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<DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><FONT size=2>Hi Jim and Gasification
Colleagues.</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><FONT size=2></FONT></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><FONT size=2>You may be interested in a couple of
points about this NZ Company:</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT><A
href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/01/12019-range-lanzatech-cellulosic-biofuel-ethanol/"><FONT
face=Arial
size=2>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/01/12019-range-lanzatech-cellulosic-biofuel-ethanol/</FONT></A><BR><BR><FONT
face=Arial size=2>>lanza tech wants to do microbes after the gasification
section, vs the<BR>>catalyst route of range fuels. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Lanzatech use their microbes to make liquid
fuels from emission CO. Their idea was to capture CO from steel mills, but as a
NZ company, we have only one steelmill in the country. Have you any idea how
complicated it is to get permission to collect CO emission gas from a working
steel mill for experimentation? Steel mill emissions are by the way free from
condensable hydrocarbons, so there was a lot of ignorance at that time of the
tar issues of using producer gas from biomass.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Looking for a source of CO, they were
referred to me by Canterbury University as a potential supplier of CO via
producer gas, in the first order to develop enough of the microbes for
commercial testing. It was this project that motivated me to assemble the stored
Pioneer Class gasification system, and for the first time ever (for me),
purchase a small compressor to pump up new LPG cylinders to 120 psi, so they
could start their test programme. They ran into all sorts of problems of having
gas stored in unspecified cylinders, and storing gas at a city laboratory
without the required permits. I reported this project to the Gasification
List at the time, but was never given follow up progress reports as promised
after they got the gas. Needless to say I never heard from them again, and they
still owe me the $300 agreed to for all the time I spent getting them
started.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> but still the gasifier needs to
work,<BR>>which was the primary problem on the frist go. where were we
again in<BR>>understanding the problem they had with the
gasifier?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG> You find that most projects would not
even get off the ground if expertise was applied to scrutinize the type of
technologies involved. Gasifiers are presented as quite wondrous processes, and
the less informed are swept up in an enthusiastic wave of support for something
in which they have no clear understanding. The Range
Fuels technologists proved no smarter than any other group
claiming to have revolutionary processes to make liquid fuels from producer gas,
probably described as syngas in their successful proposals for
funding. If my memory is correct, the gasifier is a recirculating fluidized bed
system that does not make a tar free gas.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><BR>>lanzatech points out they do not understand gasifiers, and plant
to<BR>>spend a minimal amount to see if they can get the current
gasifier<BR>>operational, before bringing in another.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>The cheaper producer gas CO made from biomass, is "not" quite so
easy to make using inappropriate gasification technologies, and the need for a
tar free gas for compressing in substantial quantities will be a challenge.
Their admitted ignorance of gasification technology should at least wave a red
flag of warning to their investors.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Having said that, hope they can make it work before someone
else's money runs out (:-)</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Doug Williams,</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Fluidyne Gasification.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
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