No, you don't drink the black liquor. Volvo invests in Chemrec AB for production of synthetic gases
As Volvo's vehicles get cleaner and cleaner, the company is helping to create renewable fuels to power them. This week, the company announced that Volvo Technology Transfer AB is investing in Chemrec AB, the "World Leader in Black Liquor Gasification" and a company Volvo says has developed a technology (after 15 years of work) for the production of synthesis gases. Actually producing fuel is the next step.Chemrec, which operates a plant in Piteå, Sweden, uses black liquor (a residual product from the pulp industry) to produce synthesis gas. While black liquor can be burned to recover chemicals and use the heat energy, Volvo says, gasifying the liquid is more efficient because it nets a number of by-products – including synthesis gas. And then, somehow, "With this synthesis gas it is possible to utilise known techniques to extract vehicle fuels such as bio-diesel, hydrogen gas, synthetic diesel and DME."
[Source: Volvo]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
CarExpert 4:47AM (2/01/2007)
Good job Volvo!!!... Since there is a large production of liquor anywhere in the world, supply wouldn’t be a problem… I’ve always prefer Volvo from the first time I proved their quality. It was because of Volvo brake hose that I consider one among the best.
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Tim 9:46AM (2/01/2007)
As an engineering consultant, I worked with the pulp industry for many years. They currently use their black liquor "as is" to fire their own boilers. Making paper takes lots of heat. It would make more sense for them to add turbines onsite and use the excess steam to generate electricity to sell to the utility grid to power our PHEVs. Turning it into usable fuel for autos just robs efficiency.
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