Rebecca Boudreaux, President, Oberon Fuels

A Cleaner Alternative to Diesel
Rebecca Boudreaux, Ph.D.
President, Oberon Fuels
2014 Washington Methanol Policy Forum
Clean-burning Fuel
Dimethyl ether (DME)
•NO carbon-carbon = NO soot/particulate matter
•No sulfur, low NOx
•Not tied to the price of crude oil
•Multiple feed stocks (biogas, natural gas)
•Handles like propane
Development
Sweden
1st BioDME plant
(2011)
United States
12,000 liter/day
modular plant
producing (2013)
China
11 mtpy capacity
30 – 50% in operation
Trinidad &
Tobago
100 KTA plant
planned
Japan
80 ktpy
operational
Mitsubishi Corp. &
Mitsubishi Gas
Chemical
India
265 ktpy planned
Papua New Guinea
200 ktpy planned (2016)
Uzbekistan
Indonesia
100 ktpy planned
Vietnam
800 ktpy planned
Project announced
Courtesy of the International DME Association
Gaining Traction
Engine Developments
Engine Developments
Oberon, Safeway, Volvo
How do you make it?
Dimethyl ether (DME)
Made from methane and CO2
– Not tied to the price of crude oil
– Multiple feedstocks
– Pipeline natural gas, stranded gas, biogas
Feedstocks: DME Production
• Natural Gas key for:
– Fast deployment
– Large-scale production
– Increasing or stabilizing methane content
• Renewable & Wasted Resources key for:
– DME’s sustainability
– Long-term price stability
Using 2 greenhouse gases to make cleaner burning fuel
Food Waste
Flared Gas
Landfill Gas
Feedstocks: Renewable Sources
25 m3 per ton
30
29
80
120
175
185
190
265
Cow Manure
Pig Manure
Potato Waste
Chicken Manure
Brewery Waste
Green Clippings
Grass Silage
Corn Silage
Food Scraps
Bakery Waste
Fats & Grease
714
961
0
250
500
750
REF: www.biogas-energy.com. Translated from Basisdaten Biogas Deutschland.
Marz 2005. Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V.
1000
Cost-effectively converts methane and CO2 to DME
Skid-mounted Fuel Production
April 15, 2013
Chicago, IL
15
May 17, 2013
Brawley, CA
Phase 1: Pilot Plant
• Pilot Plant Online
• Converts methanol to DME
(last process step)
• 1st Fuel-grade DME in
North America
• Location: Brawley,
California
DME Infrastructure: Hub & Spoke Model
DME Centrally
Produced
DME Delivered
to Customers
10,000 gallons per day
Fuels ~100 trucks
per day
On-site Fueling at
Customer Terminal
Fueling Infrastructure
Summary
No C-C bond = No soot
Made from
Methane + CO2
Excellent Diesel
Replacement
…Another Market for Methanol
Rebecca Boudreaux, Ph.D.
President
rebecca@oberonfuels.com
(858) 754-3202
www.oberonfuels.com
Additional Info
DME Properties
T.H. Fleisch, A. Basu and R.A. Sills, Journal of Natural Gas Science and
Engineering, 2012, in press.
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