Wood plc (Aberdeen, Scotland; www.woodplc.com) has secured a multimillion-dollar construction contract from IR1 Group LLC, which is building the Red Rock Biofuels (RRB) facility in Lakeview, Oregon. Wood is contracted to provide construction and mechanical services.
The facility will convert waste woody biomass into renewable jet, diesel and gasoline blendstock fuels. The construction of the Lakeview facility is expected to take approximately two years, with startup planned for 2020.
Upon completion, the biofuel facility will convert over 136,000 tons of waste woody biomass into 15.1 million gallons of renewable fuels each year. The design will incorporate three technologies – gasification, Fischer-Tropsch and hydroprocessing – which will yield ASTM-approved fuels.
“Wood is thrilled to partner with IR1 Group LLC to provide construction services for this important renewable fuel project,” said Andrew Stewart, CEO of Wood’s Asset Solutions Americas business. “A lower carbon fuel market in the US and Canada is something we are proud to be supporting, and this new facility will make real strides in leading the production of renewable, low-carbon fuels.”
Separately, Valmet Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.valmet.com) announced that it will supply a pressure plug screw feeder system for the Red Rock Biofuels site.
“This biorefinery marks a turning point, it will help this mill town continue to be a place where things are made, and it will combat global climate change. This is the first of its kind in the world. May this be the precedent for a great highway fueled by courage and innovation, says Jeff Manternach, Red Rock’s Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer.
“Through a proprietary integration of existing technologies, RRB makes the long-commercialized Fischer-Tropsch process economic at the biomass scale. By using forest and sawmill residues, RRB will also reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires by removing waste biomass from overstocked forests.” The Valmet pressure plug screw feeder is a critical component to the operation,” says Garth Russell, Business Manager, Mechanical Pulping at Valmet.
Valmet will supply a pressure-boundary plug screw feeder system sealing the pyrolysis reactor pressure against the atmosphere. The system is designed to feed against high pressure (300 psig or 20 bars) and to feed a wide range of feedstocks and bulk density.