Biomass Gasification with High Temperature CO2 Capture (GHTC)

Bio-CCS is considered the only large-scale technology that can remove CO2 from the atmosphere and only in Europe, bio-CCS by synthetic biofuels via thermochemical processes could remove 800 Mt of CO2 from the atmosphere every year by 2050, representing a market rich of opportunities, since its development started only recently. This project aims to construct and test a novel integrated GHTC system able to convert biomass wastes from a variety of industries (e.g. breweries, farms etc.) into carbon neutral renewable energy and added value products. The overall output of the project will be the evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of the integrated system to move the technology from TRL 3-4 to TRL 4. The deliverable from the project will be a portable biomass/coal pyro-gasification system with integrated adsorption CO2 capture system. Key features will include in-situ conversion of CO2 to solid carbonates, a better flexibility of operation, high heat recovery efficiency, facility to transport/install worldwide and easy to maintain compared to typical large scale biomass pyro-gasification and CCS technologies.

his project will have direct and/or indirect impacts on academic beneficiaries, industry, the general public and the public sector.
Academic beneficiaries for this research will include chemical and mechanical engineers, material scientists with interests in the bio-energy and thermo-chemical conversions, researchers in CCS and also biologists who are involved in the development of energy crops and algae for the production of bio-fuels and bio-chemicals. This includes the SUPERGEN consortia where sustainable biomass gasification represents a major interest. This research will generate valuable data on the integration of high temperature CO2 capture to bio-fuels generation (bio-CCS) and will further enhance multi-disciplinarily approaches to This project will have direct and/or indirect impacts on academic beneficiaries, industry, the general public and the public sector.
Academic beneficiaries for this research will include chemical and mechanical engineers, material scientists with interests in the bio-energy and thermo-chemical conversions, researchers in CCS and also biologists who are involved in the development of energy crops and algae for the production of bio-fuels and bio-chemicals. This includes the SUPERGEN consortia where sustainable biomass gasification represents a major interest. This research will generate valuable data on the integration of high temperature CO2 capture to bio-fuels generation (bio-CCS) and will further enhance multi-disciplinarily approaches to advance the technology state. This impact will be direct.
Direct impact to industry will come to companies in the energy and materials sectors that produce/use energy and commercialise activated carbon and carbonates. Industrial applications include the agricultural sector, brewing sector, and other small scale enterprises where local waste biomass is available. For example, refuse -derive fuel, which is currently exported in other EU countries due to lack of end-use processes may find a competitive local usage thanks to this small scale flexible technology. This project will progress and assess the integration of an adsorption carbon abatment technology to a biomass gasification process, to facilitate commercial engineering development and improve assessments of carbon reduction potential, which will have impacts on companies' return on investment in the technology.
Indirect impact to industry will come through the potential bio-CCS market. Bio-CCS is considered the only large-scale technology that can remove CO2 from the atmosphere and only in Europe, bio-CCS by synthetic biofuels via thermochemical processes could remove 800 Mt of CO2 from the atmosphere every year by 2050, representing a market rich of opportunities. Therefore, this research can contribute towards environmental sustainability, reduction in reliance on imported fuels, reduced use of natural gas/coal with consequent reduction in CO2 emissions. For example, the agricultural sector in the UK is a user of natural gas and electricity, consuming approximately 100kt and 330 kt oil equivalent annually corresponding to 0.5% and 1.7% of the UK natural gas and electricity consumption. About 170 kt CO2 are emitted each year. Also, breweries in UK emit 500 kt CO2/y. Therefore, the reduction of CO2 emissions and the local production of renewable energy can apport a clear benefit to the above sectors. The proposed innovation will enable the final users to produce syngas from their respective organic wastes for effective fuel switching from fossil gas to renewable syngas that will help the involved processing industry relatively resilient to natural gas price fluctuation.
Indirect impact to the public sector will come as a result of our applications to environment and bioenergy. With regards to environment, the development of a neutral carbon fuel will impact public perception and decision making.