Insight into REFNOVA®
REFNOVA® involves a proven and scalable multi-phase design:
- Feedstock Preparation
- Phase 1:
Sugar Liberation – Stages 1 & 2 - Phase 2:
C5 Sugar Extraction – Stages 3 & 4 - Phase 3:
C6 Sugar Extraction – Stages 5, 6 & 7
1. Pre-Treatment
Feedstock is fed into a fluidisation vessel to initiate the breakdown of its sugars
2. Fractionation
Fluidised mixture is plug fed to the reactor whereby it is exposed to heat and pressure
3. Washing
Fractionated material is flashed across to a vacuum driven washer, which extracts the first of the products - liquid C5 sugars
4. Drying
The washed material is fed to a hot air dryer to remove excess moisture, before then being vacuum conveyed downstream
5. Thermolysis
Dried material is exposed to high temperatures, lignin is converted to, and extracted as char; sugars are vaporised and fed downstream
6. Condensing
Sugar vapours are passed through a cold-water condenser and liquified to thermolysis liquid
7. Acid Hydrolysis
Thermolysis liquid is then fed into a vessel whereby it is hydrolysed via acid and extracted as the third and final product – liquid C6 sugars