Inside one of four 9000liter fermentation tanks at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Bioethanol Pilot Plant. The facility enables NREL and its industry partners to move advances in producing ethanol and other fuels and chemicals from biomass into the development phase.
在国家可再生能源实验室生物乙醇试验工厂的四个 9000 升发酵罐之一内。该设施使NREL及其行业合作伙伴能够将生物质生产乙醇和其他燃料和化学品的进展推进到开发阶段。
Would you like the opportunity to test biomass-processing technology in a world-class pilot plant without building a facility of your own? And in a pilot plant capable of handling recombinant organisms and one where national laboratory expertise is also available? A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) user facility operated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, may provide that opportunity for you.
您是否希望有机会在不建立自己的设施的情况下在世界一流的中试工厂中测试生物质加工技术？在能够处理重组生物体的试验工厂中，并且还拥有国家实验室专业知识？由位于科罗拉多州戈尔登的国家可再生能源实验室 （NREL） 运营的美国能源部 （DOE） 用户设施可能会为您提供这种机会。

With funding from the DOE National Biofuels Program, NREL constructed a fermentation pilot plant facility to test bioprocessing technologies for production of ethanol or other fuels or chemicals from cellulosic biomass. The Process Development Unit (PDU) of the Bioethanol Pilot Plant can test biomass fuel or chemical production processes from start to finish at a scale of about 900 kilograms (1 dry ton) per day of dry feedstock. An associated Mini-Pilot Plant is ideal for preliminary testing at small scale. As part of NREL's Alternative Fuels User Facility (AFUF)—and in keeping with NREL's role as a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory-the PDU, Mini-Pilot Plant, and associated Bioethanol Pilot Plant facilities are available to support industrial and academic research and development. Projects can be arranged under cooperative research and development agreements, work-for-others contracts, or other flexible business agreements. If you are developing a technology that uses biological organisms for large-scale conversion of biological materials, the facilities and expertise of NREL that are available at the Bioethanol Pilot Plant may be exactly what is needed to commercialize that technology.
在美国能源部国家生物燃料计划的资助下，NREL建造了一个发酵试验工厂设施，以测试从纤维素生物质生产乙醇或其他燃料或化学品的生物加工技术。生物乙醇试验工厂的工艺开发单元（PDU）可以以每天约900公斤（1干吨）的干原料的规模，从头到尾测试生物质燃料或化学生产过程。相关的小型试验工厂是小规模初步测试的理想选择。作为NREL替代燃料用户设施（AFUF）的一部分，并与NREL作为美国能源部国家实验室的角色保持一致，PDU，小型试验工厂和相关的生物乙醇试验工厂设施可用于支持工业和学术研究与开发。项目可以根据合作研发协议、为他人工作的合同或其他灵活的商业协议进行安排。如果您正在开发一种使用生物有机体进行生物材料大规模转化的技术，那么生物乙醇试验工厂提供的NREL设施和专业知识可能正是该技术商业化所需要的。

The Bioethanol Pilot Plant's one-ton-per-day Process Development Unit is a complete system for producing ethanol or other fuels or chemicals from cellulosic biomass sources. PDU operational components include:
生物乙醇试验工厂的每天一吨工艺开发装置是一个完整的系统，用于从纤维素生物质来源生产乙醇或其他燃料或化学品。PDU 操作组件包括：

The enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation equipment includes four 9000 -liter, two 1450 -liter, and two 160 -liter fermenters. All can be used for aerobic or anaerobic fermentation, with separate or combined hydrolysis. The distillation equipment includes a 10 -meter stripping column. The PDU is one of rela- tively few facilities specifically designed to safely handle metabolically engineered as well as native microorganisms. It can also process high solids material (greater than total solids), which is crucial for developing cost-effective biomass-based processes.
酶解发酵设备包括4台9000升发酵罐、2台1450升发酵罐和2台160升发酵罐。均可用于好氧或厌氧发酵，单独或联合水解。蒸馏设备包括一个10米的汽提塔。PDU是为数不多的专门设计用于安全处理代谢工程和天然微生物的设施之一。它还可以处理高固体含量的材料（大于 总固体），这对于开发具有成本效益的生物质工艺至关重要。

The PDU has a very sophisticated control and data acquisition system for all facets of plant operations in its control room. Spectroscopic monitoring of fermentation-off-gas composition makes it possible to calculate oxygen transfer rates. The data acquisition system provides information to conduct material and energy balances.
PDU有一个非常复杂的控制和数据采集系统，用于控制室中工厂运营的各个方面。通过对发酵废气成分的光谱监测，可以计算氧气转移速率。数据采集系统提供信息以进行材料和能量平衡。

In addition to the PDU, the AFUF has a Mini-Pilot Plant for preliminary process testing at a more cost-effective small scale. The Mini-Pilot Plant offers batch and continuous fermentation processing. A flexible system of several vessels ranging from 10 liters to 100 liters allows configuration appropriate to a wide range of processes. The Mini-Pilot Plant can validate batch, fed-batch, or continuous bioprocessing technologies. As with the PDU, it can accommodate high solids concentrations and recombinant organisms and can be used to determine carbon mass balance closure.
除了PDU之外，AFUF还有一个小型试验工厂，用于以更具成本效益的小规模进行初步工艺测试。小型中试工厂提供批量和连续发酵处理。一个由10升到100升的多个容器组成的灵活系统允许配置适合各种工艺。小型中试工厂可以验证间歇式、补料间歇式或连续式生物工艺技术。与 PDU 一样，它可以容纳高固体浓度和重组生物体，并可用于确定碳质量平衡闭合。

Process Flow Diagram of the Process Development Unit
工艺开发单元的工艺流程图

Of the various steps for processing biomass, pretreatment is most feedstock sensitive and the one for which testing at pilot plant scale is critical. NREL offers three different thermochemical technologies for solubilizing hemicellulosic sugars and making cellulosic sugars more accessible to hydrolysis enzymes and fermentation organisms. The PDU has a continuous dilute-acid pretreatment system from Sunds Defibrator (now Valmet). This commercially available equipment can be readily included in setting up your own biomass processing system.
在生物质加工的各种步骤中，预处理对原料最敏感，也是中试工厂规模测试至关重要的步骤。NREL提供三种不同的热化学技术，用于溶解半纤维素糖，并使纤维素糖更容易被水解酶和发酵生物体所利用。PDU 具有 Sunds Defibrator（现为维美德）的连续稀酸预处理系统。这种市售设备可以很容易地包含在建立您自己的生物质处理系统中。

As an alternative to the Sunds pretreatment system, the Bioethanol Pilot Plant offers a batch-process steam gun system that uses high pressure and high temperature to enhance diluteacid pretreatment. This system is also good for test runs when the amount of feedstock is limited. Feedstock can be impregnated with the acid either at atmospheric pressure or in a 14 -liter pressurized vessel. After "cooking" the feedstock with steam for a few minutes, the steam gun expels it into a flash tank. The explosive pressure drop rapidly cools the material to precisely stop the reaction. The steam gun system makes it easy to experiment with a wide range of temperature, pressure, acid concentration, and other conditions. Although not commercially available, the steam gun equipment set up can be easily built to include in your biomass processing system.
作为Sunds预处理系统的替代方案，生物乙醇中试工厂提供间歇式蒸汽枪系统，该系统使用高压和高温来增强稀酸预处理。该系统也适用于原料量有限的试运行。原料可以在大气压下或在 14 升加压容器中浸渍酸。用蒸汽“烹饪”原料几分钟后，蒸汽枪将其排入闪蒸罐中。爆炸性压降迅速冷却材料以精确停止反应。蒸汽枪系统可以很容易地在各种温度、压力、酸浓度和其他条件下进行实验。虽然没有商业上可用的蒸汽枪设备，但可以很容易地构建成包含在您的生物质处理系统中。

NREL's third pretreatment option is a novel countercurrent reactor system. This patented technology also uses dilute acid, high temperature, and pressure, but in a way that releases and preserves more of the sugars. Conventional dilute acid pretreatment hydrolyzes the hemicellulose (breaks it down to xylose and other five-carbon sugars), which also physically exposes the cellulose to hydrolysis (typically enzymatic). At a higher temperature, diluteacid pretreatment will also hydrolyze cellulose (breaking it down to glucose). Temperatures high enough for cellulose hydrolysis, however, are also high enough to degrade the xylose and other hemicellulose sugars.
NREL的第三个预处理方案是新型逆流反应堆系统。这项专利技术还使用稀酸、高温和高压，但可以释放和保存更多的糖分。传统的稀酸预处理将半纤维素水解（将其分解成木糖和其他五碳糖），这也使纤维素在物理上暴露于水解（通常是酶促）。在较高的温度下，稀酸预处理也会水解纤维素（将其分解成葡萄糖）。然而，足够高的纤维素水解温度也足以降解木糖和其他半纤维素糖。

NREL's countercurrent pretreatment technology incorporates several innovations to make pretreatment more effective. Countercurrent flow in the second stage removes hydrolyzed sugars from the system more quickly upon their release, limiting exposure of the sugars to the hot acid, which is fed in the opposite end. Staged temperature increase takes advantage of the fact that a portion of the hemicellulose hydrolyzes more easily-removing this portion in the first stage before the temperature is raised to hydrolyze the rest of the hemicellulose in the second stage. Both of these innovations increase yield by reducing degradation of the xylose. They also allow a third innovation-"shrinking" the required reactor volume in the second stage via its vertical orientation as first the remaining hemicellulose and then cellulose is hydrolyzed. The vertical orientation allows the remaining solids to remain compact as the solids
NREL的逆流预处理技术融合了多项创新，使预处理更加有效。第二阶段的逆流在水解糖释放后更快地从系统中去除，从而限制了糖暴露于另一端的热酸。分阶段温度升高利用了半纤维素的一部分更容易水解的事实 - 在第一阶段去除这部分，然后温度升高以在第二阶段水解其余的半纤维素。这两项创新都通过减少木糖的降解来提高产量。它们还允许第三种创新 - 通过其垂直方向在第二阶段“缩小”所需的反应器体积，因为首先是剩余的半纤维素，然后是纤维素被水解。垂直方向允许剩余的固体保持紧凑，就像固体一样

The countercurrent pretreatment system removes sugars quickly after they hydrolize, preventing degradation and allowing the reactor to "shrink," reducing operating costs.
逆流预处理系统在糖水解后迅速去除糖，防止降解并允许反应器“收缩”，从而降低运营成本。

are lifted upward. This not only reduces the amount of hot dilute acid solution needed-a critical consideration in achieving acceptable process economics-but maintains more effective contact between the solid particles and the flowing dilute acid. This is believed to reduce mass transfer reaction resistances, allowing for lower temperatures and lower acid concentrations to achieve the same degree of hydrolysis as in more traditional reactor designs.
向上抬起。这不仅减少了所需的热稀酸溶液的量（这是实现可接受的工艺经济性的关键考虑因素），而且保持了固体颗粒与流动的稀酸之间更有效的接触。这被认为可以降低传质反应阻力，从而降低温度和酸浓度，以实现与更传统的反应器设计相同的水解程度。

The countercurrent exchange pretreatment system is hooked up to a data control and acquisition system allowing precise control and sophisticated data analysis. Although the equipment is not yet commercially available, with appropriate agreements for use of the technology, it could be incorporated in setting up your biomass processing system.
逆流交换预处理系统与数据控制和采集系统相连，可实现精确控制和复杂的数据分析。尽管该设备尚未商业化，但通过适当的技术使用协议，可以将其纳入建立生物质处理系统。

Hardwood feedstocks present an extra challenge-acetic acid, an inhibitor of the yeast fermentation process. The liquid solution of sugars that comes from the pretreatment of hardwoods contains significant amounts of acetic acid. The PDU includes a continuous ion exchange system to remove the inhibitory acetic acid prior to fermentation. The system uses commercially available standard ion exchange resins, to which the acid adsorbs, removing the inhibitor from the hydrolyzate. The system-which is sized to be compatible with the PDU 1-ton/day feed rate-can be readily connected to the PDU for process testing or to your biomass processing system. The system can also be hooked up to the PDU systems upstream or downstream of fermentation for ion- exchange or chromatographic purification or separation of products from chemical production processes.
硬木原料具有额外的挑战性——醋酸，一种酵母发酵过程的抑制剂。来自硬木预处理的糖液含有大量的乙酸。PDU包括一个连续的离子交换系统，用于在发酵前去除抑制性乙酸。该系统使用市售的标准离子交换树脂，酸吸附到该树脂上，从水解产物中去除抑制剂。该系统的尺寸与PDU 1吨/天的进料速度兼容，可以很容易地连接到PDU进行过程测试，也可以连接到您的生物质处理系统。该系统还可以连接到发酵上游或下游的PDU系统，用于离子交换或色谱纯化或从化学生产过程中分离产品。

The Bioethanol Pilot Plant is far more than just a collection of state-of-the-art equipment. NREL has more than 50 scientists, engineers, and technicians from a wide range of disciplines with expertise in biomass conversion and bioprocess development. They can help you use the facility to move your technology from a scientific concept to a technically and economically proven process ready for commercial production-before you commit to staff and capital investment. NREL has been developing biomassto-ethanol and other biofuels technologies since 1977 and has an outstanding biofuels staff. They have the scientific and technical expertise to work with metabolically engineered microorganisms and enzymatic processes. They also have the operation skills necessary to keep a plant operating smoothly and the engineering skills to scale up processes. In addition, the NREL biofuels staff is experienced in working with outside partners, providing needed help, and protecting proprietary information and processes.
生物乙醇试验工厂不仅仅是一系列最先进的设备。NREL 拥有 50 多名来自各个学科的科学家、工程师和技术人员，他们在生物质转化和生物工艺开发方面拥有专业知识。他们可以帮助您在投入人员和资本投资之前，利用该设施将您的技术从科学概念转变为经过技术和经济验证的工艺，为商业生产做好准备。自1977年以来，NREL一直在开发生物质乙醇和其他生物燃料技术，并拥有一支优秀的生物燃料员工队伍。他们拥有处理代谢工程微生物和酶促过程的科学和技术专长。他们还具备保持工厂平稳运行所需的操作技能和扩大流程的工程技能。此外，NREL生物燃料工作人员在与外部合作伙伴合作、提供所需帮助以及保护专有信息和流程方面经验丰富。

Since opening in 1994, the Bioethanol Pilot Plant has already been used for numerous cooperative projects to help develop bioprocessing technologies-several of which are now moving into commercial production (see below).
自 1994 年开业以来，生物乙醇试验工厂已用于许多合作项目，以帮助开发生物工艺技术——其中一些技术现已进入商业生产（见下文）。

Collaborations Using the PDU
使用 PDU 的协作

A little less than 100 years ago, the first oil refineries started cracking crude oil to separate it into gasoline and a handful of other useful products. Today, the petroleum industry converts billions of barrels of oil per year (approximately 14 million barrels per day in the United States alone) into a dozen fuels and hundreds of plastics. Our economy is built on these products, but oil and other fossil fuels are expensive, pose environmental risks to extract and transport, and their supplies are ultimately limited. Their combustion generates much of our air pollution and most of the greenhouse gases that threaten to change the Earth's climate.
不到 100 年前，第一批炼油厂开始裂解原油，将其分离成汽油和一些其他有用的产品。如今，石油工业每年将数十亿桶石油（仅在美国每天约1400万桶）转化为十几种燃料和数百种塑料。我们的经济建立在这些产品之上，但石油和其他化石燃料价格昂贵，对开采和运输构成环境风险，而且它们的供应最终是有限的。它们的燃烧产生了我们的大部分空气污染和大部分威胁改变地球气候的温室气体。

Instead of importing oil, we can home-grow biomass to provide the feedstock for many of our fuels and chemicals. Hydrolysis of cellulosic material to sugars and then fermentation or other bioprocessing of those sugars can supply many of the fuels and chemicals (or equally good alternatives) for which we now depend on petrochemicals. The more we turn to such a "sugar platform" instead of petrochemicals, the better off our domestic economy and environment will be. Producing ethanol from nonfood plant materials for use as an automotive fuel is just one of a myriad of possible sugar-based bioprocesses. Our user facility is titled the Bioethanol Pilot Plant, but it is equally available to your process that produces other fuels or chemicals. Together we can make the Pilot Plant the forerunner of the biorefinery of the future.
我们可以在国内种植生物质，而不是进口石油，为我们的许多燃料和化学品提供原料。纤维素材料水解成糖，然后对这些糖进行发酵或其他生物加工，可以提供我们现在依赖石化产品的许多燃料和化学品（或同样好的替代品）。我们越是转向这样的“糖平台”而不是石化产品，我们的国内经济和环境就会越好。从非食品植物材料中生产乙醇用作汽车燃料只是无数可能的糖基生物过程之一。我们的用户设施名为生物乙醇中试工厂，但它同样适用于生产其他燃料或化学品的工艺。我们可以一起使试验工厂成为未来生物精炼厂的先驱。

NREL's Bioethanol Pilot Plant was explicitly designed to assist industry and outside researchers develop commercial bioprocessing technology. The PDU and other Pilot Plant facilities-and associated NREL staff expertise-are available for major trials of an entire process, for research and development of individual bioprocessing steps, or for cooperative basic research of your or NREL's bioprocessing technologies. NREL can work with private industry or other research institutions under a variety of flexible business-venture arrangements. Most typically, cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) are used for joint projects to advance renewable energy or energy-efficiency technologies . Work-for-others agreements (WFOs) are used to apply NREL's unique facilities and expertise to develop proprietary industrial processes. NREL welcomes inquiries from companies and research institutions interested in using Bioethanol Pilot Plant facilities to develop and commercialize technology for making valuable fuels and chemicals from biomass. Whether with a CRADA, a WFO, or some other business device, chances are good we can work together.
NREL的生物乙醇试验工厂旨在帮助工业和外部研究人员开发商业生物工艺技术。PDU和其他中试工厂设施以及相关的NREL员工专业知识可用于整个过程的主要试验，用于单个生物工艺步骤的研究和开发，或用于Ur或NREL生物工艺技术的合作基础研究。NREL可以在各种灵活的商业风险安排下与私营企业或其他研究机构合作。最典型的是，合作研发协议 （CRADA） 用于推进可再生能源或节能技术的联合项目。为他人工作协议（WFO）用于应用NREL独特的设施和专业知识来开发专有的工业流程。NREL欢迎有兴趣使用生物乙醇试验工厂设施开发和商业化从生物质中制造有价值的燃料和化学品的技术的公司和研究机构的询问。无论是使用 CRADA、WFO 还是其他商业设备，我们都有可能一起工作。

For more detailed information on the Bioethanol Pilot Plant contact Biofuels Technology Manager Robert Wooley: 303-384-6825; robert_wooley@nrel.gov. To inquire about setting up a cooperative project using the plant's facilities, contact Mark Yancey: 303-384-6858; mark_yancey@nrel.gov
有关生物乙醇中试工厂的更多详细信息，请联系生物燃料技术经理Robert Wooley：303-384-6825;robert_wooley@nrel.gov。要查询有关使用工厂设施建立合作项目的信息，请联系 Mark Yancey：303-384-6858;mark_yancey@nrel.gov

You may also visit our web site at www.ott.doe.gov/biofuels.
您也可以访问我们的网站 www.ott.doe.gov/biofuels。

Produced for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a DOE national laboratory.
由美国能源部国家实验室国家可再生能源实验室为美国能源部 （DOE） 制作。

DOE/GO-102000-1114 September 2000
DOE/GO-102000-1114 2000 年9月

aPrinted with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least wastepaper, including postconsumer waste.
a用可再生来源的油墨在至少 含有废纸（包括 消费后废物）的纸张上印刷。

Photo Credits: Page 1: Warren Gretz, NREI/PIX01008; Warren Gretz, NREL/PIX09072. Page 4 Warren Gretz, NREL/PIX01011
图片来源：第 1 页：Warren Gretz，NREI/PIX01008;沃伦·格雷茨（Warren Gretz），NREL/PIX09072。第 4 页 Warren Gretz， NREL/PIX01011