Syngas from Biomass: The Bridge to a Cleaner Energy Future
Energy from biomass will be a critical part of the energy mix that we will see introduced into our world this decade. While biomass to energy has long been around, what we are seeing today is increasing use of this technology as part of carbon reduction. The team at Projects RH has long questioned the use of anything that burned because it released carbon. What we now understand is that it will release far less carbon than the material that the energy is made from contained. So, at worst, we are not adding to the global carbon footprint as such; we are recycling existing carbon.
Globally, the team at Projects RH is dealing with many renewable energy opportunities. Currently, the most popular we are seeing is biomass being used to generate power, with most projects utilizing gasification rather than direct combustion.
What is “Biomass Gasification”?
Biomass gasification is a thermochemical process that converts organic materials (such as wood, agricultural residues, or waste) into a gas mixture known as syngas (or synthetic gas). This syngas primarily consists of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and some other trace components. The process occurs in the absence of oxygen or with a limited oxygen supply. It happens as:
- Biomass feedstock is heated in a gasifier.
- The heat breaks down the organic matter into its constituent gases.
- These gases are captured, and sometimes cleaned, and then used for various purposes, including electricity generation, heat production, or as a precursor for biofuels. In effect they are burned, stored for future use or turned into a storable liquid.
One of the key features of biomass gasification is it’s a versatile technology with applications in both small-scale and large-scale energy systems. At Projects RH we see it being used in mineral smelters replacing coal, and small outback communities replacing diesel.
Qualifying for carbon credits
Biomass gasification can qualify for carbon credits. These credits are earned by activities that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For example, not using thermal coal or diesel to generate power. Their issue is they both introduce into the environment new carbon. The carbon contained in fossil fuels has for centuries been out of the carbon cycle in our environment.
To qualify for carbon credits, we need to be able to 1) Measure, 2) Report, and 3) Verify (MRV) what has been saved. For example, if we know that burning ADX saves burning Y tons of diesel, this is measurable, and the tons of CO₂ from burning Y tons of diesel are known. This will show the real emission reductions. One carbon credit typically represents one ton of reduced GHG emissions (usually expressed in tons of CO₂ equivalent, tCO₂eq). We can hopefully assist the project in selling these carbon credits
MRV ensures that the claimed emissions reductions are real, measurable, and additional (i.e., wouldn’t have occurred without the project) – without the project we would have burned fossil fuels.
Is Pyrolysis in Gasification?
Pyrolysis, the application of heat, is part of the gasification process. Pyrolysis occurs during the initial heating phase, breaking down the biomass into volatile compounds, which then react further to form syngas. Pyrolysis is distinct from gasification because it happens in the absence of oxygen, whereas gasification involves controlled reactions with oxygen or steam. This part of the process needs energy and is often omitted from the discussion. It is important to know this as it impacts on the net energy produced.
How cost-effective is Gasification?
Gasification costs depend on factors like feedstock type, water content, the technology used, and scale. Historically, large-scale gasification plants faced high capital costs. Smaller-scale and modular gasification systems are now being explored to reduce costs through process intensification. Moving-bed gasification (e.g., downdraft) is often considered cost-effective due to its flexibility, lower operating temperatures, and ability to handle various feedstocks. The reality is that only profitable projects will proceed. The experience of Project RH is that the feedstock is locally sourced, and that the technology built will apply to the feedstock. This is even the case when the feedstock is urban waste where the supplier, often governments, will agree with penalties, to deliver a certain feedstock and an appropriate plan will be built. From an investor's perspective, this is now a mature technology with predictable outcomes.
Urban Waste as Feedstock
In many nations, the first issue is what to do with urban domestic waste. So many governments are prepared to even pay for this to be taken away. If we have a long-term free or near free supply of a known waste stream, then waste gasification is likely feasible and profitable if the energy is sold at an appropriate price. It allows for conventional household waste to be turned into useful energy.
Gasification can handle various waste types, but proper sorting and pre-treatment are crucial. If a large waste facility such as those planned for Bangkok, waste following sorting can be streamed into several streams each being handled in an appropriate manner. In a project, Projects RH reviewed the major waste stream went to syngas, but the project also made biodiesel. The same project produced its own power, and renewable natural gas sold for both electricity and heat to the city. In the city’s energy mix this and similar plants will play an important role in the morning energy demand.
In this project in Thailand there will be an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant for electricity generation and a plant to produce bio-oil. Bio-oil will be collected from plastics streams. In this plant the plastics will not be recycled but rather the Bio-oil can be refined and enter the oil refinery cycle or be used as a biodiesel for vehicle fuel.
Are there better economics for different biomass materials?
In our work at Projects RH, we are increasingly seeing materials being grown or sourced locally specifically to meet the local demand for biomass fuels. The power is needed locally and often to balance the network. The issue is where the power generator gets its biomass from. The projects which Projects RH have looked at include:
- Bana Grass: Bana grass (a type of giant Napier grass) can be a good feedstock due to its rapid growth and high yield. Its economics depend on local factors like availability, processing costs, and energy demand.
- ADX: Arundo donax is also a type of Napier grass. It is seen as having huge potential in both animal feed and in biomass. I will produce 50-80 tons (dried) per hectare pa. One of the great features of ADX is its ability for phytoremediation to clean up contaminated soils. It can be a source of bioethanol as well. Critically, it can prosper on marginal land with lower-than-average water.
- Timber: Timber waste can be efficiently gasified, especially if it’s already a byproduct of other processes (e.g., sawmill waste).
- Forest Cuttings: Similar to timber, forest cuttings can be a valuable feedstock. The issue is seasonality.
- Sugar Cane: Sugar cane residues (bagasse) are commonly used for gasification in sugar-producing regions.
The Question: What Is the Best Choice?
The ongoing question of what is the best choice for the source of the biomass depends on local conditions, cost, availability, and intended use. The experience of Projects RH is that sugar cane biomass is normally committed to the sugar or ethanol-making process and is not available for biomass. Timber should have alternative and higher valued uses and grow relatively slowly, whilst timber waste if a function of the age of the forest is a small annual source. Bana grass and ADX are generally grown as either animal fee or for biomass. Given the 5-6 crops a year with high yield for specific purpose crops, these are increasingly preferred and have sound economics in most areas.
The Growing Importance of Biomass in Our Energy Mix
Increasingly, we will see pressure to reduce, reuse, and recycle, including carbon. The growth of biomass, at its worst, does not increase carbon in the environment in the same way as burning fossil fuels does. Additionally, it is flexible and can be stored as raw materials, gas, fluids, or in batteries. The production of such energy can be tuned to match time-sensitive demand, complementing solar, wind, and river hydro.
Biomass will become an increasingly important part of our energy mix. Growing crops for local energy and creating jobs across the planet is seen as doing social good, as it employs urban areas.
Importantly, providers of PPAs (power purchase agreements), generally governments, are prepared to pay a premium for the social good most biomass programs deliver. As such, investors are embracing these projects, which meet their return, social, and environmental criteria. As we look at our order book, the team at Projects RH can expect to learn a lot about biomass in the next 18 months.
If you have a biomass project...
Please send you materials to paulraftery@projectsrh.com and then book a time to speak at https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/PaulRafteryProjectsRH@projectsrh.com/bookings/ Please allow me 24 hours to send a link and read your summary.
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