Tag Archives: bioSNG

REGATEC 2020 – a hotspot for the biogas, gasification and P2G community

7th International Conference on Renewable Energy Gas Technology, REGATEC 2020 is in good progress.

The conference takes place 20-21 September 2021 in Weimar, Germany and is organised in collaboration with the Thuringian Energy and GreenTech Agency, ThEGA. As a result of the cooperation all biogas operators in the federal state of Thuringia are invited to participate in the exhibition free of charge.

The latest advances within biomethane, bioSNG and electro-methane will be highlighted by 60+ leading experts in oral and visual presentations. G-mobility, LBG, power-to-gas and its synergies with anaerobic digestion and biological methanation of syngas are high on the agenda. Experiences from several first-of-a-kind industrial scale gasification, anaerobic digestion and power-to-gas facilities will be presented.

REGATEC 2020 is sponsored by Air Liquide, Arcanum Energy, Azola, Baltic Energy Innovation Centre, BMF HAASE GmbH, Cortus Energy, Electrochaea GmbH, Landwärme GmbH, microbEnergy GmbH, Richter ECOS GmbH and Storengy.

The exhibition list per 24 September 2020 includes:
AB Energy Deutschland GmbH
Adicomp Srl
Air Liquide
APROVIS
Awite Bioenergie GmbH
Azola
BEES
Bioenergy International
Biogas Academy
Bioprocess Control AB
BMF HAASE GmbH
Cortus Energy
Electrochaea GmbH
European Biogas Association
Fresenius Umwelttechnik GmbH
Greenlane Biogas
Hyperthermics
microbEnergy GmbH
Pietro Fiorentini
Q Power
Richter ECOS GmbH
Siloxa Engineering AG
Storengy
STREICHER Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG
Umwelt- und Ingenieurtechnik GmbH Dresden
Vaisala Oyj

PSI visited by Renewtec

On the 1st of May Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland was visited by Jörgen Held. PSI works actively with the development of fluidised bed methanation which has potential to lower the production cost of bioSNG.

Serge_BiollazDr. Serge Biollaz, head of Thermal Process Engineering Group at PSI shows a ”cold flow” model of fluidised bed methanation. It’s important to obtain good contact between the syngas bubbles and the catalytic bed material and at the same time  keep the temperature on a constant level. Dr. Biollaz revealed that shortly a new lab for methanation of biogas and syngas as well as Power-to-gas will be built on the PSI premises.

The meeting finished with Renewtec informing about the market and competence platform for small scale bioSNG production that Renewtec and BioMil together with project partners from industry and academia is building up with financial support from the regional authority in Scania.

Swedish/German collaboration on syngas cleaning

A consortium of eight EU Member States and Associated Countries, including the UK, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, is implementing an ERANET Plus activity entitled Bioenergy Sustaining the Future (BESTF). This activity provides funding to collaborative bioenergy projects that demonstrate at least one innovative step and will result in demonstration at a pre-commercial stage.

The Swedish/German BioProGReSs project is one of out three projects supported by BESTF. The project partners are Gothenburg Energy (coordinator), Chalmers University of Technology, Technical University of Berlin and Renewtec AB.

The goal is to develop, implement and demonstrate advanced syngas cleaning based on chemical looping reforming in both a pilot and an industrial scale bioSNG plant. In addition a novel measuring technique developed at TU Berlin will be tested and implemented in order to monitor and control the gasification process.

BioProGReSs is a three year 5.3 Meuro project.

Technical writing about GoBiGas

Renewtec AB has just finished the engagement by the Paul Scherrer Institutet in Switzerland regarding the contribution, together with other research institutes, to a book on Synthetic Natural Gas for Wiley and Sons, New York. Renewtec AB has been responsible for the chapter related to GoBiGas I.

Gothenburg Biomass Gasification, GoBiGas, is the world´s first industrial scale bioSNG facility. In the first stage a 32 MWth plant has been erected in Gothenburg. The gasification technology is based on indirect gasification licensed by Repotec and supplied by Metso Power. The technology allows the production of a nitrogen free syngas suitable for methanation without the need for an Air Separation Unit (ASU). Much of the gasification development has taken place at the Technical University of Vienna under the direction of Prof. Hermann Hofbauer and the gasifier type is often referred to as the Hofbauer gasifier.

The methantion is based on the TREMP-technology provided by Haldor Topsoe. Haldor Topsoe has also been the supplier of the syngas cleaning.

More information can be found on the GoBiGas website.

Renewtec visits GoBiGas

On the 13th of May Renewtec AB visited GoBiGas I, the world’s first industrial scale bioSNG plant, in Gothenburg.

GoBiGas I has a capacity of 32 MWth and is expected to produce 20 MW bioSNG. The gasification technology, based on indirect gasification has been licensed by Repotec and delivered by Metso. Jacobs Process BV is responsible for the gas cleaning and methanation with Haldor Topsoe as technology provider.

Indirect gasification is based on two fluidised beds connected to each other through loop seals. In this case a bubbling fluidised bed (gasifier) and a circulating fluidised bed (combustion reactor). Hot bed material is circulated from the combustion reactor to the gasifier where the biofuel (initially pellets) is gasified with steam as oxidizing agent. The char, together with bed material, is circulated back to the combustion reactor where the char is combusted in order to generate sufficient process heat.

GoBiGas

On the picture Ingemar Gunnarsson (to the left) and Lars Andersson (to the right) from Gothenburg Energy are seen in the heart of the GoBiGas plant. Jörgen Held, Renewtec AB was given a full afternoon briefing on the technology and both minor and major issues was discussed with the competent and engaged GoBiGas staff.

 

The raw syngas from the gasifier is cooled in the syngas cooler and then filtered. In the next step the tars are separated through an RME scrubber. Unsaturated hydrocarbons, being a precursor to carbon deposition in the downstream catalytic processes, are saturated through hydrogenation. Sulphur is removed together with approx. 50% of the carbon dioxide content in an amine scrubber. A ZnO bed reduces the sulphur content to 0.1 ppm to protect the sulphur sensitive nickel based metahantion catalysts. After the methanation which takes place in four steps the gas is dried by zeolites and the bioSNG is delivered at a pressure of 5 bar.

Renewtec AB has been engaged by the Paul Scherrer Institutet in Switzerland to contribute, together with other research institutes, to a book on Synthetic Natural Gas for Wiley and Sons, New York. Renewtec AB is responsible for the chapter related to GoBiGas I.

Visit at University of Seville

Renewtec AB visited the Chemical and Environmental Engineering department at University of Seville on the 18th of October to discuss gasification of waste and small scale biomethane production.

SDC12567From left to right: Dr. Jörgen Held, Renewtec AB, Dr. Manuel Campoy Naranjo, Dr. Susanna Nilsson, Dr. Pedro Haro and Dr. Ángel L. Villanueva Perales, the Bioenergy Group at the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Seville.

 

 

The Bioenergy Group operates their own lab and pilot scale facilities and has tested several different types of feedstocks in fluidised bed gasfication. Since Renewtec AB promotes bioSNG from MSW the experiences and results obtained at the University of Seville are of great interest.

Renewtec and BioMil in collaboration on small scale bioSNG production

BioMil and Renewtec will conduct 4 case studies regarding small scale production of biomethane through gasification and methanation of wood chips. Two plant sizes, with and with out district heating integration, will be investigated.

The project has attracted a strong interest and the following companies/organisations co-finance the project.

  • Region Skåne
  • Region Halland
  • AGA Gas AB
  • agnion Highterm Research GmbH
  • BioMil AB
  • DGC
  • E.ON Gasification Development AB
  • Gas & Värmeteknik AB
  • Kemiteknik, Lunds universitet
  • NSR AB
  • Purac Puregas AB
  • Renewable Energy Technology International AB

The project builds on a previous study conducted by Renewtec where technology and specific investment cost for small scale bioSNG production were treated.

Next step will be to investigate other feedstocks than wood chips. Especially different types of waste are of interest and we are open for discussions with stakeholders interested in joining such a project.

Please contact Jörgen Held, jorgen.held@renewtec.se, +46 (0)723-182582 for more information.