Development Plans
Phase 2 - Biomass/Fiber Optimization
All biomass is a composition of hemi-cellulose, cellulose and lignin. The percentage of each component varies with the plant fiber material. Each component has a heat value in the combustion process.
Lignin has the highest heat value of 9,000 - 11,000 Btu/lb. The other components average 70% of the lignin heat value.
Maine Renewable is working with University of Maine Forest Bioprocess Research Initiative and Pulp & Paper
Development Center to assess extraction and conversion of the hemi-cellulose component from wood and agricultural residues.
Hemi-cellulose is the basis for wood sugars, which are ideal components for enhancement in a fermentation process. This undertaking is consistent with the State of Maine plan to
optimize the value of biomass through separation and
enhancement. The key to this development is strategic logistics merged with industrial grade technology that can be economically viable outside of a laboratory setting.
The optimization plan will initially focus on the combustion fuel for the CHP facility. The hemi-cellulose portion of the forestry
residue will be extracted prior to the combustion process and diverted for enhanced utilization as a feed stock in a
bio-chemical or bio-fuel process. The project scale will be
approximately 2,000,0000 gals/yr to provide engineering and economic validation necessary for scale up to a commercial size facility (> 25 million gals/yr).
In addition to the upgrade of hemi-cellulose, Maine Renewable will assess the upgrade potential of cellulose components. Within the cellulose portion of biomass is a smaller fraction of material, nano-cellulose which are small-scale fibers of cellulose that have great potential for use in a number of applications. These include serving as structural components in medical devices, as reinforcing agents in plastic composites, or as a fluid flow modifier. After extraction of nano-cellulose, the remaining cellulose will be blended with lignin as a combustion component, further processed as bio-chemical/fuel feed stock or sent to another fiber process.