world. Such streams, composi- tionally, are defined as non-homogeneous biomass since they contain residual biomass in the 50–70-wt% range ac- companied by residual non-recyclable synthetic polymers (plastics, rubber, etc.) as well as levels of inert materials in the 10–20 wt% range. Pricing for these waste streams is related to the avoided landfilling costs and the preparation (also known as pre-processing) costs. Compared with ex- pensive homogeneous biomass (used for instance by the pulp and paper sector) and with less costly (although still significant) quasi-homogeneous residues from forest and agricultural operations (a typical feedstock for bioelectricity generation), the near-zero cost of non-homogeneous bio- mass is obviously advantageous from the economics stand- point [1]. By using non-homogeneous biomass, Enerkem projects that it can produce, in relatively small plants (approximately 100,000 tonnes/year, dry basis), an intermediate ultraclean syngas that can compete with natural gas-derived syngas produced via steam reforming, the whole based on current gate prices ($4.00–4.50/MMBTU; fall, 2011). The syngas produced from the biomass component of the feedstock used J.-M. Lavoie (*) Industrial Research Chair on Cellulosic Ethanol, Département de Génie Chimique et de Génie Biotechnologique, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada e-mail: jean-michel.lavoie2@usherbrooke.ca S. Marie-Rose : D. Lynch Enerkem Inc., 375, rue de Courcelette, bureau 900, Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 3X4, Canada Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2013) 3:39–44 DOI 10.1007/s13399-012-0050-6