The use of Ionic liquids for pretreatment. These slides contain the market size of gas, ethanol, and other biomass market potential.

1. RPI CASE 1434
Learning Loop 3 Outline
Team 10
May 11, 2012
Group Members:
Shiwei Li, Lu Su, Hao Wang

2. Key Features of Technology

3. Technology Background
Facile Pretreatment of
Lignocellulosic Biomass at
High Loadings in Room
Temperature Ionic Liquids

4. Lignocellulosic Biomass
• organic matter deriving from
plants
• generated through the
photosynthesis
• solar energy stored in the
chemical bonds

5. Ionic Liquid
• A Salt in the liquid state
• Modified to cater for whatever
specific purpose required
• Tailored to address the needs of
a specific chemical reaction

6. Biomass to Ethanol - 0

7. Biomass to Ethanol - 1

8. Biomass to Ethanol – 2

9. Biomass to Ethanol – 3

10. Technology Features -1
• Excessive vs. Minimum IL
• Up to 40% (w/w) loading without significant compromise of
sugar yields
• = Less IL required, lower cost

11. Technology Features - 2
• Facile condition vs. High-Tem and High pressure
= Lower Energy consumption, lower cost

12. Technology Features - 3
• Recyclable IL (10 times in Labs)
= Less IL consumption, lower cost

13. Technology Features - 4
• Cost-efficient byproduct extraction(lignin)
= Extra revenue source

14. Marketing

15. Potential Market
Traditionally, ILs could be used in the
following fields:
• Separation • Solvents
• Electrolytes • Analytics
• Heat storage • Electroelastic materials
• Liquid crystals • Lubricants & additives

16. Potential Market

17. Target potential market
1. Selective breakdown of cellulose in Ionic
Liquids
2. Direct Biomass Dissolution and
Characterization
3. Azeotropic Mixtures Separations
4. Transportation biomass pretreatment

18. Cost and Efficiency analysis

19. Potential Market Value

20. Potential Market Value
• Transportation biomass pretreatment is one of the
best potential markets for our technology.

21. What’s the best method?
Scoring card
1. The cost of the method. （35%）
(1).The overhead cost including the facilities and plant (15%）
(2).The raw material cost including all the chemical materials used in the producing process
（15%）
(3).Other costs including salaries, utilities, and any costs occurred in the process.（5%)
2.The conditions required for the producing process.（35%）
(1).The site requirement to build the plant and facilities(17%)
(2). The requirement of the producing process, including temperature, light, etc.(18%)
3.The possibility to large-scale production. (30%)
4.The future trend of the method. (10%)

22. What’s the best method?

23. What’s the best method?

24. Q: What’s the best method?
A: Biomass pretreatment

25. Potential partners
• Verenium • SunEthanol
• Coskata • BlueFire Ethanol
• Range Fuels • Abengoa Bioenergy
• POET • Iogen
• DuPont Danisco • Cleantech Bio fuels
Cellulosic Ethanol LLC • American Energy
• Mascoma Enterprises ( AEEE)
• ZeaChem • Air Product

26. Organizational structure

27. Producing process

28. Pro-forma Investment Analysis
NPV Projection on IL price change
20,000,000
-
10 22 31 40
-20,000,000
2.5
3.0
NPV($)
-40,000,000
3.5
4.0
4.5
-60,000,000
-80,000,000
-100,000,000
Times of Recycling

29. Real-option Approach
5,000,000 USD
COMMERCIALIZE
500,000 USD
100,000 USD CONTINUE
DEFER
IL METHOD
COMMERCIALIZATION
CONTINUE R&D FOR 2 YEARS
IL METHOD
ABANDON IL AND
SWITCH TO OTHER
ABANDON IL METHOD TECHNOLOGY
PHASE 1:
1 YEAR PHASE 2: 2 YEARS
TIME
0 1 3

30. R&D Orientation

31. Questions?