Muhaimin Iqbal
Author

Universal BioFuels Formula

Advanced Renewable

Mon , 20 May 2024 16:06 WIB

I have summarized the takeaways from the International Conference on Renewable Energy Gas Technology (REGATEC 2024) in Lund, Sweden this week in the sketch and formula below. So many technologies presented by the presenters, and so many theories, but all can be summed up in this one sketch.

The central theme of this year's conference is biomethane, where the European Union targets that by 2040 it will no longer depend on imported natural gas. There are two reasons with this, firstly, freeing them from dependence on other countries who may no longer be friendly, secondly, this is absolutely necessary to achieve the 2050 Net Zero Emission target.

Apart from biomethane, at next year's conference they will start discussing GreenLPG, or what I have often discussed in the media as BioLPG. However, whatever renewable gas they will produce, it can always be approached with the following Universal BioFuels Formula (UBF): xCO + yH2 ==> CmHnOo + pH2O + qCO2, where x,y,m,n is at least equal to 1, while o, p and q can be zero.

The UBF explanation is that whatever biofuel we need, it can always be synthesized from CO and H2, the combination of which is called synthetic gas (syngas). The result can be oxygenates such as methanol, ethanol and DME if o is 1 or more. Meanwhile, if o is zero, the result will be hydrocarbon fuels such as biomethane, bioLPG, biogasoline, greendiesel, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), etc.

Meanwhile, waste from this process can be directed in the form of water, that is, if p is 1 or more. It can also be directed to CO2, if q is at least 1 or more, each has advantages and disadvantages. If the waste is water, it means we sacrifice some of the expensive H2 to become cheap water. On the other hand, if the waste is in the form of CO2, even though it is carbon-neutral, we still have to prepare a Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) mechanism.

There is a big roles and opportunities that can be taken by the Advanced Renewable Organization (ARO) from Indonesia, which is now part of this conference series and beyond. The first role is to solve the need for green and affordable H2 for any fuel needed in the world to achieve energy independence in each country, and to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2050.

The second role is to prepare reactors on various scales, both to produce H2 itself, with the XH2M reactor for example, and the main reactors for the synthesis of the various fuels mentioned above, for example with STX (Syngas to X) for the production of oxygenates and GTX (Gas To X) for hydrocarbon production.

It's time for us to reduce exports of our mining products because they are limited and we have to process them ourselves. Instead, we can export ideas, thoughts, science and technology, because they are unlimited, the more we explore and share them, the more valuable they will be!