thermalnetworkpackageleaders issue 04...from fuel pump to burner station and nozzle with fewest...

Demonstration of the Productionand Utilisation of Synthetic NaturalGas from Solid Biofuels (BIO-SNG)A demonstration project for the production of synthetic natural gas (BioSNG) fromsolid biofuels is being carried out in Austria, funded by the 6th Framework Program of the European Commission.

full article on page 12

Aston University Professor AwardedEurope’s Top Bioenergy PrizeProfessor Tony Bridgwater of Aston University received the Johannes Linneborn Prizefor his outstanding contribution to developing energy from biomass at the world’slargest bioenergy conference on the 7th May in Berlin.


Comments and contributions are most welcome on any aspect of the contents.Please contact Emily Wakefield for further details or to send material.

JUNE 2007 ISSUE 04

The ThermalNet newsletter is published by the Bio-Energy Research Group, Aston University, UK and is sponsored by the European Commission under the Intelligent Energy- Europe programme and IEA Bioenergy.

The sole responsibility for the content of this newsletter lies with the authors. It does not represent the opinion of the Community or any other organisation. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. De

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ThermalNet Work Package LeadersCo-ordinator (PyNe)

Tony BridgwaterBio-Energy Research GroupAston University Birmingham, B4 7ETUKTel: +44 (0)121 204 3381Fax: +44 (0)121 204 3680Email: [email protected]

Co-ordinator (GasNet)

Hermann HofbauerTechnical University of ViennaGetreidemarkt 9/166Wien A-1060 AUSTRIATel: +43 1 58801 15970 or

+43 1 58801 15901Fax: +43 1 587 6394Email: [email protected]

Co-ordinator (CombNet)

Sjaak van Loo Procede Group BV PO Box 328 EnschedeNL-7500 AHNETHERLANDSTel: +31 53 489 4355 / 4636Fax: +31 53 489 5399 Email: [email protected]

Austria

Max LauerInstitute of Energy ResearchJoanneum ResearchElisabethstrasse 5A-8010 GrazAUSTRIATel: +43 (0)316 876 1336Fax: +43 (0)316 876 1320Email: [email protected]

Finland

Anja OasmaaVTT Technical Research Centre of FinlandLiquid Biofuels Biologinkuja 3-5, PO Box 1000, EspooFIN-02044 VTTFINLANDTel: +358 20 722 5594Fax: +358 20 722 7048Email: [email protected]

France

Philippe GirardCirad ForêtEnergy Environmental UnitTA 10/1673 Rue Jean Francois BretonMontpellier Cedex 534398FRANCETel : +33 467 61 44 90Fax : +33 467 61 65 15Email: [email protected]

Italy

David ChiaramontiUniversity of FlorenceDepartment of Energetics ‘Sergio Stecco’Faculty of Mechanical EngineeringVia di S. Marta 3Florence 50319ITALYTel: +39 055 4796 239Fax: +39 055 4796 342Email: [email protected]

Colomba di BlasiUniversitá degli Studi di Napoli‘Federico II’Dipartmento di Ingegneria ChimicaP.le V.Tecchio80125 NapoliITALYTel: +39 081 768 2232Fax: +39 081 239 1800Email: [email protected]

Netherlands

Gerrit BremTNOPO Box 342 Apeldoorn 7300 NETHERLANDSTel: +31 55 549 3290Fax: +31 55 549 3740Email: [email protected]

Hermann den Uil Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands(ECN)Westerduinweg 3PO Box 1PettenNL 1755 ZGNetherlandsTel: +31 224 564106Fax: +31 224 563504Email: [email protected]

Sweden

Eva LarssonTPS Temiska Processor AB Studsvik611 82 Nykoping SWEDENTel: +46 8 5352 4813Fax: +46 155 26 30 52Email: [email protected]

UK

Michael DoranRural Generation Brook Hall Estate 65-67 Culmore Road Londonderry BT48 8JENorthern Ireland, UKTel: +44(0)2871 358215Fax: +44(0)2871 350970Email: [email protected]

Bill LivingstonMitsui Babcock Energy Limited Technology Centre High Street RenfrewPA4 8UWScotland, UKTel: +44(0)141 885 3873Email: [email protected]

Patricia ThornleyTyndall Centre (North) Room H4, Pariser BuildingUMISTPO Box 88 Manchester M60 1QD UKTel: +44 (0)161 306 3257Email: [email protected]

USA

Doug ElliottBattelle PNNL 902 Battelle Boulevard PO Box 999Richland Washington 99352USATel: +1 509 375 2248Fax: +1 509 372 4732Email: [email protected]

ThermalNet meeting, Glasgow, UK, September 2006.

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STARTSPAGE 22

An Update from Dynamotive Energy SystemsBio-oil is not an oil, or a hydrocarbon, as its designation may suggest, and can be confusing for some. Bio-oil (BO) is the liquid form of biomassproduced by fast pyrolysis.


Cost Competitive Bioenergy: LinkingLignocellulosic Biomass Supply with Co-firing for Electricity in PolandBiomass co-firing in existing power plants is often seen as a key option to accelerate themarket for energy from biomass in the short term, as it enables large scale use of biomasswhilst requiring only relatively little investment for adaptation of the power plant.


Dynamotive Bio-oil Applications and Commercial Use

Dynamotive now produces BO in commercialquantities, with MSDS, and handles and transports it to flammable liquid standards.

The commercial use of char is being explored.Dynamotive finds char an excellent fuel additive when mixed with the BO and now markets this biofuelmix as Intermediate Bio-oil (IB). Grinding the char toan average 10 micron particle size provides the mixwith considerable stability (see Figure 1 opposite).

Industrial utilisation of BO is in rapid progress.Dynamotive is a leader, demonstrating BO and IB as fuels in large scale test burns in heaters, boilers,metallurgical furnaces and kilns. BO also drives anOrenda type turbine in Dynamotive’s 2.5 MW powergeneration plant at West Lorne in Ontario. Theselarge scale field test burns clearly confirm BO and IB can be handled like a conventional fuel and areexcellent greenhouse neutral fossil fuel substitutes.They are sulfur free, ignite easily and burn tocompletion with low CO and NOx emissions. All BOused for these tests was produced by Dynamotive’s100 tpd (tonnes of feedstock per day) hardwood BTLplant at West Lorne. Our next plant, a 200 tpd unitinstalled at Guelph, Ontario, is nearly ready to go on stream producing BO from waste wood building materials.

BO moves along a commercial “value train” fromharvest through processing to off take of products and end use.

At the front, feedstock supply must be secured incompetition with a growing number of new users of plant residues. Some residues are already valuablecommodities and cultivation of fast growing cropsmay be needed to secure supply - without interferingin the area of food crop usage. Dynamotive is not asingle-crop user.

The end use of BO is not limited to fuel combustionand power generation.

Fast Pyrolysis on a Commercial Scale

While Dynamotive’s technological advancementsstarted at bench scale, the break through came withthe installation and operation of its 2 tpd and 15 tpdpilot plants. Today, Dynamotive markets its 200 tpdunits as standard. Soon, there will be three plants in operation.

Dynamotive has tested and found over 120 differentplant species useful for BO production. However, in its development program, Dynamotive experimentedmainly with softwood residue as this was in abundancelocally and the closest available geographically.Brazilian bagasse was also processed with BO yields inexcess of 68%. As a result, Dynamotive produced over130 tonnes of BO and established the largest storageof BO in the world. It verified the single phase stabilityof BO extends well beyond six months. A good deal ofthis BO was used as fuel in combustion and gasifiertests or was provided to research organisations aroundthe world for their studies.

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By Jan Barynin, Ph.D., P.Eng., Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp., Canada

The Evolution of Energy– Biomass to Bio-oil

Bio-oil Utilisation by Demonstration

Burn tests have been Dynamotive’s most immediateand successful route to demonstrate BO as a new and “green” substitute for fossil fuel on an industrialscale. Two to twenty tonnes of BO, depending onapplication and test duration, were typically fired.The basic approach was to use the existing fuel trainfrom fuel pump to burner station and nozzle withfewest modifications. Hence, to avoid fuelconversions, all trials were made on oil fired unitsfiring either diesel oil, fuel #2 or #6 (bunker C)matching the regular fuel heat input. In almost allcases the existing fuel lines were in carbon steel and the tests were kept short to minimise corrosivedamage. We often found BO would form a film insidethe carbon steel piping which necessitated acleaning, in some cases fuel filters could plug up.Upon completing a test, the piping was flushed withalcohol as this was found to be the best cleaningagent. The spent alcohol was simply fired.

The lower heat value of BO meant the fuel pumps had to handle almost twice their usual volume, and a much more viscous liquid. Yet the pump marginswere regularly adequate to meet the conditions.Existing heating and filtering sets were used asinstalled or bypassed. In some instances, for pressure control, it was necessary to install a larger nozzle.

Atomisation could be mechanical, air or steamatomised and worked in all cases with no particularpressure differential control problems. Only the ratiosof fuel flow / combustion air needed adjustment.This was done by reset, mechanically or electronically.(Note that the air flow requirement is fairly constantwith heat input and needs no major adjustment dueto the fuel change, but only for excess air capability,if required.)

PyNe Contact details:

Co-ordinator: Tony BridgwaterTel: +44(0)121 204 3381Fax: +44(0)121 204 3680 Email: [email protected]

Newsletter/website administrator:

Emily WakefieldTel: +44(0)121 204 3420Fax: +44(0)121 204 3680Email: [email protected]: www.pyne.co.uk

Figure 1. Particle size distributions of char in bio-oil.

A: Intermediate Bio-oil before grinding

B: Intermediate Bio-oil after grinding

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ISSUE 22

PyNe contents

The Evolution of Energy – Biomass to Bio-oil

PyNe Workshop Report

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9

Renewable Adhesives for Wood Composites

10Preliminary Results of LigninPyrolysis at ECN

Time Dependant Calorific Value and Oxygen Demand of

Volatiles – Including Tars

Six major fuel trials were conducted successfully underthese conditions – in and outdoors and in Canadianwinter conditions. Test objectives to measure NOx, CO and particulate matter were not always met. When measuring NOx it was found to be 20-30%lower than the fuel (e.g. fuel #2) normally fired. CO emission could be single ppm digits whileparticulate matter was at the lowest level on thescale with no visible emission from the stack.Standing downwind from the stack, there was no trace of smell from the BO being fired.

The BO would be hauled to the test site in 1m3

totes or in tanker trucks. In summer, the BO wastransported at ambient temperature. In winter, it was loaded preheated to 35°C into insulated tankertrucks. Viscosity is the major variable in BO handlingand testing. A minimum of 15°C is required forgeneral storage and handling, with preheat to about 30°C at the burner tip. At 0ºC the BO would be so thick it hardly flows. Our field tests will soon expand to include firing of IB.

Continued overleaf...

Bio-oil

Bio-oil is not an oil, or a hydrocarbon, as its designation may suggest, and can beconfusing for some. Bio-oil (BO) is the liquid form of biomass produced by fast pyrolysis.Pyrolysis is the high temperature, oxygen-free process wherein biomass is decomposedinto hundreds of organic compounds and fragments. When cooled, we are left with aliquid (BO), a solid (Char), and some non-condensable combustible gas used to sustainthe pyrolysis process. Typically the ratio of BO / Char is 4/1, by weight. The molecularcomposition and heat value of the BO resemble the feedstock from which it originated.50% of BO remains as oxygen. In fast pyrolysis, the feedstock is utilised 100% – an utilisation rarely met by other fuel producing processes, like BTL ethanol.

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BO testing in gasification has shown promisingsyngas composition results that will be confirmedand optimised. Producing syngas from plant waste is greatly facilitated by having it in liquid form to bepumped into the pressurised gasifier. Coupling fastpyrolysis to gasification will be simple, as wellproven technologies can be applied. Using IB with20% char as feed to the gasifier raises the carboncontent and thereby the HHV to about 8500 BTU/lb.Gasification is of special interest as it opens theroutes to synthetic “green” methanol or diesel oil via syngas followed by catalytic processes like Fisher Tropsch or Bergius.

Emulsification of BO in diesel has been welldemonstrated and operation with emulsions in diesel engines has been tried. BO purity is criticaland solids and char contaminants must be controlled.The acidity of BO demands fuel train and injectormodifications to the ordinary diesel engine. Low concentration emulsions of BO in diesel mightfacilitate these modifications as well as lubricationand still bring about a quantum of “green” fuel substitution.

As we learn more about the constituents of BO and their availability, it opens up options for theirdistillation and extraction. In this endeavour,Dynamotive is collaborating with renowned researchinstitutions like Institute Française du Petrol. In addition, an extractive like hydroxyacetaldehydehas had considerable commercial value in the foodflavouring industry. It is present in Dynamotive BO in 4-6% by weight and is regularly shipped to customers for extraction.

2.5 MW Commercial Gas Turbine Designed and Operating on Bio-oil

The Orenda modified OGT2500 gas turbine (see Figures 2 and 3) installed at the cogenerationfacility of Dynamotive’s Demonstration Plant inOntario generates up to 2500 kW of electricityoperating on BO derived from wood waste (see Table 2). Extensive testing of the turbine hasconfirmed it stabilises quickly following rapid loadchanges, with impressive turndown ratio betweenidling and maximum stable operation on this fuel and with emissions well below the environmentallimits of distillate and crude oil fuels (Table 1).

The gas turbine modifications include hot sectionredesign, atomised fuel injection, adaptive controlsand hot section online cleaning. On natural gas fuel,the OGT2500 is rated at 2670 kW base load output at 15ºC ISO conditions with a heat rate of 12,780Btu/kWh (26.7% efficiency). It has a 12.0 to 1pressure ratio, 33.1 lb/sec mass flow and 860ºFexhaust temperature. On BO fuel this modified gasturbine rates at 2500 kW base load.

Gas Turbine Considerations

With the switching of fuels, the high viscosity of BOwas a concern. It required preheating to enhance its handling, injection and combustion properties. BO also tends to produce deposits on hot sectionparts that can lead to hot corrosion or severelyreduce turbine blade efficiencies. Such deposits canbe controlled by online cleaning, which can become a continuing requirement. Fuel nozzle design wascritical as the nozzles must be able to operate in adual fuel mode, distillate and BO, and at the sametime atomise and inject the fuel droplets into thecombustors. In this BO application, the fuel nozzlehas three channels to handle distillate, BO and gasturbine compressor bleed air for fuel atomisation. An electric motor powered compressor delivers 250 kPa for atomisation and injection. The atomiserdesign included margins in BO viscosity and dropletsizes, nozzle plugging and particulates in the fuel.Combustion liners were modified. Cooling air injectionpoints were modified at the front section of thecombustor to keep wall temperatures below 800ºC.

Combustion System

Basic goals of the liner design changes were to control NOx and CO emissions and completecombustion of the viscous fuel droplets, which couldbe larger than for a distillate fuel. Impingement ofliquid droplets on turbine blades and vanes must beavoided as it can cause local overheat and stressrisers. The OGT2500 hot section was redesigned toenable replacement of all turbine vanes and bladesonsite, reducing service cost and increasingavailability. An online hot section cleaning withcrushed nut shells was installed to control build-up ofdeposits on combustion liner and turbine airfoil surfacesand to clean and polish the hot gas path surfaces.

Figure 2: OGT 2500 gas turbine.

Figure 3: The Orenda OGT 2500 Turbo-generator installation at the Dynamotive West Lorne co-gen plant.

Table 2. Fuel properties.

Fuel Properties Bio-oil Distillate

LHV heat rate (MJ per kg) 15-17 42-43 M

Relative density (kg per liter) 1.2-1.3 0.82-0.86

Kinematic viscosity (cST) 17-48 3-6

Flash point (ºC) 58 74

Carbon (weight % ) 42.0 84-87

Hydrogen (weight %) 7.3 13-16

Nitrogen (weight %) 0.06 <0.05

Oxygen (weight %) 44.7 –

Water (weight %) 15-21 200

Sulfur (weight %) <0.02 <0.4

Ash (weight %) <0.05 <0.01

Vanadium (ppm) .nil <0.01

For further details contact:

Jan BaryninDynamotive Energy Systems CorporationAngus Corporate Centre230-1700 West 75th AveVancouver BCV6P 6G2CANADATel: 604 267 6019Fax: 604 267 6005Email: [email protected]

Table 1. Turbine test performance on Bio-oil.

Test Performance Bio-oil Distillate

Fuel flow (per hour) 1883 litres 1071 liters

Electric generator output 2510 kW 2510 kW

Inlet air temperature -2.1ºC -2.8ºC

Exhaust gas temperature 417ºC 403ºC

NOx emissions 58 ppm 321 ppm

SOx emissions 2 ppm 7 ppm

CO emissions 48.7 ppm 1.0 ppm

Fuel Treatment

A dedicated fuel handling module for fuel preheating and processing of the BO was installed. It contains holdingtanks for BO (with heater and agitator), distillate and ethanol (for purging), associated pumps, filters, fuel flowcontrol and mixing valves. Steam heating of distillate and BO to 95ºC is installed at the inlet to the highpressure fuel pumps to the gas turbine. The fuel handling control system integrates fuel supply and gas turbineoperation including emergency procedures.

By Eleftheria Athanassiadou, Chimar Hellas, Greece

Renewable Adhesivesfor Wood CompositesProfile

CHIMAR HELLAS S.A. is an innovating technology provider for the resin and wood-based panel industries (particleboards, fibreboards, plywood, oriented strandboards, laminating papers). It develops in-house and licenses know-how for theproduction of formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde pre-condensate (UFC), formaldehyde-based resins and resin additives as well as their application in themanufacturing of wood-based panels. It also develops processes that enhance theproductivity and profitability of manufacturing of resins and wood panels, and is active in the engineering works for the construction, start up and operation of respective resin and additive plants. CHIMAR continuously focuses on “green” chemicals and technologies, fulfilling eco-efficiency principles.


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Renewable Adhesives For Wood Composites

Synthetic resins like urea-formaldehyde (UF), phenol-formaldehyde (PF), and melamine-formaldehyde (MF) are commonly applied in theproduction of composite wood panels (wood-basedpanels), to bind the wood elements together andform the final panel products. These resins aresynthesised from petroleum and natural gas derivedchemicals and therefore their prices are directlydependent on the fluctuation of oil prices. Moreover, given the finite nature of the oil deposits,the long-term availability of petroleum-derivedproducts is not guaranteed.

The use of wood panel products contributes to moreefficient forest utilisation and thus provides a costeffective solution to related environmental problems.To utilise large quantities of forest residues forconversion into low cost panel products, it isnecessary to develop less expensive adhesives withsecured availability, in order to gain meaningfuladvantage. Adhesives from renewable (non-petroleum) raw materials have a significant role toplay in this regard. The promising renewable resincontenders should match the reactivity, applicability,bonding performance and cost requirements of thesynthetic resins and outperform them inenvironmental acceptability and safety of use.

Large quantities of renewable biomass materials and natural derivatives are available, which can be converted into adhesives for panel products. The use of biomass as a source of chemicals andenergy enables closed-cycle material changes and contributes to the efforts to reduce the atmospheric CO2 emissions worldwide.

In this framework, CHIMAR HELLAS has workedextensively on developing resins from renewableresources for application in wood-based panelproduction, aiming for:

• Environmentally friendly adhesives for the wood panel sector (“natural binders”)

• Adhesive resins that contribute to the reduction of panel formaldehyde emissions

• High performance, low cost resin products for the wood panel manufacturers and the panel end users: the sector as a whole.

The know-how and experience gained focuses onresins derived from natural products or by-products.An extensive but not exhaustive list includes: tannin,lignin from paper production, pulping spent liquor,pyrolysis oil (bio-oil), extraction or liquefactionproducts of agricultural and forestry residues (i.e. cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), liquefied wood,liquefied olive stones), soy. The above resinsdeveloped by CHIMAR have been tested in theproduction of panels at laboratory scale, pilot scaleand the most successful ones at industrial scale, indirect comparison with the commercial resins that are commonly applied.

Highlights of Achievements

Phenol-formaldehyde resins were produced bysubstituting up to 50% of the phenol needed in theformulation with biomass pyrolysis oils (bio-oils) and by modifying the resin synthesis procedure. Gluemixes containing these resins together with/withoutusing CHIMAR proprietary activator technologies also based on renewable resources, were successfullyapplied in large-scale production of oriented strandboards and plywood panels. The resin productionsequence was adapted to accommodate for thedifference in the field of resin application. The use of bio-oil resin systems has provided reactivity andperformance equal to the non-modified PF resinsystems in both products. Such systems are currently being used commercially in North America.

Furthermore, tannin adhesives for particleboards were developed and applied commercially. In thesesystems, the tannin represents almost 90% of theadhesive used in the core phase of three-layerparticleboard, while the rest components are urea and formaldehyde. Tannin is also sometimes added tothe surface layers of the particleboards together withmelamine-urea-phenol-formaldehyde resin. It was also proven that phenol-tannin-formaldehyde(PTF) resole resins prepared by CHIMAR with 20%substitution of the phenol with tannin provideplywood panels with acceptable performance atindustrial scale.

The above renewable materials offer cost savings tothe resin and panel manufacturers and to the panelconsumers. They also promote the sustainability of the same industries and respective products. Most importantly, they are in line with the efforts to prepare natural resins and environmentally friendlyproducts. Further increase in the substitution level is envisaged, with the aim to achieve a higherreduction of the resin cost and increase the positiveenvironmental impact.

The renewable adhesive systems developed byCHIMAR contribute to the above positive effects andpave the way for the development and commercialadoption of natural resins for wood products.

ReferencesBORGES JC, ATHANASSIADOU E., TSIANTZI S (2006): Bio-based resins forwood composites: Proceed. ECOWOOD 2006-2nd International Conference on Environmentally-compatible Forest Products, Fernando PessoaUniversity, Oporto, Portugal 20-22 September 2006.

MARKESSINI E, TSIANTZI S (1999): Bonding resins: International Patent Publication WO 00/23490.

NAKOS P, TSIANTZI S, ATHANASSIADOU E (2001): Wood adhesives madewith pyrolysis oils: Proceed. 3rd European Wood-Based Panel Symposium,European Panel Federation & Wilhelm Klauditz Institute, Hanover, Germany, 12-14 September 2001.

Introduction

Recent goals to significantly reduce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, can onlybe achieved by substituting limited fossil fuels with alternative sources of energy such as biomass and by optimising industrial processes regarding emissions. In Austria, theproportion of biomass and other renewable energy sources of the primary energy was 11% (3.3*106 t) in 2001 [1] and is on an upward trend. More than two thirds of thisrenewable energy are utilised in small scale heating installations and combined heat andpower plants. In 2006 the amount of newly installed pellets heating units exceeded thenumber of new oil fired furnaces for household heating units. Therefore investigations of the calorific value and the oxygen demand of biomass during thermal conversion,especially of wood pellets, are of great importance if the heat is to be used efficientlyand the emissions reduced.

Time Dependant Calorific Value andOxygen Demand ofVolatiles – Including TarsBy Christoph Maurer, Graz University of Technology, Austria and Harald Raupenstrauch, University of Leoben, Austria

When biomass and other solid fuels are used forenergy production in thermal processes the particles run through the following steps:

• Drying

• Pyrolysis

• Gasification

• Combustion.

Whereby pyrolysis – the process in which the volatiles are set free – plays a key role, because up to 85 wt.% [2] can be released in the form of volatiles.Depending on the process conditions (e.g. temperature,atmosphere) and on the particle properties (e.g.moisture, geometry, composition) the volatiles containmore or less tars (higher molecular hydro-carbons),which can cause operational problems if they condense.

Measuring Basics

Analysing tars for example with gas chromatographyto calculate the calorific value and the oxygendemand dependent on time is not possible. This can be done with the developed mobiledifferential scanning calorimeter (DSC), which burnsall volatiles – including tars – on a catalyst surface.The measured temperature change on the catalyst,together with the detected transfer behaviour of theDSC and the mass loss of the solid fuel, gives a direct bearing of the calorific value. By detecting the oxygen in the flue gas and with the known airfeed to the DSC, the time dependent oxygen demandfor the total combustion of all formed volatiles canbe measured. A scheme of the DSC can be seen in Figure 1.

The heat exchanger and the catalyst part arepreheated to the starting temperature of the catalyst in order to minimise temperature losses. This is important to get a nearly linear bearing of measured temperature and heat of reaction during measurements.


Figure 1: Scheme of the DSC.


Eleftheria Athanassiadou CHIMAR HELLAS S.A. Sofouli 8855131 ThessalonikiGREECEEmail: [email protected]: www.chimar-hellas.com

Figure 1. Plywood production.

Figure 2. Particleboard, MDF, OSB (Source: EPF website).

Single Spruce Wood Pellets Investigations

As mentioned above the usage of pellets in small scale combustion units has risen significantly in Austria.Furthermore the size of solid fuels has a great influence on the formation of the burnable volatiles [3]. Figure 2 shows the result of the calorific value and the oxygen demand of three different pellet sizes (6mm diameter and 25mm length and 10mm diameter and 20mm and 25mm length).

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The calorific value of the 6 mm pellet shows a fasterincrease due to the larger heating rate caused by the larger specific outer surface. The bigger pellets(10 mm diameter) show a similar behaviour duringthe first 16 percent of pyrolysis time. However, thelonger pellet shows a distinctive maximum at the end of the first increase due to an absolute greateramount of pyrolysis gases. The larger the pellets, themore distinctive the maximum reached at the end ofpyrolysis time. The increase to the final maximumstarts earlier in case of the longer pellets and hencethe mass amount of volatiles with a higher calorificvalue is bigger. The amount of the 6 mm diameterpellets with a calorific value greater than 18,000 J/gis 46 wt.% and for the biggest pellets 37 wt.%. The share of the pellets with 10mm diameter and20mm length however is only 11 wt.%. The maximumof the 6mm diameter pellets is lower and nomaximum can be detected after the first rise. This isdue to the heating rate and the shorter volatilisationtime. In the case of the bigger pellets, the formedvolatiles have to flow through the formed hot ashand carbon framework, hence the formed tars have to undergo secondary crack reactions which cause the higher calorific value at the end.

The reason that the 6 mm diameter pellets have aheating value above 18 kJ/g is the pathway of thepyrolysis products during the pelletisation process.The pellet production process creates a shallow high temperature zone on the outer surface of theparticles. Hence the internal pores are closed and the volatiles formed are more likely to move alongthe length of the pellets. The length of the pellets

therefore has a significant influence on the residenceperiod of the volatiles formed within the particle and hence on the secondary cracking reactions.

The time dependant oxygen demand of the 6 mmdiameter pellets rises to a maximum and decreases to zero immediately after the maximum was reached.The 10 mm diameter pellets show a shoulder afterthe first maximum before decreasing to zero at theend of the pyrolysis time. Generally a trend can beobserved of higher maxima at the beginning andlonger shoulders as the pellet length increases.

Conclusions

The bigger pellets show a distinctive maximum,especially at the end of the pyrolysis time, wherebythe smaller ones behave differently, in that themaximum at the end is not so distinctive. The lowershare of volatiles of the shortest pellets investigated– with a calorific value above 18,000 J/g – is caused by the shorter longest degasification route. The pyrolysis gases are more likely to stream along the pellet than radially. Therefore the time for crackingreactions on the hot ash and carbon framework ismuch shorter for the pellets with 20 mm length.In connection with this finding it can be concludedthat the production and transport of pellets shouldbe optimised in order not to break pellets into smallparticles. By using longer pellets and assuming thatthe duration of each pellet in the hot ovenatmosphere is long enough for a sufficient conversion,it is easier to establish a constant heat release. This on the other hand makes it easier to efficientlyuse the formed heat and hence to operate the oven.

Figure 2: Calorific value and oxygen demand of volatiles from spruce wood pellets versus dimensionless time with 6mmdiameter and 25mm (P25_6-003) length and with 10mm diameter and 20mm (P20_10-006), 25mm (P25_10-008)length at flash pyrolysis conditions (825°C, purge gas: nitrogen).


Univ.-Prof. Harald RaupenstrauchDepartment MetallurgyChair of Thermal Processing TechnologyUniversity of LeobenA-8700 Leoben, Franz-Josef-Straße 18AUSTRIATel: +43 3842 402 5800Fax: +43 3842 402 5802Email: [email protected]

or

Dr. Christoph MaurerInstitute of Chemical Apparatus Design, ParticleTechnology and CombustionUniversity of TechnologyA-8010 Graz, Inffeldgasse 25/BAUSTRIATel: +43 316 873 7489Fax: +43 316 873 7492Email: [email protected]

References[1] Kopetz, H.: ‘Erfolgreiche Instrumentarien zur Erhöhung des Anteils erneuerbarer Energieträger im Energiesystem- am Beispiel Österreich’,Mitteleuropäische Biomassekonferenz, Graz, 26.-29. Jänner 2005.

[2] Rath, J.: ‘Untersuchung des Crackens von Pyrolyseteer aus Holz in der Gasphase’, Graz Technical University, Doctoral Theses, 2002.

[3] Maurer, C.: ‘Development of a Differential Scanning Calorimeter – Experimental Investigations of Wood and Plastics’, Graz Technical University,Doctoral Theses, 2006.

By Emily Wakefield, Aston University, UK

PyNe Workshop ReportBiorefinery Case Studies Update

A PyNe meeting was held on the 21st March in Salzburg. The workshop began with anupdate on progress in biorefinery case studies lead by Doug Elliott. A template for massand energy balances is to be sent to all PyNe members for completion to carry out atechnical assessment of biorefineries. It was agreed that PNNL, USA would work on apetroleum based biorefinery, Aston University, UK and IWC, Germany would work togetheron a specialist chemicals biorefinery and FZK, Germany and BTG, Netherlands would lookat a biofuels based biorefinery. Charcoal and known case studies will be used to prove thetemplate. Results from this task will be reported at a later date.

Waste Wood Definition

Max Lauer explained how the wood processing industryworks and what by-products are produced. In sawmillscylindrical logs are sawn to flat planks, boards, stripsetc. The by-products are sawdust, end cuttings andthose elements of the cylindrical log that are outsidethe square edged products. In upgrading planks, boardsetc. such as by shaving, format cutting, grinding etc.,additional by-products are produced including shavings,sawdust and dust (from grinding). All by-productsexcept fine particles such as sawdust and shavings areusually chipped for sale to the wood consumingindustries referred to below.

A log in the sawmill usually produces 60 to 70 % ofuseful timber as planks and boards etc., 20 to 30 %as wood chips and about 10 % as sawdust. The following by-products are therefore produced:

• Wood chips from sawmills, furniture making, etc.

• Sawdust from sawmills, furniture making etc

• Wood shavings

• Grinding dust.

Other wood consuming industries that convert woodinto non wood products do not produce any of thesewastes and the following are examples:

• Pulp and paper production

• Cardboard production

• Chipboard production

• Pellet production

• Firewood production.

These industries will compete with the energy sector for supplies of wood and wood processing by-products.

Lignin Pyrolysis Round Robin Update

A final report on the lignin pyrolysis Round Robinwill be compiled when all results have been received.Some results were ready to be discussed.The sourcesof lignin were Etek Etanolteknik AB in Sweden whosupplied a mild acid hydrolysis lignin and GRANITAsian Lignin Manufacturing (ALM) who supplied asulphur-free pulping lignin. Paul de Wild of ECN,Netherlands presented their preliminary results onpyrolysis lignin, which are summarised overleaf.


Figure 1: PyNe workshop, Salzburg.

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Figure 2: The pyrolysis rig at ECN.

Figure 3: The feeding system for the pyrolysis rig at ECN.

Figure 5: Gas washing train for collecting liquid products. Figure 4: Sampling of reaction water and organic condensables according to the European Technical Specification for tar measurement in biomass gasification.

Pretreatment

The size distribution of the ETEK lignin was inhomogeneous and varied from powder to large lumps. It waspretreated by sieving it into 1-4mm sieve fraction and drying at 60°C for several days. The GRANIT lignin washomogenous in particle size and was slurried with EtOH and evaporated at 60°C for several days in the air. The resulting cake was crushed and sieved into a 1-4mm sieve fraction.

Experimental Conditions

The conditions used to pyrolyse the lignin samples were as follows:

• A lab-scale atmospheric pressure bubbling fluidised bed unit was used with a capacity of max 1 kg/hr.(See Figure 2) Fluidisation of the heated sand-bed (0.25mm) was with preheated Ar

• The feeding mechanism was batch mode, rapid screw-feeding of approx 100g lignin with N2- cooledscrew. (See Figure 3)

• The operating temperature was 500°C

• Short vapour residence times (< 1 second), solid residence time (minutes)

• Fractionated sampling of reaction water and organic condensables, off-line analysis by Karl-Fischer,GC/FID and GC/MS (See Figure 4)

• Continuous monitoring of ‘permanent’ gases (Ar, CO, CO2, H2, CH4), sampling of entrained char viacyclone and particle filter.

Results

The Etek lignin was found to have a very high cellulose content and was not really a true lignin as it reacted ascellulose would in tests. TGA results showed the ETEk lignin was much more reactive than the GRANIT lignin.

The distribution of lignin degradation products is shown in Figure 6 above. The char yields were much higher forthe GRANIT lignin, which could be a result of partially reacted lignin due to the defluidisation of the fluid bed.There was a large proportion of (hemi)cellulose degradation products such as levoglucosan from the ETEK lignin.

Major defluidisation problems were experienced in the fluidised bed following feeding of the Granit lignin due toagglomeration of the bed sand and lignin. (See Figures 7 a-d). A better/ faster degradation of the lignin mighthave been achieved by heating the bed to 600-700 degrees to prevent the temperature drop experienced onfeeding the lignin. A single batch feed process was used and continuous feeding was not attempted due to thesmall amount of material available.

It was not possible to perform viscosity, pH etc test on the bio-oil as the amount of bio-oil collected in the tarpot was too small to analyse.

It was agreed within the group that it would be helpful to obtain further samples of lignin for comparison withthe samples currently being tested and this will be investigated further.

Concluding Session of PyNe WorkshopThe afternoon session consisted of a workshop on fast pyrolysis barriers, led by Tony Bridgwater. Mr Tumiatti ofSEA Marconi, Italy, then presented the Haloclean® Bioenergy project for pyrolysis liquid for power generation,which is being carried out in conjunction with Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany.

Mr Axel Winter presented the SamoaFiber biofuel concept. SamoaFiber (Gynerium Sagitattum) is a member of thegrass family which grows in the wild in Peru and can be grown on plantations. This energy crop is being used ina fast pyrolysis process to produce bio-oil.

Finally Cordner Peacocke presented the slow pyrolysis demonstration plant of BEST Energies, Australia, on behalfof Adriana Downie, which is a 300kg/hr unit. This is used to produce charcoal for carbon sequestration and fuelgas for power generation.

Figure 6: Distribution of lignin degradation products (detected by gas chromatography). Figures 7 A-D: Bed defluidisation due to agglomeration.

For more information on the ligninpyrolysis results please contact:

Paul de Wild ECN Netherlands Westerduinweg 3 Petten 1755 LE NetherlandsTel: +31(0)224 56 4270Fax +31(0)224 56 8487Email: [email protected]

For further information on PyNe activities please contact:

Emily WakefieldBioenergy Research GroupChemical Engineering & Applied ChemistryAston UniversityBirmingham B4 7ETUNITED KINGDOMTel: +44(0)121 204 3420Email: [email protected]

Product distribution fed batch fluidised bed fast pyrolysis of lignin at 500ºCoverall mass balance Etek = 93%, Granit = 77%

By Paul de Wild, ECN, Netherlands

Preliminary Results of Lignin Pyrolysis at ECN

Object of the ProjectThe objective of the Bio-SNG project is to demonstrate the production of Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) from solidbiofuels in the MW scale by an innovative 8 MW fuel steam gasification CHP plant.

Based on the successful R&D work carried out over the last few years, and the promising experiences from theGüssing plant, the following objectives will be performed by a well-balanced team of research and industry partners.

• Assessment of the biomass provision to analyse the biomass potentials and provision technologies for thecoverage of an optimised biomass delivery free plant gate.

• Detailed engineering as well as construction and commissioning of the Bio-SNG plant ready for demonstration.

• Optimisation of the plant system by research on gasification and gas cleaning, i.e. for a betterunderstanding of the single processes and adaptation in terms of the best technical solution.

• Research on methanation process and gas upgrading to update the process design, based on previousexperimental work to optimise operating conditions.

• Operating and monitoring of the Bio-SNG plant to measure and analyse all relevant parameters.

• Demonstration of utilisation of Bio-SNG in vehicles alongside analysis of mobile applications and analysis of problems which could occur by using Bio-SNG in existing gas fuel stations.

• Technical, economic and environmental analysis to compare SNG-production and application with other fuel options and to obtain conclusions and recommendations for future development of SNG within thebiofuels market.

• Process simulation to find an optimal configuration of the plant making use of versatile factors of influenceto achieve profitability.

The project, which is strongly connected with the main targets of the EC’s energy policy, will significantly advancethe current development stage of fuel production from biomass and is intended to be a best practise example forfurther conversion plants.

Research Partners• IE - Institute for Energy and Environment GmbH

Task: Co-ordination, management, techno-economic-environmental assessments, biomass provision.

• TUV – Vienna University of Technology, Institute of Chemical Engineering Task: Gas production, producer gas cleaning.

• PSI – Paul Scherrer Institut Task: Methanation, gas upgrading.

• ICPF – Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals Task: Fundamental studies on steam gasification.

Industry Partners• BKG – Biomasse Kraftwerk Güssing GmbH & Co KG

Task: Operator of the plant.

• REPOTEC – Renewable Power Technologies Umwelttechnik Task: Engineering, construction.

• CTU – Conzepte Technik Umwelt AG Task: Basic and detailed engineering and main process equipment.

• VNG – Verbundnetz Gas AG Task: Bio-SNG within the transportation sector.

• EDF – Electricité de France Task: Process simulation.

GasNet Contact details:

Co-ordinator: Hermann HofbauerTel: +43 1 58801 15970 or

+43 1 58801 15901 Fax: +43 1 587 6394Email: [email protected]

Newsletter/website administrator:

Harrie KnoefTel: +31 53 486 11 90Fax: +31 53 486 11 80Email: [email protected]: www.gasnet.uk.net

Demonstration of theProduction andUtilisation of SyntheticNatural Gas from SolidBiofuels (BIO-SNG)By Hermann Hofbauer, Technical University of Vienna, Austria

Comments and contributions are most welcome on any aspect of the contents.Please contact Harrie Knoef for further details or to send material.

Demonstration of the Production and Utilisation of Synthetic NaturalGas from Solid Biofuels (BIO-SNG)

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Report of the Meeting on Developments in

Gasification in Germany

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Health, Safety and Environment of Biomass

Gasifiers – Gasification Guide

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BTL Project of the TechnischeUniversität Bergakademie Freiberg

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IEA Task 33 Meeting in Chicago, USA

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Gasification: Latest Developments

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Perspectives for Biomass Gasification in Poland

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GasNet contents

ISSUE 09

12

A demonstration project for the production of synthetic natural gas (BioSNG) from solid biofuels is being carried out in Austria, funded by the 6th Framework Program of the European Commission (Project No TREN/05/FP6EN/S07.56632/019895). Methane derived from solid biofuels is an important option for achieving the politicaltarget of an increased use of alternative motor fuels.

Previous Work

Biomass methanation has already been demonstrated on a small scale. PSI from Switzerland has been workingfor several years to investigate the methanationreactions and to work out suitable concepts to realise a demonstration plant. Long duration tests have beencarried out over the last two years at the CHPgasification plant in Güssing. A slip stream of theproducer gas is taken, cleaned, and fed into themethanation reactor. A view of the Güssing plant with the BioSNG container can be seen in Figure 1.

At the Güssing plant (8 MWfuel) a biomass steam blowngasifier has been operating for about four years. Eachyear the availability of the plant could be increased andavailability already reached over 90% in 2005. The gasproduced is ideally suitable for the methanation process.

Biomethane can easily be fed into the existing naturalgas infrastructure and then be used in established end use technologies (particularly in vehicle fleets).Although this option has been explicitly encouragedby the EC Directive 2003/55/EC, so far R&D has notbeen focused on gaseous biofuels. This project willtherefore significantly advance the current state oftechnology, as it strongly supports the targets of theEC to increase the use of alternative motor fuels fortransportation purposes. The Bio-SNG project aims to be a very promising example for an increasedexploitation of the huge potential of solid biofuels for the use within the transportation sector.

Summary of the Bio-SNG Project

The European project started in May 2006 and theproject working period will last until April 2009.

Producer Gas Vol. % Dry Gas

Hydrogen 41

Carbon monoxide 22

Nitrogen 3

Carbon dioxide 21

Methane 10

Ethene 2

Table 1: Producer gas composition (dry gas).

Figure 2: Principal process flow sheet of BioSNG demonstration.


Institute for Energy and Environment GmbH (IE)Torgauer Straße 116, 04347 LeipzigGERMANYProf. Dr. -Ing. Martin KaltschmittTel: +49 (0) 341 2434-113Fax: +49 (0) 341 2434-133Email: [email protected]

Dipl. -Ing. Michael SeiffertTel: +49 (0) 341 2434-445Fax: +49 (0) 341 2434-133Email: [email protected]

Vienna University of Technology, Institute of Chemical Engineering (TUV)Hermann HofbauerGetreidemarkt 9/166, A-1060 ViennaAUSTRIAProf. Dipl. -Ing. Dr. Hermann HofbauerTel: +43-1-58 801-15 970Fax: +43-1-58 801-15 999Email: [email protected]

Test Plants – Renewable Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG),Renewable Liquid Fuels

Figure 1: View of the Güssing plant with research facilities for BioSNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) and BioFIT (Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis).

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BTL Project of theTechnische UniversitätBergakademie FreibergBy W. Radig, B. Meyer, P. Franke, T. Dimmig, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany

Increased CO2 emissions caused by the combustion of fossil carbon, coupled with theforeseeable shortage of gaseous and liquid fossil energy resources has intensified theworld energy scenario and increased uncertainty of supply. This has made the use ofrenewable energy sources to cover energy needs, and in particular biomass, the mainaim of the German government.

Figure 1: Concept for fluidised bed gasification of biomass.

Figure 2: Block flow sheet of the MtSynfuels®-process.

Figure 3: BTL- concept.

BTL – biomass to liquids – is the synonym for newconversion strategies focussed on the generation ofliquid engine fuels by processing of biomass such asstraw or wood using the intermediate step synthesis gas.

Supported by the agriculture ministry and leadingcompanies for energy generation, petrochemistry,vehicle and plant construction, the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering at the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg is engaged in the construction of a BTL pilot plant for the demonstration of an alternative process chain.

The Agency of Renewable Resources and industrialpartners Vattenfall Europe, RWE Power, TOTAL Germany,Lurgi, Uhde, Daimler Chrysler and Volkswagen arefunding the project. The engineering company CAC acts as the central coordinator for the engineering.

The aim of the concept is to combine proven basictechnologies. Pressurised autothermal fluidised bedgasification represents a core component because it’scharacterised by high flexibility regarding the feedstockwood, straw and coal. Advantages of the industrial scale demonstrated high temperature Winklergasification (HTW) will be fused with a fixed bedoxidising after-treatment of the recycled ashes in the bottom part of the gasifier for complete carbonconversion as illustrated in Figure 1 schematically. Both high carbon conversion rates and advantageousenergy efficiency are expected.

The purified gas is processed by subsequent methanol synthesis.

Methanol is one of the most important intermediates in C1-chemistry. Furthermore it’s a key component forhydrogen storage and industrially is used as alcohol for the transesterification of plant oils and fats intobiodiesel. The current concept proposes the generationof sulphur free tailor made engine fuels by furtherconversion of methanol into olefins and finally theupgrading steps via hydrotreatment. This process chain is well known as Lurgi’s methanol to synfuels(MtS) strategy representing the second key technologyof the concept.

The first step in the carrying out of the project involvesthe synthesis of methanol based on biomass derivedsyngas. In the following phase of the project, the whole process right up to synthesis of liquid enginefuels will be expanded and demonstrated.

The first realisation step of the projected pilot plant will demonstrate the process steps gas generation, gaspurification/gas conditioning and methanol synthesis.Fluidised bed gasification under pressure requires aminimum scale for the thermal capacity of the gasifierof 10 MWth. Furthermore development risks for scalingup to industrial size are much lower.

Methanol synthesis is realised in a smaller scale at 0,15MWth because it’s already established in large scaleindustrial plants. Thus only a small amount of generatedgas is necessary for feeding the bench scale methanolplant. Typical characteristics and the capacity of thenew gasifier are shown in the table below.


The selectivity regarding gasoline and diesel fuels canbe controlled by variation of process parameters such as residence time or number of recycles.

The concept approves the integration of pressurisedgasification and fuel synthesis, so the cost intensivesynthesis complex can be located on central refinery or chemical sites. In this way the spatiotemporalseparation of syngas generation and methanol synthesisfrom a central synthesis unit could be achieved.

Higher flexibility of the complete process chain can also be achieved.

Gasification

Thermal Capacity 10 MW

Temperature of Gasification 950°C

Pressure of Gasification 25 bar

C Conversion Rate >99 % (complete recirculation of dust)

Cold Gas Efficiency 85-86 %

Gasification Agents O2 and H2O (steam)

Transportation Gas CO2

Dust Separation By cyclone n > 98 %

Gas Cleaning Warm gas filter operating at about 285°C raw gas scrubbing down stream

Further Characteristics Slag free processing feeding biomass and coal, tar free raw gas, removal of dry ashfrom the bottom

Table 1: Capacity and characteristics of the gasifier.

Gas Refinery via Methanol

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The CHP plant in Harboøre in Denmark is now undermaintenance. It typically runs 6500-7000 hours/yearand supplies heat to the local grid. Tar/waterhandling remains difficult and costly. The 30 MWth

(wood pellets) CHP plant in Skive in now undercommission. It will supply 11.5 MWth heat to thelocal grid and export 5.5 MWe power. It contains a Carbona fluidised bed gasifier with a downstreamcatalytic tar reformer developed by VTT.

In Värnamo in Sweden, the existing mothballedpressurised CFB gasifier will be modified to producean N2-free syngas for the production of biofuels. Part of this is financed from the EU Chrisgas project.For the actual modification, 28 million ¤ nationalsupport has been requested. Independent advisorshave been hired to judge the feasibility.

In Finland, the 1.8 MWe and 3.3 MWth CHP novelgasifier in Kokemäki is under commission. It containsa fixed bed gasifier and catalytic tar reformer. VTT is developing the Ultra Clean Gas concept for the production of synthesis gas. It consists of an oxygen-blown CFB gasifier and catalytic reformer. A 100 kg/h pilot plant is available.

The plan for a 23 MWe indirect gasification plantbased on the SilvaGas concept developed by Battelle (USA) has been practically abandoned. Public resistance turned out to be too significant.Biomass Engineering (UK) is a successful companyselling 250 kWe modules. By the end of 2007,approximately 30 units are expected to be operational.

The Gas Technology Institute (GTI) near Chicago has owned a 3-4 MWth (input) 30 bar fluidised bedgasifier for the conversion of biomass, wastes, ligniteand coal since 2004. It is connected to cyclones andfilters for gas cleaning. The plant is called FlexFueltest facility (see Figure 1).

The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is locatednear Denver and is financed mainly by the US-DOE.The thermochemical biomass conversion unit involvesapproximately 12 fte’s. They own a 30 kg/h fluidisedbed connected to a tar cracker. Further equipmentcomprises cyclones, fluidised bed catalytic tarreformer, water quench, micro gas turbine, engine,compressor plus catalytic synthesis. Furthermore,NREL also owns and operates a fermentation pilot plant for the production of ethanol from lingo-cellulosic feedstock.

Community Power Corporation (CPC) near Denverfocuses on small-scale modular CHP systems up to100 kWe. It is a fully automated system based onfixed bed downdraft gasification. CPC recently startedthe development of small-scale modular systems toproduce diesel by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

In the Netherlands, the 85 MWth Essent gasifier (for co-firing a 600 MWe coal-fired power plant) has been given the green light to run on demolitionwood again. The Dutch translation of the EuropeanWaste Incineration Directive (WID) forced Essent tostop operating on waste wood in December 2005 toavoid being considered a waste incineration plant.Now, the product gas entering the boiler isconsidered clean biomass (with correspondingemission limits) under the condition that the heavymetals concentration does not exceed 30 mg/MJ.Furthermore, the Netherlands stopped feed-inn tariffs(MEP) on new renewable energy projects as of August 18. A new system is in preparation.

The former company Methanor, producing 900 kton/ymethanol from natural gas, has been sold to a newowner who will turn the plant into a bio-methanolplant. The company is called MCN (MethanolChemistry Netherlands) and will convert glycerin to methanol. The glycerin, obtained from biodieselplants, will be converted into syngas in the existingcatalytic steam reformers. First production of bio-methanol is expected mid 2007.

The OLGA tar removal technology developed by ECNhas been commercialised by Dahlman. A 4 MWth

system has been sold to the French company ENERIAand is under commission. The R&D concerning SNGincluded short-term integrated lab-scale tests.Indirect gasification has been selected as the most suitable concept for its high efficiency in a biomass-to-SNG plant. A 180 kg/h pilot-plant indirect gasification reactor (called MILENA) will be erected in 2007 and connected to the existing gas cleaning units (gas cooler, cyclone, filter, OLGA, ESP, scrubbers, engine). Torrefaction reactor development will result in a 100 kg/h pilot plant at ECN in early 2007.

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Wofram RadigTU Bergakademie FreibergInstitute of Energy Processing and Chemical EngineeringIEC, Faculty 4Reiche Zeche, 09596 FreibergGERMANYEmail: [email protected]: www.iec.tu-freiberg.de


Bram (A.) van der Drift ECN Biomass Coal and Environmental Research P.O. Box 1 1755 ZG Petten NETHERLANDS Tel: +31 224 564515 Fax: +31 224 568487 Email: [email protected]

The feasibility study was completed in 2005. Currently the phase of basic engineering is underway,which is due for completion on the determination ofinvestment and operation costs at the end of 2006.After review of the financing, the realisation stepincluding plant construction and test operation willfollow. The pilot plant will be constructed close to the institute.

Figure 4: CAD simulated view of the projected pilot plant.

Figure 1: GTI pilot plant.

Figure 2: NREL gasifier.

IEA Task 33 Meeting in Chicago, USABy Bram van der Drift, ECN Biomass Coal and Environmental Research, Netherlands

As part of the IEA/bioenergy agreement (www.ieabioenergy.com), task 33 deals withbiomass gasification. Twelve member countries meet every 6 months to obtain an updateof the latest developments and discuss related subjects. Country presentations can befound on the task’s website: www.gastechnology.org/iea. The latest meeting was held in Chicago in the US from 30 October to 2 November. The meeting also included aworkshop entitled “Success stories and lessons learned” and site visits to thelaboratories of GTI (Chicago IL), NREL (Denver CO), and Community Power Corporation(Denver CO).

The following article is a short summary of the report distributed by me as the representative of the Netherlandsand contains both political and technical issues.

In Germany, biofuels have recently been adopted by oil companies. The EU obligation has been translated to anational legislation. Choren aims at producing Fischer-Tropsch liquids in large-scale plants as of 2010. FZK willstart their pilot-plant producing bio-oil/char slurry in early 2007 as part of their concept of decentralised slurryproduction and centralised entrained flow gasification for fuel production. An entrained flow gasifier will be added to the pilot plant in the coming year.

Austria remains successful with the indirect gasifier CHP in Güssing. Approximately 7000 hours of operation is expectedfor 2006. During 2007, a 1 MWth slip-stream SNG plant will be added. Also a 100 kWe SOFC will be connected. The construction of the CHP plant in Oberwart has started recently. This plant is similar to the one in Güssing. The Austrian government decided to stop stimulating green power initiatives. A new instrument is under construction.

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Perspectives forBiomass Gasification in PolandBy Janina Ilmurzynska, Institute of Power Engineering, Poland

The Polish energy sector is dominated by coal. The share of other energy sources ishowever growing. It was ca. 5.9% of total primary energy consumption in 2003.Bioenergy covers over 98% of the renewable energy. Energy from biomass is recognisedas the country’s most important potential source of renewable energy and can bebrought into use in the near future.

Report of the Meeting on Developments inGasification in Germany By John Vos, BTG Biomass Technology Group, Netherlands

On Thursday 2 and Friday 3 November 2006 the 2-day meeting Stoffwandlung in Gase im Bereich der Energieverfahrenstechnik took place in Freiberg in Saxony, Germany. The aim of this meeting was to bring together the gasification expertise available inresearch institutions and companies in the Saxony region and elsewhere in Germany, for the creation of synergy and the development of long-term and successful cooperation.With close to 100 participants from five countries the meeting was well attended. All relevant German market players attended the meeting.Poland has the potential to produce large amounts

of several types of bioenergy resources. The totaltechnical potential from biomass has been estimatedat 750 PJ p.a. with the largest proportion of resourcescoming from agriculture (agriculture residues) andforestry (residues and wood). In 2000 the PolishMinistry of Environment gave details of the RESStrategy which assumed the increase of renewableenergy to 7.5% in 2010 and 14% in 2020 in primaryenergy balance. Implementation of that strategy isanticipated to change perspectives for differentbiomass resources. Forestry resources are expected tobe limited. Wood industry by-products will probably be utilised, with no surplus. This opens up a greatpotential for energy crops.

The current increase in the bioenergy sector is mainlythe result of the growth in co-firing of biomass withcoal in large power plants, although the developmentof biomass technologies is the fastest growing branchof the renewable energy field in Poland. The greatestchallenge for bioenergy will be to implement a fullproduction chain of biomass and to develop a largermarket share for biomass. Simultaneously newtechnologies should be developed such as transportfuels, biogas from agriculture and biomass gasification.The main problem in implementation of biomassgasification is market maturity of technologies.

The Institute of Power Engineering (IEn) begandeveloping an indigenous gasification process in 2005.The 150kW gasifier is now in operation. The gasifierfed with wood chips (up to 50 kg/h) produces a gas of low heating value in the range 5 to 6 MJ/Nm3. The gasifier is an up-draft fixed bed one, wheregasification proceeds in two stages. The produced rawgas is burned in the separate combustion chamber.Due to the two-stage operation, the temperature ofproduct gas is above 400ºC, which is much higherthan for typical up-draft gasifiers with biomass fuels.

The relatively high temperature of the product gasdiminishes fouling of the gas pipe leading from thegasifier into the burner. The installation is currentlyused for testing of a new burner system for low caloricvalue (LCV) gases based on the FLOX TM technologywithin the framework of the EU R&D BIO-PRO project(BIO-PRO-SES-CT-2003-502812, VI FP). The burnerprototype is installed directly in the hot product gas duct in order to burn LCV gases supplied from the gasifier without prior cooling. Further burnerdevelopment carried out by e-flox GmbH is directed to two staged LCV-FLOX aimed at reducing NOxoriginated from nitrogen fuel

Future Plans

• Scaling-up of the gasifier to 800 kg/h in 2007 and gasification tests of other fuels e.g. energetic fraction of MSW within theframework of an ongoing project financed by Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

• New concept of low-emission swirl burners for biomass firing and co-firing. Tests ofburners in the presence of oxidisers of different composition (O2, CO2, N2) within the frame of EU project BOFCom(BOFCom-RFC-CT-2006-00010, Research Fund for Coal and Steel). The burners couldalso be suitable for future applications inentrained flow biomass gasifiers.

The meeting offered a comprehensive overview ofrelevant developments. Both small-scale biomassgasification, aimed at the production of electricity and heat, as well as large-scale gasification ofbiomass, waste and coal, aimed at the production ofsynthetic transport fuels and chemical base materials,were covered. Due to improved market conditions(higher feed-in rates for bio-power, higher marketprices for methanol, increased oil and natural gasprices, etc.) interest for these options has increasedstrongly in the last few years.

Ten presentations covered gasification of biomass.Both the activities of individual companies and theperformances of individual installations as well as overviews of relevant technologies and the activities of gasification working parties werediscussed. Among others there were presentations on test rigs, pilot plants and demo plants at TUBergakademie Freiberg, TU Dresden,Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, CHOREN (Freiberg),Siemens Fuel Gasification Technology (Freiberg), andEVN AG (Wiener Neustadt, Niederösterreich). Accordingto the Freiberger Zeitung (newspaper) CHORENIndustries GmbH is world-wide market leader in thefield of the production of synthetic transport fuels,whereas Siemens Fuel Gasification Technology GmbHsets the standard for large-scale gasification (inparticular of coal).

Alexander Vogel of the Institute for Energy and theEnvironment (IE) from Leipzig presented an overallview of different gasification concepts for theproduction of synthetic transport fuels from biomass.All relevant processes are still at the R&D stage. Vogelestimates the minimum scale size for economicoperation at 250 MWth. On economic grounds SNG and Fischer-Tropsch diesel production seem to offerthe best perspective.

In a recent inventory, Eberhard Oettel and DieterBräkow of the Berlin-based Society for the Promotionof Renewable Energies (German abbreviation FEE)counted over 50 German projects involving the

construction of small-scale gasification systems for the production of electric power and heat. Worth noting is the important role and largecontribution of SME’s. The FEE experts concluded that the pure experimental period seems to be over;small-scale gasification systems are increasingly sold and operated on commercial terms.

In the field of gasification the Freiberg region hasbeen playing a pioneering role for a long time. The region has a long tradition in technologydevelopment of gasification of coal, biomass, wastes,chemical and refining residues, and offers a highconcentration of competence on energy generation,storage and application. In addition to a large number of SMEs, Freiberg hosts two internationalheavyweights: CHOREN Industries GmbH and SiemensFuel Gasification Technology GmbH. The researchinstitutes at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and non-university research establishments offer high-level scientific knowledge.

In early 2005 the Deutsches Zentrum fürVergasungstechnik (German Centre for GasificationTechnology) (www.dezev.tu-freiberg.de) wasestablished at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. It is a community of interests for the development of gasification technologies for fossil and renewableenergy sources. Companies, research, academic andadministrative institutions of the Saxony region havejoined together in this centre. The partners endeavorto promote the technical and commercial applicationof gasification technologies for heat and powergeneration, and for the production of liquid chemicalsor transportation fuels. To date the centre’s membersoriginate from the Saxony region, but from early 2007 onwards organisations from elsewhere inGermany are anticipated to join.

The meeting presentations (mainly in German, but also some in English) can be downloaded from the website of the organiser, FreibergerInteressengemeinschaft der Recycling- undEntsorgungsunternehmen., URL: http://www.fire-ev.de/html/news_2006_11.html


Janina Ilmurzynska Institute of Power Engineering Thermal Processes Department 02-981 Warszawa ul. Augustówka 36 POLAND Tel: +48 22 3451419 Fax : +48 22 6428378 Email: [email protected]


Mr. John VosBTG biomass technology groupP.O. Box 217, 7500 AE EnschedeNETHERLANDSTel: +31-53-4861186Email: [email protected]: www.btgworld.com

Figure 1: The 150 kW gasifier.

Figure 2: The stand for the burner tests.

Figure 1: A presentation made during the meeting.

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Health, Safety andEnvironment of Biomass Gasifiers –Gasification GuideBy Harrie Knoef, BTG Biomass Technology Group, Netherlands

A project proposal entitled “Guideline for safe and eco-friendly biomass gasification”was submitted in January 2006 to the Intelligent Energy for Europe programme (IEE).The proposal was well received and approved by the IEE Agency for funding. The project start date is January 2007 with a duration of three years.

Objectives

The main objective of the project is to accelerate the process of market introduction and commercialisation ofgasification, by developing an accepted guideline for the target groups, on potential HSE hazards of biomassgasifiers. More specific objectives are:

• To remove an important non-technical barrier, i.e. awareness of HSE hazards (identification of possible HSE hazards, recommendations to reduce these hazards, raise awareness to target groups, disseminate the guideline and to simplify administrative procedures)

• To decrease financial risks of investors

• To remove associated non-technical problems like negative public perception

• To benchmark a legal framework of plant permission & operation and best practices

• Propose changes to (and one common) EU-legislation in favor of biomass gasification, in particular regarding emissions

• Create a framework for the further development of the guideline to an international accepted standard,which can be used for commissioning/guarantee/acceptance testing and certification.

Workplan

The core activity is the development of an interactive HSE guideline. The guideline will be based on approachesadopted in successfully implemented biomass gasification plants. The main work packages are:

• Legal framework of plant permission and operation

• Risk assessment (Health, Safety, and Environment)

• Case Studies

• Communication and Dissemination.

Case studies from existing plants and those under preparation will provide basic information. Assessing existingplants will yield insight into HSE problems in practice and how to integrate HSE issues in the engineering phase.Projects under preparation will apply the guideline and test whether its use is beneficial. Interest in testing the proposed guideline is high, confirmed by the considerable interest of key market actors who submittedLetters of Support. Such interest is crucial to ensure the broad acceptance of the guideline.

Expected Results

The main result will be an HSE guideline and software tool on biomass gasification that is accepted by keymarket actors and suitable for use by all target groups (i.e. manufacturers/ suppliers, technology developers, end-users, permitting and law-making authorities, investors, communities, etc.) The guideline will stimulate and promote the uptake of biomass gasification technology by:

• Improving understanding of HSE hazards and overcoming existing HSE barriers

• Involving key market actors and target groups

• Obtaining endorsement of HSE authorities

• Simplifying local permitting procedures

• Proving a software tool for risk assessment

• Recommending harmonisation of emission limits

• Simplifying certification procedures (CE, ATEX, etc).

Gasification is Hot in Germany: Two more Gasification Conferences

In each of the last two issues of this newsletter (No 2 and No 3) two conferences on biomassgasification were reviewed. Within a four-week period three conferences covering this subject wereheld in Germany alone (Berlin, Munich and Freiberg). This high frequency of conferences reflects theincreased interest in both small and large-scalegasification in Germany. Reports on workshops will be included in future issues of ThermalNet.

Long-term Gasification Champions still going Strong

In Issue 3 we reported briefly on the 30 years ofinvolvement of Fluidyne Gasification from Auckland,New Zealand in biomass gasification for decentralisedpower generation. Recently we corresponded with two other biomass gasification champions from thesouthern hemisphere that are still going strong.

The company Julio Berkes S.A from Montevideo,Uruguay has been building updraft heat gasifiers sincethe early 1980s. A total of some 70 gasifiers havebeen installed throughout Latin America in Uruguay(>40 units), Argentina (7), Brazil (7), Paraguay (3),

and Chile (1 unit), supplying heat for differentapplications such as boilers, tea dryers, wood dryers and cement plants.

For more information please contact:Alejandro Planchon, Julio Berkes S.A., Tel: +5982-3097785, Email: [email protected],Web: www.berkes.com.uy

The company Carbo Consult & Engineering (Pty) Ltdfrom Johannesburg, South Africa has been active in biomass gasification since 1994, when theyconcluded a License Agreement with Karl Gustaf(“Gus”) Johansson for manufacturing, marketing andsales of his patented so-called tar-free SystemJohansson Gas Producers (SJG). CGE has developed theSJG technology further and has sold its gasificationplants to e.g. South Africa, Namibia, UK, theNetherlands (for a project in Moldova) and Japan.After three years of collaborative research, CGElicensed its gasification technology to Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan in 2005.

For more information please contact: Gero Eckermann,Carbo Consult & Engineering (Pty) Ltd, Tel: +5982-3097785, Email: [email protected]

Xylowatt SA Increases its Capital

At a press conference in November 2006 Xylowatt, theBelgian manufacturer of wood gasification CHP plants,announced its recapitalisation. With the aid of theGovernment of Walloon, Xylowatt has doubled itscompany capital to ¤ 8 million to enable continuedtechnology development, capacity expansion inBelgium and operation in the German and Frenchmarkets. Xylowatt has supplied 4 CHP units of 300 kWeeach to the wood industry in Belgium, and 2 moreunits will be installed for the self-supply of the villageof Gedinne and the Aqua-Tournai swimming pool. The Charleroi-based company is a spin-off of the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL). It wasestablished in 2001 after more than 20 years ofintensive research at UCL into biomass energy systems, gasification systems and gas motors.

For more information please contact: Gilles Barchman,Xylowatt SA, Tel: +32 71 606 802, Mobile: +32 478551 798, Email: [email protected], Web: www.xylowatt.com

NB: The Swiss company “Xylowatt” that was alsoinvolved in biomass gasification has ceased operation.

Moreover, recommendations and an Action Plan will be formulated (e.g. in co-operation with CEN) on how toupgrade the HSE guideline to an International Standard.

For the dissemination, Thermalnet and IEA Task 33 will be an important platform to present the progress of the Gasification-Guide project. The approach of the interaction with other networks and platforms are illustratedin Figure 1. The interaction between the work packages are shown in Figure 2.

IEA-Task 33 & GasNet Workshopswith Key Actors and Target Group

Proposal, “Gasification Guide”key actors as partnersand subcontractors

Case studiesDraft

Guideline RA SoftwareTool

Endorsement

Final Guideline“Gasification Guide”

Communication andDissemination

manufacturersplant managers

authoritiesH+S organizations

HSEassociations

IEA-Task 33 & GasNetwith Key Actors and Target Group

Network of Excellance

WP1 – Project Management

WP5 – Dissemination

WP6 – Common Dissemination

WP4 – Case Studies

and ValidationWP3 – Risk assesment (Safety, Health and Environment)

WP2 – Legal frame of plant permission and operation

Gasification Guide– Accepted Guideline for Safe and Eco-friendly Biomass Gasification Plants –

Euro

pean

Com

mis

sion

Targ

et G

roup

&Ke

y M

arke

t Ac

tors

PartnersBTG is coordinating the project. Other partners include:

TUG – Institute of Thermal Engineering, Graz University ofTechnology, Austria.

HSE – Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom.

TUV – Institute of Chemical Engineering, Technical UniversityVienna, Austria.

COWI – A/S, Denmark.

TUS – Safety and Environmental Eng. Lab. Technical Universityof Sofia, Bulgaria.

Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Umwelt-, Sicherheits- undEnergietechnik UMSICHT, Germany.


H.A.M. KnoefBTG biomass technology group B.V.P.O. Box 2177500 AE EnschedeNETHERLANDSEmail: [email protected]

Figure 1: The approach of the interaction with other networks and platforms. Figure 2: The interaction between the work packages.

Gasification: Latest DevelopmentsBy Harrie Knoef, BTG Biomass Technology Group, Netherlands

23

Cost Competitive Bioenergy: Linking Lignocellulosic

Biomass Supply with Co-firing for Electricity in Poland

22

Demonstration of the BiomassExternally Fired Gas Turbine at the

University of Florence

24

ECN Lab-Scale Combustion Simulator – A Powerful Tool for

Solid Fuel Assessment

25

Successful Workshop on Ash RelatedIssues in Biomass Combustion

30

Sewage Sludge – A RenewableBiomass. Utilisation in Modern

Sludge Incineration Plants

27

Biomass Co-firing in China: Aston University’s

Contribution to the ChEuBio Project

33

CombNet contents

ISSUE 04

22

CombNet Contact details:

Co-ordinator: Sjaak van LooTel: +31 53 489 4355/4636Fax: +31 53 489 5399Email: [email protected]

Newsletter/website:

Administrator: Jaap KoppejanTel: +31 55 549 3167Fax: +31 55 549 3287Email: [email protected]: www.combnet.com

Comments and contributions are most welcome on any aspect of the contents.Please contact Emily Wakefield for further details or to send material.

Assumptions for costs and abilities for co-firing in these plants are shown in Table 1.

A supply curve for suitable biomass materials available in Poland was prepared using different scenarios (see Table 2). Finally, an LP model was developed to evaluatewhich power plant could co-fire biomass in an optimal technical and economical manner, given the power plant characteristics and regional availability of biomass.

Results

The results of the exercise are shown in Figures 2 and 3 (below). Figure 2 gives the maximum potential for co-firing and Figure 3 gives a possible growth path as obtained fromthis project, in which it is assumed that biomass co-firing is implemented rapidly in fluidized bed combustion (100% of available boilers by 2010) while full implementationtakes longer for the other boiler types (100% of available boilers by 2016).

Under the assumptions made, biomass co-firing in existing plants reaches its maximum by 2014 and then decreases due to the phasing out of the plants. Thus, RES-E generationfrom biomass co-firing in the current power plant infrastructure decreases quite quickly, due to the relatively large share of old plants and the contribution to longer term RES-Etargets will be small unless substantial investments are made in the modernisation of existing generation or in new coal fired power plants suitable for co-firing.

Table 2. Fuel costs and availability.

Fuel Costs Including Transport (€/GJ) Amount Available

Hard coal 1.94 –

Lignite 2.03 –

Straw 2.75 4 – 11 million m3/yr

Forest residue 2.28 2.5 million m3/yr

Fuel wood 2.23 2.5-4.9 million m3/yr

Energy crops 2.32 17-190 kha, 5-10 dry ton/ha/yr

Table 1. Assumptions for co-firing capacity of different boilers and specific costs.

Boiler Type

Investment (€/kWe)

Extra O&M Variable costs (€/TJ biofuel)

Fixed cost (% of investment)

Co-firing ability

Fluidized Bed Pulverized Coal Grate

60 180 60

0.7 0.7 0.7

2 2 2

15% woody 10% woody 10% strawBiomass Biomass

By Filip Johnsson, Göran Berndes and Mårten Berggren, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Cost CompetitiveBioenergy:Linking LignocellulosicBiomass Supplywith Co-firing forElectricity in PolandBiomass co-firing in existing power plants is often seen as a key option to acceleratethe market for energy from biomass in the short term, as it enables large scale use of biomass whilst requiring only relatively little investment for adaptation of the power plant. In the framework of the Sustainable European Energy Systems project (see www.ags.chalmers.se/pathways), a case study was recently carried out by theDepartment of Energy and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology to quantifythe potential contribution of biomass co-firing in existing installations in Poland in the coming decades.

The aim of the study was to match regional biomass supply potentials with opportunities for co-firing biomassin existing coal fired power plants in the near term (2010) and providing insights into the possible volume of biomass that could be used in co-firing applications in relation to estimates of medium (2020) to long-term bioenergy potentials in Poland. The phasing out of existing power plants was taken into account,but no speculations were made on preferred technologies in future investments which could eventually provide additional co-firing opportunities.

The available boiler capacity for co-firing is based on the Chalmers Power Plant database which contains all of the EU25 power plants with a capacity generally exceeding 10 MWe. For Poland 585 boilers are recorded and in this project, only the co-firing potential in the 233 boilers less than 30 years old was considered(indicated by black bars in Figure 1). These could be either fluid bed, pulverised coal or grate fired plants.

Figure 2: Maximum potential for co-firing in existing power plants, currently younger than 30 years.

Figure 3: Modelling of the expansion of biomass use for co-firing in existing units currently not older than 30 years.

Figure 1: Age structure of Polish power plants. Only plants younger than 30 years (indicated in black) were considered.

Figure 4: Turow Power plant, recently re-powered with more efficient CFB boilers.

For 2010, the potential of electricity produced from biomass in co-firing is estimated at 1.6 to 4.6% (2.3 to 6.6 TWhe) of the total projected electricity production,corresponding to maximum and minimum biomass supply estimates. As other sources currently only contribute 2%, it can be concluded that the contribution of co-firing is indispensable in meeting the national 7.5% RES-E target. The additional cost for the implementation of co-firing is less than €20 per MWhe or somewhatlower than €20 per ton CO2. It is concluded that biomass co-firing in existing plants is a low cost option which can initiate a biomass supply system in the short termand which will grow over time.

For more information please contact:

Department of Energy and EnvironmentChalmers University of Technology SE-412 96 GöteborgSWEDENTel: +46 31 772 1449Fax: +46 31 772 3592Email: [email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]

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• Reactivity Testing

– devolatilisation

– char combustion kinetics.

• NOx Formation

– nitrogen release during devolatilisation

– primary NOx formation

– influence of air staging, including over-fire air injection.

• Ash Deposition

– furnace slagging

– convective section fouling

– ash-related corrosion.

• Fly Ash Formation and Characterisation

– EN450 compliance (fly ash application in cement industry)

– electric resistivity

– aerosol or fine dust formation and emissions.

ECN Lab-ScaleCombustion Simulator –A Powerful Tool for Solid Fuel AssessmentBy Mariusz Cieplik, Rob Korbee and Willem van de Kamp; ECN, The Netherlands

Solid fuels such as coal, biomass and wastes can be thoroughly screened using small-scale test facilities. ECN have developed the Lab-scale Combustion Simulator or LCS, to assess issues of critical performance of fuels for coal fired power stations.Currently, test procedures are available for:

Demonstration of the Biomass ExternallyFired Gas Turbineat the University of FlorenceBy David Chiaramonti, Giovanni Riccio and Francesco Martelli, University of Florence, Italy

The development of externally fired gas turbine cycles has attracted the interest ofresearchers and industries for a long time, and a large number of studies, analysis andexperimental work on both the whole plant concept, as well as its components, have beencarried out so far. External combustion combined with gas turbines promises high plantreliability, good performance and low emissions. However a number of critical issues are stillto be resolved before commercialisation. A specific project (BIO_MGT) has therefore beenset-up by the Research Centre for Renewable Energies of the University of Florence (CREAR)to demonstrate the concept at industrial scale. It received the support of the EuropeanCommission, DG TREN, within the 6th Framework Programme, “Sustainable Energy Systems”.Activities started on 1st October 2006, with the analysis (including thermodynamiccalculations) of different plant configurations, and the final design of the plant.

Figure 1: Schematic of the BIO_MGT plant. Figure 2: The Turbec T100 microturbine.

Figure 3: MAWERA biomass boiler.


David Chiaramonti, Giovanni RiccioResearch Centre for Renewable Energies (CREAR)c/o Department of Energy Engineering “S.Stecco”Via S.Marta 3 – 50139 FlorenceUniversity of FlorenceITALYEmail: [email protected]

The BIO_MGT technology integrates a biomass furnace and a Micro Gas Turbine (MGT) into a single plant. Theexhaust of the 100 kWe Gas Turbine, together with the hot gases from biomass combustion, flow into a hightemperature heat exchanger, which pre-heats the air from the compressor outlet to the GT combustionchamber. Wood chips are used as a biofuel in the bio-furnace.

In order to ensure high performance of the rotating components, a proportion of natural gas direct (internal)combustion is used. In fact, target efficiencies of the turbine-based plant can only be achieved if turbineoperation is maintained as close as possible to the standard (natural gas) system, which would be extremelydifficult without using a certain amount of internal combustion. The system will then provide heat and cold(through an absorption chiller) to a cheese factory near Florence.

The philosophy of the BIO_MGT project is to achieve the results by limiting the modifications to the existingindustrial components as much as possible, i.e. the bio-furnace and the micro gas turbine. This will avoid thehuge costs associated with a complete re-design of the components (in particular related to the MGT).

The partners of CREAR in the BIO_MGT project are the University of Graz and Mawera (Austria), Turbec (Sweden)and IFEU (Germany). The cheese factory Il Forteto (Italy) is participating in the project as an end-user of the system.

The project will also investigate possible scale-up configuration. The 100 kWe BIO_MGT plant is expected to be assembled at the end user’s site by the end of 2007: 3 years of extensive testing will then follow.

Fuels can be tested in various size fractions, either as a single fuel or as a blend to study co-firing. ECN has acertified laboratory for the chemical analysis of all kinds of materials including solid fuels.

Continued overleaf..

2726

Sewage Sludge – a Renewable Biomass.Utilisation in Modern Sludge Incineration PlantsBy Claus Greil, Lentjes GmbH, Germany

The past 20 years have seen considerable efforts to reduce the environmental impact of waste water from industry and households. As a result of the extension of the sewersystems and sewage works, as well as advanced biological waste water treatment andthe addition of further treatment steps, the sewage sludge volumes to be disposed of have almost doubled in the past two decades. However pressure is mounting inEurope to end sewage disposal to land and agricultural use.

Since 1991 sewage spreading was banned in theNetherlands, and the Swiss government has alsooutlawed the use of sewage sludge on farmland. As there is a continual decline in public acceptanceof agricultural use of sewage sludge, other Europeancountries are expected to join this ban soon. The main reason for the decline in public acceptanceis a mixture of disease causing organisms, un-metabolised medication, hormones and heavymetals contained in the sewage sludge. The presenceof these contaminants constitutes a considerableburden on the environment and explains theEuropean consumers’ rising demand for safe food.

Against this background thermal treatment of sewage sludge gains increasing significance, offering a technically and environmentally sound and proven solution. As a reliable disposal method,sewage sludge incineration can be considered as the best available technology for environmentalprotection reasons.

• Operating results of modern incinerationplants prove that a reliable control ofpollutant emissions is possible throughout the plant life cycle, that pollutant emissionsare extremely low (even lower than requiredby the waste incineration directives), thatpathogens and other organic materials aredestroyed and heavy metals are bound in the ash.

• The ash is finding increased reuse in roadconstruction, in the building industry and in recultivation of worked –out sites as it is hygienically sound, virtually free of organic residues (dioxins/furans), and the heavy metals are reliably captured in the solids matrix.

• Significant reduction in volume and weight.

Following the ban of sludge spreading on farmland in 1991 in the Netherlands, there was a need forreliable low emission incineration plants to processthe sewage sludges now redundant from varioussewage works. The design of the flue gas treatmenthad to be based on the Richtlijn Verbranden 1989stipulating the most stringent emission limits (see Table 1) in the early nineties. Therefore, theplant in Dordrecht, The Netherlands, became thearchetype of modern sewage sludge incinerationplants (see Table 2). Plants which were built later in other European countries were based on this plantconcept in principle, although they were adjusted to local conditions concerning the pre-treatment of the sludge or additional power generation.

A typical sewage sludge incineration plant,see Figure 1 and Figure 2 (page 28) comprises the following process units:

• Sludge reception and storage

• Drying

• Fluidised bed furnace

• Waste heat recovery

• Flue gas treatment.

Continued overleaf..

Figure 1: Sewage sludge incineration – architectural view.Figure 1: Staged flat flame gas burner and reactor (drop) tube in ECN combustion simulator.

Figure 2: Photo and schematics of the LCS fouling assessment probe.

An impression of the LCS is given in Figure 1. The versatile rig combines high heating rates andtemperatures with a realistic residence time and fluegas composition.

The facility comprises an electrically heated drop tube reactor and a primary/secondary gas burner toproduce a realistic flame/flue gas environment, inwhich the conversion behaviour of fuel particles canbe studied as a function of time. This is achieved bymeans of a vertically adjustable gas/particle samplingprobe, the height of which can be varied according to the desired residence time. Fuel residence timescan be provided in a range between 10 ms and 2-3 s. The probe can be coupled to a variety of particulatesampling devices, e.g. filters, cyclones or cascade impactors.

In the LCS, the gas temperature is initially controlledby the flat flame gas burner (up to 2100°C) and then by a dual-zone electrical furnace (max 1700°C). The gas burner can be supplied with a mixture of CH4, O2, N2, H2, CO, CO2 and H2S to provideoxidation regimes from (un)staged combustion toeven gasification with strongly reducing conditions. The rig was recently equipped with an over-fire airinjection facility, for NOx formation studies.

For the assessment of ash deposition, different probes and measurements are applied. Furnaceslagging is studied using either ceramic or cooledmetal test coupons which are attached to the head of a vertically adjustable probe. The coupons aresubjected to controlled ash deposition and areexamined by chemical and microscopic analysis.

Fouling of super- or reheater bundles in the boiler'sconvective section is assessed using a dedicatedprobe which is positioned cross-currently in the ashloaded flue gas. Quantitative measurement of thedeposition rate (g/[m2.h]) and the heat flux throughthe deposit (W/m2), and determination of depositporosity, sintering and composition enable anobjective ranking and evaluation of the fuel's fouling and related corrosion risks.


Willem van de KampEnergy research Centre of the NetherlandsBiomass, Coal and Environmental ResearchP.O. BOX 1, 1755 ZG Petten NETHERLANDSTel: +31 (0) 224 56 4700 Fax: +31 (0) 224 56 8487Email: [email protected] Web: www.ecn.nl/en/

LEGEND 3 Inner burnerI Devolatilisation zone 4 Outer burnerII Cobustion zone 5 Sheild gas ring1 Solid fuel feed 6 Reactor tube2 Multi-stage flat flame gas burner 7 Optical access

2928

The energy of the burned sludge is recovered in thewaste heat boiler by generating steam for powerproduction, sludge drying and air preheating. The fluegas leaving the waste heat boiler at a temperature of190°C to 220°C enters an electrostatic precipitatorfor ash removal. More than 96% of the ash isremoved. Due to the uniform conditions in thefluidised bed incinerator the loss of ignition of theash is less than 5% allowing direct utilisation withoutfurther treatment. If required, further heat may beremoved from the raw flue gas to reheat the cleangas, thus preventing plume formation at the stack.

The flue gas exiting the ESP (or reheater) enters aquench scrubber (pH<2) where HCl and heavy metalsare removed. In the downstream SO2 scrubber thesulphur components are removed by adding causticsoda to the circulating wash water (pH>7). The finalflue gas cleaning stage provides the removal ofmercury using activated carbon as an adsorbent.Adsorption takes place in either an activated carbonlayer (fixed bed) or by dosing the adsorbent into the flue gas with subsequent removal of the spentadsorbent in a baghouse filter.

1 Sludge Dewatering

2 Sludge Cake Reception, Storage

3 Screenings Reception, Storage and Pretreatment

4 Odour Control

5 Sludge Predrying

6 Exhaust Vapour Condenser

7 Fluidised Bed Incinerator

8 Start Up Burner

9 Waste Heat Recovery

10 Turbine Generator Set

11 Steam Condenser

12 Electrostatic Precipitator

13 Ash Silo

14 Quench Scrubber

15 Packed Column Scrubber

16 Wash Water Cooler

17 Flue Gas Reheater

18 Mercury Adsorber

19 Plume Suppression Unit

20 Stack

Figure 2: Flow scheme – sewage sludge incineration plant, Belfast.


Claus GreilDaniel – Goldbach - Strasse 19D – 40880 RatingenGERMANYTel: + 49 2102 166 1468Fax: + 49 2102 166 2468Email: [email protected]: www.lurgi-lentjes.de

In cases where a centralised plant is considered, mechanically dewatered sludge is supplied by trucks from the neighbouring sewage works. The sludge is fed to thedrier via pumps to remove sufficient water to ensure auto-thermal combustion. The heating of the drier is accomplished by heat recovered from the hot flue gas (e.g. steam). The dried sludge can be fed directly into the incinerator without further storage. To ensure auto-thermal combustion of the sludge at > 850°C it may berequired to preheat the combustion air depending on the calorific value of the sludge. For air preheating, heat recovered from the flue gas is used. According to the EUWID the incinerator is designed to allow for a minimum flue gas residence time of two seconds.

Table 1. Emission limits and actual readings from Lentjes sewage sludge incineration plants (for technical details see table 2 below).

Species Unit EU Richtlijn DRSH Plant A Plant B Plant C 2000/76/EG Verbranden 1989

Particulates mg/m3 10 5 < 1 < 1 1 1,3

VOC’s as carbon mg/m3 10 10 < 1 1,4 3 n.a.

HCl mg/m3 10 10 0,9 2,4 0,4 < 1

HF mg/m3 1 1 < 0,1 n.a. n.a. 0,3

SO2 mg/m3 50 40 0,8 8,2 3 < 6

NOx mg/m3 200 70 61 84,2 88 165

CO mg/m3 50 50 < 3 0,4 7 < 1,2

Cd + Ti mg/m3 0,05 0,05 < 0,001 n.a. n.a. n.a.

Hg mg/m3 0,05 0,05 < 0,002 n.a. 0,007 0,0002

Heavy metals mg/m3 0,5 1 < 0,003 n.a. n.a. 0,022

PCDD’s + PCDF’s ng/m3 0,1 0,1 < 0,0004 0,002 n.a. 0,0022

Table 2. Lentjes reference list for sewage sludge incineration plants.

Plant Number of Dewatered Electrical Start Up Emmission StandardsCapacity Lines Sludge (DS) Output

Content

t/h – % MWe –

DRSH Zuiveringsslib NV Dordrecht, 35,5 3 20 – 1993 Dutch Regulations and The Netherlands German 17. BLMSchV

Klärwerk Sindlingen Frankfurt/Main, 22 1 28 - 34 4,00 1995 German 17. BLMSchVGermany

Yorkshire Water Knostrop STW 16 1 24 0,50 1996 German 17. BLMSchVLeeds, United Kingdom and IPR 5/11

DRSH Zuiveringsslib NV Dordrecht, 20 1 22 – 1997 Dutch Regulations and The Netherlands German 17. BLMSchV

Thames Water Beckton STW 48,2 3 28 - 32 11,00 1998 German 17. BLMSchV London, United Kingdom and IPR 5/11

Thames Water Crossness STW 25 2 28 - 32 5,00 1998 German 17. BLMSchV London, United Kingdom and IPR 5/11

Water Executive 12 1 25 0,50 1999 German 17. BLMSchV Belfast, United Kingdom and IPR 5/11

Commune d’Arance Lacq 4 1 18 - 23 – 2002 EU-RegulationsFrance

Communauté Urbaine de Lyon 26 2 20 - 27 – 2003 EU-RegulationsFrance

30 31

Figure 3a: A corrosion probe exposedfor 4 weeks – Normal fuel mix.

Figure 3b: A corrosion probe exposed for 4 weeks – with ChlorOut.

Figure 2: Deposits on coupons of 3cm diameter created by burning Russian Coal (top), miscanthus (middle) and palm kernels (bottom) in the RWE npowerCombustion Test Facility.

Some Fuels are Worse than Others

Fraser Wigley of Imperial College, UK presented an assessment of ash deposits, produced on temperature controlledcoupons by combustion of Miscanthus, palm kernels and Russian coal and at various process conditions in acombustion test facility of RWE npower. The tests showed that both strength, thickness and density of depositsfrom combustion of Miscanthus was greater than that of Russian coal, with deposits from combustion of palmkernels exhibiting even higher smoothness, density and strength. For all three fuels, increased degrees of sintering were observed with increased temperature.

Additives can Help

Håkan Kassman of Vattenfall Power Consultant AB presented the effect of additives on ash related problems in wood fired boilers. It is well known that K and Cl in biomass may cause KCl in deposits, leading to accelerated corrosion. Additives in the fuel or gas phase may either;

1 Reduce the release of gaseous KCl, e.g. by adding Al2O3 or SiO2 K-alumino silicates are formed, and/or,

2. React with KCl in the gas phase and form less corrosive components, e.g. by adding sulphur, potassiumsulphates may be formed and Chloride removed as HCl.

In the strategy of Vattenfall, the concentrations of KCl, NaCl and SO2 in the flue gas are monitored onlineusing an In-situ Alkali Chloride Monitor (IACM). This information is used to inject a sulphur containing additive(ammonium sulphate, brand name ChlorOut®) to obtain the latter effect. Ammonium may also lead to reducedNOx emissions.

The effect of ChlorOut was successfully demonstrated at various biomass fired power plants, varying from grate,BFB and CFB. These demonstrations showed that ChlorOut could effectively reduce deposit growth and Cl contents in deposits.

Release and Deposition Chemistry of Biomass are Different to Coal

Rob Korbee explained the ash related challenges thatpulverised coal fired power plants have to face whenimplementing their plans to co-fire up to 35% on mass basis. When compared to coal, biomass typicallycontains more chlorine and alkalines but less sulphur,minerals and total ash. The release and depositionchemistry of inorganics is therefore significantlydifferent from that of coal, and the implications of co-firing biomass are only starting to be sufficientlyunderstood to allow for co-firing beyond currentoperations. As the new power plants will have ultrasuper critical (USC) boilers, this poses even greater ash related challenges on boiler operation than forcurrent operation. Fuel preparation, quality control and blending may be needed to avoid problems. Such measures can be applied in combination with smart cleaning of membrane walls and superheaters,using a water jet that is controlled by a heat flux sensor.

Successful Workshop on Ash Related Issues in Biomass CombustionBy Jaap Koppejan, Procede BV, The Netherlands

As part of the fourth ThermalNet meeting in September 2006 in Glasgow, an expertworkshop was co-organised by ThermalNet and IEA Bioenergy Task 32 on ash relatedissues in biomass combustion. The workshop aimed to present and discuss the mostcritical ash related challenges in biomass combustion. The full report can be downloaded from www.combnet.com.

Overview of Ash-Related Issues

Bill Livingston (of Doosan Babcock and coordinator of WP2D on Fouling, Corrosion and Erosion) providedan overview of the major ash related issues in biomasscombustion, such as the formation of fused or partly-fused agglomerates and slag deposits, acceleratedmetal wastage of furnace and boiler components due togas-side corrosion under ash deposits, and ash particleimpact erosion or ash abrasion of boiler componentsand other equipment. Ash may also result in theformation and emission of sub-micron aerosols andfumes, and have various impacts on the performance of flue gas cleaning equipment. Finally, ash containedin biomass has consequences on the handling and theutilisation or disposal of ash residues from biomasscombustion plants, and of the mixed ash residues from the co-firing of biomass in coal-fired boilers.

In general, biomass materials and their ashes tend tobe less erosive and abrasive than more conventionalsolid fuels. However, slag formation may significantlyincrease in comparison to coal, leading to less heattransfer and increased flue gas temperaturesdownstream of the superheater in the convectivesection, which may then cause unexpected ashdeposition there. Increased formation of hard depositsand subsequent shedding may in turn lead to damageto grates and boiler ash hoppers.

Severe boiler fouling may occur on the surfaces ofsuperheater, reheater and evaporator banks at flue gastemperatures less than around 1000ºC. If formed attemperatures around 600-700°C, these deposits arerelatively easy to remove, however for highertemperatures these deposits may be difficult to removeon-line or off-line. Fouling may also result in increasedflue gas temperatures and boiler efficiency losses.

Corrosion of relatively hot heat exchanging tubes whenco-firing biomass is often a result of high alkali metaland chloride contents of biomass. This can for examplebe mitigated by introducing sulphur. Higher chromealloys are also more corrosion resistive.

Although there are online monitoring and cleaning(soot-blowing) systems available commercially today,the key to avoidance of serious deposition andcorrosion in biomass combustion plant is in the designphase. It can be very difficult to compensate for poordesign after the plant is built. The designer of thecombustion equipment and boiler plant must have the appropriate fuel assessment and design tools.

Figure 1: Composition and amount of inorganics released in combustion of biomass and coal.Continued overleaf..

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Biomass Co-firing in China: Aston University’sContribution to theChEuBio ProjectProduced by Crystal Luxmore, Aston University Bioenergy Research Group on behalf of ChEuBio

Aston University’s Bioenergy Research Group is part of a European-Chinese team that will evaluate market opportunities for EU companies to introduce co-firing of biomass in China’s coal fired power stations.


Andrew MinchenerIEA Environmental Projects Ltd.Briarfield, Station Close, ChurchdownGloucestershire, GL3 2JWUNITED KINGDOMEmail: [email protected]

Figure 1: Typical 200 MW chinese power plant.

Figure 2: Some of the project partners.

Figure 3: Biofuels in China.

The 590,000¤ ChEuBio (China EU Bioenergy project),funded by the European Commission, is a two-yearinitiative that will assess the commercial possibilitiesof co-firing biomass in China’s coal fired powerstations to help cut the country’s dependence on fossilfuel and help reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Andrew Minchener, the Project Co-ordinator, said: “The potential impact of substituting coal with a CO2neutral fuel is large. If half of the biomass wastescurrently produced in China could be utilised in theexisting power plants it could displace over 200million tonnes of coal.”

Coal has fuelled China’s emergence as an economicpowerhouse and today the country is the world’slargest coal producer and consumer. With over 70% of all energy consumed in China coming from coal, themarket is promising for EU companies who are keen tointroduce their co-firing technology to new markets.

Co-firing, which is not currently practiced in China,involves burning coal and biomass together – mainlystraw, rice husks, and wastes from crops and wood.Co-firing cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions andcan help to reduce global warming because biomass isa ‘carbon neutral’ fuel releasing the same amount ofcarbon when it is burned as it absorbs while growing.

China is a complex economy with distributed farms,making the logistics of biomass collection andtransport challenging. ChEuBio will gather data on thebiomass sources and availability, undertake case

studies of various plants to assess possibilities for co-firing in China’s coal power plants, and determinethe commercial potential for co-firing in China.

Aston University’s Bioenergy Research Group will usegeographic modelling to evaluate the potential ofusing various biomass feedstocks in different regionsof China, and will help to communicate the findings to the Chinese power industry and policy makers inthe country.

Professor Tony Bridgwater, Head of the BioenergyResearch Group, said: “The fast growing economy in China offers enormous possibilities for bioenergy to make a major contribution to improving the global environment“

ChEuBio will share the results with the European co-firing industry and help companies to establishtechnology partnerships with Chinese power stations.

Chicken Litter is a Difficult Fuel

David Bowie of Doosan Babcock shared some resultson the operating performance of a 40.6 MWth chickenlitter fired BFB installation and particularly the ashrelated impacts. Several severe operational problemswere experienced in this installation, such asagglomeration of fuel ash in the bed, fouling offurnace walls, primary and secondary superheaters,the convective section and economiser. It appearedthat the deposition of ash on superheaters led tohigher superheater exit temperatures, and increasedentrance temperatures to downstream convective andeconomiser sections. As the ash deposits becomeharder and difficult to remove using installed soot-blowers at elevated temperatures, manualcleaning was frequently required, resulting in plantavailability of 80%, vs. 90% as design availability.

Design changes have been proposed for theinstallation, including elimination of refractoryslopes, extended support firing at start-up, on-load water washing of the furnace, large platensuperheating surface and increased tube pitch.

Sewage Sludge may help Mitigate Deposit Formation

Claes Tullin explained the results of combustion trialswhere wood waste was co-fired with sewage sludge.Sewage sludge contains relatively high concentrationsof S, Al, Si, Fe, Ca and P, which may help inpreventing the formation of alkali chlorides formedfrom relatively high concentrations of alkali metals in the wood.

While deposit formation increased when adding ZnO to wood fuel (as present in waste wood), adding sludge substantially reduced deposit growthand reduced corrosive alkali chloride concentrationsin the deposit as potassium is sulphated. Adding sewage sludge also led to reduced emissions of aerosols (< 1 µm), this is explained by transportation of mainly KCl and K2SO4 in aerosols to larger particles.

Conclusions

It can be concluded that ash related issues such as deposition and chloride based corrosion areimportant for reliable operation of biomass firedboilers. Particularly when biomass is used in a boiler that is originally designed for another fuel,availability may be seriously hampered. The challenges increase with more challenging fuels and steam conditions.

It is therefore essential that proper fundamentalunderstanding exists of the ash chemistry in a boiler,and that particularities of a fuel are seriously taken into account when designing or modifying a new boiler.

Figure 4: The ammonium in ChlorOut also leads to a reduction in NOx emissions.


Jaap Koppejan Procede Biomass BVPO Box 328, 7500 AH EnschedeNETHERLANDSTel: +31 53 489 4636Fax: +31 53 489 5399Mob: +31 6 49867956Email: [email protected]: http://www.procede.nl

Figure 5: Fused deposits of alkali metals (Potassium Chloride and Potassium Sulphate) on thesecondary superheater of a chicken litter fired boiler.

BEPINET – A Project to PromoteBiomass Energy in Latin America

34

Aston University Professor AwardedEurope’s Top Bioenergy Prize

35

UK Bioenergy Network Secures £6.4 Million Continuation

36

BIOSYNERGY: A New EC Biorefinery-Based Project

39

Energy Policy to Support European Biomass Development

40

BtL Conference, 16-17 October 2006, Munich

41

Diary of Events 42

Country Representatives 43

An Overview of some of theThermalNet Experts & Partners

37

IEA Bioenergy – Task 42Biorefineries Co-production

of Fuels, Chemicals, Power andMaterials from Biomass

38

ThermalNet contents

34

BEPINET –A Project to Promote BiomassEnergy in Latin AmericaBy Philippe Girard, Cirad, France

Aston UniversityProfessor AwardedEurope’s TopBioenergy Prize

Access to energy is widely seen as a key to alleviating poverty. The BEPINET project“Biomass Energy Platforms Implementation for Training in Latin America” is part of the EU’s effort to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly that of halving the proportion of people in extreme poverty by the year 2015.

To successfully contribute to this ultimate objective, the team will set up two training platforms that can deliverknowledge and skills in bioenergy technology to enable rural communities in Peru, Ecuador and Brazil to generateenergy from existing renewable resources more efficiently. Indeed, despite technological advances, the potential ofbiomass energy is not yet fully exploited. This is mainly due to a general lack of awareness and know-how amongthe end-users, policy makers & technology developers. Therefore, the aim of BEPINET is to establish perennialtraining platforms covering two wide regions in the Andes and the Amazonian zones, each of them with specificenergy needs and quantities of biomass available (see Figure 1). These platforms will be based on the reinforcementand networking of local existing competent institutions and universities as well as the gathering of representativedemonstration biomass plants that can be used as show cases and training support.

BEPINET is led by CIRAD in Montpellier, France, working together with European partners from Aston University,UK and Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. The Latin America partners are University Federal of Para,Brazil, Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva, Peru, Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos RecursosNaturais Renováveis, Brazil, and the Instituto Nacional Autónomo de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Equador. The project team will co-ordinate a range of training and dissemination activities in two major regions of LatinAmerica. The project officially started in January 2006 and had its kick off meting in Belem, Brazil in early March.

Professor Tony Bridgwater of AstonUniversity received the Johannes LinnebornPrize for his outstanding contribution todeveloping energy from biomass at theworld’s largest bioenergy conference on the 7th May in Berlin.

The award was presented by Ralph Overend of America’sNational Renewable Energy Laboratory who laudedProfessor Bridgwater’s achievements in the field ofthermal-chemical conversion of biomass.

The Johannes Linneborn Prize was established in 1994for outstanding contributions to the development ofenergy from biomass. Johannes Linneborn, who lived1899-1991, was a pioneer in modern biomassutilisation. In his professional life of almost 70 years,his interest covered a wide range of activities fromagriculture, energy and transport to health andnutrition. His credo was the necessity to integrate all human activities in the natural cycle of life.

Professor Bridgwater leads the Bioenergy ResearchGroup at Aston University, where he began researchinto bioenergy over 20 years ago. He is a pioneer infostering national and international collaboration inbioenergy research. Last month he clinched a successfulbid to continue the UK’s biggest bioenergy consortium– SUPERGEN Bioenergy – for a further four years with£6.4 million in EPSRC funding. He also managesThermalNet – the EU’s research network on thermal-chemical conversion of biomass, leads the International Energy Agency’s Pyrolysis Task, and has organised over ten international conferenceson thermal-chemical biomass conversion.

“I’m honoured to receive this prestigious award as part of a long line of distinguished researchers inbiomass and bioenergy,” said Professor Bridgwater.

“Working in the bioenergy field is extremely fulfilling.With interest in bioenergy continuing to soar, I hopethat our collaboration as scientists, industrialists,economists and environmentalists will help to fulfil

bioenergy’s great potential to be Europe’s biggestrenewable energy resource,” he said. Working closelywith industry has also been a cornerstone of Professor’sBridgwater’s career including projects with BP, Biffaand E.ON. Professor Bridgwater has acted as an advisor and evaluator on bioenergy for Governmentdepartments in Canada, the UK, New Zealand, the US and Europe.

Figure 1: Regions to be assisted by BEPINET.


Philippe Girard CIRAD- Forêt, Energy Environmental UnitTA 10/16, 73 Rue Jean Francois BretonMontpellier Cedex 5, 34398FRANCETel: +33 4 67 61 44 90Fax: +33 4 67 61 65 15Email: [email protected]


Tony Bridgwater Bioenergy Research Group, Aston University Birmingham B4 7ETUNITED KINGDOMTel: +44(0)121 204 3381Email: [email protected]

35Comments and contributions are most welcome on any aspect of the contents.Please contact Emily Wakefield for further details or to send material.

Figure 2: Steam engine Beneck. Figure 3: Unité Koblitz 9.6 MW.

BEPINET is working with a twin initiative in Africa called BEPITA to transfer best practices and successfultechnologies between the two continents. To that end, a study tour was held in June 2006 for wood workingindustries and policy makers from Africa and French Guyana on “Heat and power generation from biomass inBrazilian Amazon“. 20 participants were involved in this event. More than ten biomass power plants were visited;ranging from a 250 KW steam engine in the wood working industry (see Figure 2) to a 10 MW steam turbinepower plant (see Figure 3), all using biomass to produce heat and power.

The programme of activity planned for 2007 can be consulted on the BEPINET web site: www.bepinet.net.

Produced by Crystal Luxmore on behalf of Bioenergy Research Group

An Overview of some of the ThermalNetExperts & PartnersBy Emily Wakefield, Aston University, UK

36

Michael DoranContact:Rural Generation65-67 Culmore RoadLondonderryBT61 9SLNORTHERN IRELANDTel: +44 (0)2871358215Email: [email protected]

Interests:- Use of short rotation willow as an energy

crop and as a biofilter

- Bioenergy policy development

Current and Recent Projects:- Biopros

- RENEW

- Supergen British Bioenergy Consortium

Jaap KoppejanContact:Procede Biomass BVPO Box 328Enschede7500 AH THE NETHERLANDSTel: +31 6 49867956Email: [email protected]

Interests:- Biomass combustion

- Biofuels

- Biomass availability

Facilities:- Pilot plants for chemical processes

Current and Recent Projects:- Feasibility of biomass CHP in Venlo Municipality

- IEA Bioenergy Task 32 coordination

- Improvement of woodlog stoves

Jozef ViglaskyContact:Faculty of Environmental and Manufacturing TechnologyTechnical University in ZvolenT.G.Masaryka 2117/24Zvolen96053SLOVAKIATel: +421 45 5206 875Fax: +421 45 5206 875Email: [email protected]

Interests:- Biomass use in energy sector

- Bioenergy systems

Facilities:- Equipped bioenergy laboratory

- Wood chips combustion unit, 600 kW

- Wood gasification unit with capacity of 1 MW

Current and Recent Projects:- AGROBIOGAS

- Wood Gasification technology

- Monitoring of Gasification technology

- BIOPROS

Claes TullinContact:SP Swedish National Testing and Research InstitutePO Box 857Borås, SE 501 15SWEDENTel: + 46 33 16 55 55Fax: + 46 33 13 19 79Email: [email protected]

Interests:- Biomass combustion

- Emissions, aerosols and ash chemistry

- Small-scale combustion

- Fluidised bed combustion

- Fuel characteristics

Facilities:- Combustion testing laboratory

- Fire testing laboratory

- Fuel and ash analysis etc

Current and Recent Projects:- Small-scale biomass combustion – A number of

on-going projects regarding pellets, agricultural fuels, gas and particle emissions

- Waste refinery – planning of a competence centreregarding optimal use of waste for CHP, biogas and ethanol production

- Large scale biomass (and waste) combustion – a number of ongoing projects in the areaagglomeration in fluidised beds, deposits on heatexchangers, high-T measurements of PM, gas andparticle emissions, process control

Pavel KolatContact:VSB-Technical University Ostrava17 listopadu 15Ostrava Poruba, 708 33CZECH REPUBLICTel: +420-59 7324403Fax: +420-59 6915315Email: [email protected]

Interests:- Power engineering

- Combustion

- Heat and mass transfer

Facilities:- Gasification and combustion experimental units

- Mobile emission laboratory

Current and Recent Projects:- DeCOx processes

- Research and estimation of utilisation criteria for the by-products

- Co-combustion of coal and biomass with sewagesludge from waste water treatment plants

37

UK Bioenergy NetworkSecures £6.4 MillionContinuationAston University led a successful, multi-million pound bid to continue the UK’slargest Bioenergy R&D consortium, SUPERGENBioenergy, for a further four years.

The EPSRC-funded £6.4 million continuation will build on the findings of the first four years of theproject and extend the work into promising new areas of bioenergy including renewable transport fuels and biorefineries.

Research and development focuses on nine themes that span the entire bioenergy chain: resourcesincluding marine biomass; characterisation andpretreatment; nitrogen; thermal conversion; power and heat; transport fuels and biorefinery; ammonia;and system analysis, complemented by a dissemination and collaboration theme.

Work developed in the first four years of the projectwill be expanded. SUPERGEN II will devote moreattention to lower cost and more varied sources ofbiomass, like rape, straw and bark, because growingcompetition for high quality biomass is expected todrive up the price in future.

SUPERGEN Bioenergy II welcomes three new academicpartners – Forest Research, Imperial College andPolicy Studies Institute – to total ten organisations.Jenny Jones of Leeds University will oversee thefinancial management.

Industrial partners are set to increase from six toeleven companies. One or more industry mentors will support each of the theme leaders to manage and direct activities.

SUPERGEN publishes British Bioenergy News, a biannual newsletter on the latest bioenergydevelopments in the UK. For a free subscription visit the website: www.supergen-bioenergy.net.

It also runs the Bioenergy Research Forum whereindustry and researchers meet every 6-8 months todiscuss and exchange information on bioenergy.Anyone interested in bioenergy can join the meetingsand apply to become an associate member ofSUPERGEN free of charge.

SUPERGEN Bioenergy is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The first phase of the project ran from June 2003 to May 2007.

The continuation of SUPERGEN runs from June 2007 to May 2011.

There are ten academic partners: Aston University,Cranfield University; Forest Research, Institute forGrassland and Environmental Studies; Imperial College;Policy Studies Institute; Rothamsted Research;University of Leeds; University of Manchester; and the University of Sheffield.

The eleven planned industrial partners are: Alstom plc;Amec plc, Bical Ltd; Biffa plc, Biomass Engineering Ltd;BP plc; Coppice Resources Ltd; Eon plc; JohnsonMatthey plc; Rural Generation Ltd; RWE.


Tony Bridgwater, Aston University SUPERGEN Bioenergy Managing DirectorTel: +44 (0)121 204 3381Email: [email protected]

Jenny Jones, University of Leeds Energy & Resources Research InstituteSUPERGEN Bioenergy Finance DirectorTel: 0113 348 2498 ext 2477Email: [email protected]

Figure 1: SUPERGEN Bioenergy II structure.

Produced by Crystal Luxmore on behalf of Bioenergy Research Group

IEA Bioenergy –Task 42 BiorefineriesCo-production of Fuels,Chemicals, Power and Materials from BiomassBy Rene van Ree and Ed de Jong, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Drivers for the Task and Added Value

The Biorefineries Task covers a new and very broad biomass-related field with a very large application potential. To open up the biorefinery-related potential,international system and technology development together with industry is a necessity.Joint international priorities and RD&D-programmes between industry, researchinstitutes, universities, governmental bodies and NGOs are necessary; whileidentification of market introduction strategies together with industry will be inevitable for the creation of a proper RD&D-framework.

BIOSYNERGY is a four year project, running from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2010.It’s aim is to scale-up bioenergy production in a €13 million European biorefinery project.The BIOSYNERGY project, sponsored by the European Commission, aims to make bioenergycost competitive with fossil fuels by designing innovative biorefinery concepts.

BIOSYNERGY: A New EC Biorefinery-BasedProjectProduced by Crystal Luxmore, Aston University Bioenergy Research Group on behalf of the Biosynergy project

38

Task 30SRC

Task 31Sustainable

forestry

Task 40Sustainable international

biomass trade

Task 32Biomass cofiring

Task 33Thermal

gasification of biomass

Task 34Pyrolysis

of biomass

Task 39Liquid fuels

from biomass

Task 29Socio-

economic drivers

Task 38Greenhouse

gas balances

Task 41System analysis

Task 42 Biorefineries

national RD&D

programmes

international RD&D

programmes

EU technology platforms

This Task will Cover:

• A variety of market sectors (i.e. transport sector, chemical sector, power sector, agricultural sector)with many interested stakeholders.

• A variety of biomass conversion technologies and, more importantly, integrated concepts of both(bio)chemical and thermo-chemical conversion technologies.

Integrated biorefinery concepts convert a variety of feedstocks, including residues, into a portfolio of productswith improved energetic chain efficiency, economy and environmental effects, compared to stand-aloneprocesses often producing only one or two products.

The methodology of an integrated system approach – optimising the overall added-value of the portfolio ofbiomass-derived products, within an acceptable overall ecological framework – is one of the major aspectswhich distinguish this Task from the other IEA Bioenergy Tasks.

The project team will develop concepts and carry out supporting research to address problems and providedata to help implement a future biorefinery. BIOSYNERGY further aims to achieve sound techno-economicprocess development of integrated production of chemicals, transportation fuels and energy, from lab-scale to pilot plant. The project will be instrumental in the future establishment of biorefineries that can producebulk quantities of chemicals, fuels and energy from a wide range of biomass feedstocks.

Despite rising petrol prices, using biomass to produce transportation fuels, and to a lesser extent energy, is still more expensive than using traditional petrochemical resources. However, a biorefinery can scale-upproduction and efficiency while cutting costs by making multiple products and maximising the value of thefeedstock. For example, a biorefinery could produce a number of high value chemicals, large volumes of liquidtransport fuels and use the excess energy to heat and power the plant. The chemicals boost profitability,transport fuels replace some of the fossil fuels currently on the market, and reusing excess heat and powercuts carbon emissions further.

Led by the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), BIOSYNERGY comprises 17 academic and industrial partners from across Europe (listed below).

• Greencell S.A., Spain

• Compania Espanola de Petroles S.A.

• DOW Benelux B.V., The Netherlands

• VTT Technical Research Centre, Finland

• Aston University, United Kingdom

• WUR Agrotechnology and Food Innovations B.V., The Netherlands

• Agro Industrie Recherches et Developments, France

• Institut Francais du Pétrole, France

• Centre for Renewable Energy Sources, Greece

• Biomass Technology Group, The Netherlands

• Joanneum Research, Austria

• Biorefinery.de, Germany

• Glowny Instytut Gornictwa, Poland

• Joint Research Centre, Belgium

• Chimar Hellas S.A., Greece

• Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Researchers will use advanced fractionation and conversion processes for biomass and combine bio-chemical andthermo-chemical pathways to develop the most economical and environmentally sound solutions for large-scalebioenergy production.

BIOSYNERGY will set-up pilot plants of the most promising technologies for a “bioethanol side-streams”biorefinery, in close collaboration with the lignocellulose-to-bioethanol pilot-plant of project partner Greencell,currently under construction in Salamanca, Spain.

Work Programme 2007 - 2009

1. Building and operating a Task web-site.

2. Development of a common definition andclassification system on Biorefineries.

3. Identification, current processing potential,and mapping of existing biorefineries inparticipating countries. Small, medium andlarge-scale initiatives will be assessed.

4. Identification of biorefinery (related) RD&Dprogrammes in participating countries.

5. Assessment of financial-economic andecological advantages and disadvantages ofbiorefinery-based co-production over singleproduct processes. Integration of biorefineryprocesses in existing industrial infrastructureswill be part of this assessment.

6. Fostering multi-disciplinary partnerships ofkey stakeholders normally operating indifferent market sectors to discuss commonbiorefinery-related topics (platform function).

7. Assessment of biorefinery-based co-production of chemicals and secondaryenergy carriers, addressing amongst othersfavourable functionalised chemicals andplatform chemicals (building blocks) to be co-produced, and market compatibility aspects.

8. Co-operation with ongoing internationalactivities, such as other IEA Bioenergy Tasksand EU Technology Platforms.

9. Dissemination of knowledge, including teaching.

Primary production and logistics of biomass will bean integral part of the assessments performed.

39


Project Co-ordinatorHans Reith, M.Sc. Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) NETHERLANDSTel: +31-224-564371Email: [email protected]

Figure 1: Biosynergy partner Abengoa’s bioethanol plant production facility Ecocarburantes Españoles in Cartagena, Spain.

Figure 1: Interlinkages with other IEA tasks, international and national initiatives.


Drs.ing. René van Ree Dr.ir. Ed de JongWageningen University and Research University and Research centreCentre Wageningen Task LeaderAssistant Task Leader Tel: +31-317-475298Tel: +31 317 476593 E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected] Web: www.Bio2Value.nlWeb: www.Bio2Value.nl

Participating Countries and Observers

Participants: The Netherlands, Austria, France,Germany, European Commission, Denmark 2007 observers: Finland, Ireland, Sweden.

40

BtL Conference16 – 17 October 2006MunichThe BtL conference in Munich attracted approximately 50 people, despite the fact that less than one week before, the 2nd International BtL Congress was held in Berlin. Turning biomass into a second generation liquid fuel is undoubtedly gaining interest. The Munich conference was mainly attended by representatives of industries looking fornew business developments. These included delegates from forest owners, the pulp- and paper industry, biodiesel- and bioethanol-plants, catalyst suppliers, engine-suppliers,energy companies, oil companies and chemical companies.

Presentations were generally adapted to the public’s interest. Most presenters avoided complex technical detailsand chose to present overviews and economics. Tom Blades (Choren CEO) announced plans to erect five so-calledSigma plants to convert 1 million tones of biomass per year into Fischer-Tropsch liquids. The first plant will belocated in Lubmin in Germany and should start production in 2010. The fifth plant should come on stream in2015. Diesel will be produced for approximately 70 €ct/litre. Reinhard Rauch (TU Vienna) presented their conceptof producing Fischer-Tropsch products in small-scale units (typically 30 MWth input) where power and heat arevaluable by-products. The Fischer-Tropsch products are transported to large-scale units for upgrading. Diesel will be approximately 1 €/litre. Other presentations dealt with pyrolysis (Dynamotive), LCA studies (IFEU), businessand visions by large companies like Lurgi, Volkswagen and Volvo.

The conference has been one of the many examples that show that BtL enjoys great interest. Many seekopportunities to make money. At the same time, it must be realised that technology is not yet ready for large-scale demonstration plants. That will probably take another 5-10 years. We can only hope that the present political and industrial interest will accelerate the development and shorten the time to implementation.

“Policy is the single most significant barrier to bioenergy expansion in Europe.” That was the verdict of Thermalnet members at a workshop held in Lille in 2006. Further investigation by the barriers team showed this view to be widely held, even across member states with quite contrasting policy regimes and bioenergy industries.However there are some general lessons that can be learnt from the European experience of bioenergy to date which may help guide future policy development.

Analysing the effect of policy on bioenergy development

If bioenergy is to expand in Europe, it is critical to understand: the role energy policy can play in increasingdeployment; the limitations of policy; what policy instruments are available and what the obstacles are. Yet, while there have been a plethora of biomass “initiatives” in the last decade or so there was relativelylittle evidence of what was actually effective in bringing forward new bioenergy plants and keeping them operational.

The Way Forward

The European Commission is already leading the way for its member states with the implementation of an ambitiousBiomass Action Plan. Enthusiastic and determined adoption of its recommendations would provide a long termframework for future biomass development in member states. However, member states need to have a clear vision of what they are trying to develop (the resources, the sectors and the technologies appropriate to them) to ensureappropriate targeting of resources and prevent unnecessary policy and legislative shifts as the industry grows.

Many countries with a less developed biomass industry or scarce resources will focus on investment subsidies.Others, who are further on, will initiate policy instruments such as trading certificates, green tariffs, taxation ora combination of these. These will be most beneficial where the specific contribution of biomass is recognisedfinancially by targeting of funds, rather than open competition with other forms of renewables. The vision of anopen, competitive European electricity market where biomass can make a contribution to clean energy is anattractive one, but first requires an interim period of biomass specific funding and development.

By Bram van der Drift, ECN Biomass Coal and Environmental Research, The Netherlands

Energy Policy toSupport EuropeanBiomass DevelopmentBy Patricia Thornley, University of Manchester, UK


Bram van der DriftECN Biomass Coal and Environmental Research P.O. Box 1 1755 ZG PettenNETHERLANDS Tel: +31 224 564515 Fax: +31 224 568487 Email: [email protected]


Dr Patricia ThornleyTyndall Centre for Climate Change ResearchRoom H4Pariser BuildingUniversity of ManchesterPO Box 88MANCHESTER M60 1QDUNITED KINDGOM Tel: +44 (0)161 3063257Email: [email protected]

Figure 1: ThermalNet barriers workshop.

41

KEY CONCLUSIONS

1. Continuity of policy instruments is critical.

2. Specific instruments for particular forms of bioenergy (e.g. electricity, CHP, co-firing, transport fuels) work better

than more general mechanisms.

3. Fixed prices are good for kick-starting bioenergy industries, but generous premiums are needed to sustain activity

4. Investment subsidies can initially help develop a bioenergy industry, particularly where growth of biomass crops

is involved, but often do not maintain long term development.

5. Trading certificates have successfully generated investment in bioenergy, but work best when specifically weighted

towards bioenergy.

6. Long term taxation measures are effective when set at a high level and increased incrementally, but the lower levels of

taxation more commonly applied in European member states need to be used alongside another stronger mechanism.

Figure 2: Key conclusions of policy to support bioenergy.The ThermalNet barriers task therefore undertook an evaluation of current and historic bioenergy policies in a small number of representative countries in Europe (UK, Germany, Italy and Sweden) analysing:

• What types of policy instruments had been used in each country

• How successful these had been

• Any unexpected/unwanted impacts

• The reasons why certain instruments had been successful and others had not

• What general lessons can be learnt from the experience to date?

Detailed quantitative data was gathered in relation to bioenergy development in each country and policytimelines drawn up. Care was taken to ensure country specific factors, context and other related issues weretaken into account by obtaining inputs and advice from experts with direct experience in each country. The fulldetailed report is available on the ThermalNet website, but some of the key conclusions are discussed here.

Continuity and Commitment

The work demonstrated that uncertainty and lack of continuity in energy policy is a key issue that applies to biomass and all other renewables. The timescales over which national governments may change, frequentlyfrustrates long term policy commitments and this is an area where a strong lead from the EuropeanCommission and parliament is extremely beneficial. The Renewable Energy Sources directive and BiomassAction plan are steps in the right direction, which must now be built upon and consolidated. Uniformity withrespect to definitions of biomass, waste and renewables could also be led at a European level and could helpcreate a level European playing field in the sector.

Policy Instruments

Regarding the actual policy instruments it seems that investment subsidies are useful in the early stages if followed up by other policy initiatives as the industry develops. Whether this is a fixed electricity tariff,trading certificates or taxation is not as critical as ensuring that sufficient levels of funding are actuallychannelled into the biomass industry.

Competition

Whilst bioenergy is competitive in some countries under certain circumstances, in others it often requires ahigher level of support than other renewable technologies such as wind. This results in a need for higherpremiums for bioenergy or ring-fenced funding opportunities specific to a bioenergy sector.

Nordic Bioenergy 2007Date: 11th – 13th June 2007Venue: Stockholm, SwedenWebsite: http://www.nordicbioenergy2007.se/

Biofuels Markets AsiaDate: 12th – 13th June 2007Venue: Orchard Hotel, SingaporeWebsite: www.greenpowerconferences.comEmail: annie.ellis@

greenpowerconferences.com

Renewable Energy Finance AsiaDate: 12th – 13th June 2007Venue: SingaporeWebsite: www.greenpowerconferences.com/

renewablesmarkets/ref_singapore07.html

20th International Congress and Exhibition on Condition Monitoring and Diagnostic Engineering Management (COMADEM '07)Date: 13th – 15th June 2007Venue: Campus da Penha,

University of Algarve, Faro, PortugalWebsite: www.co.it.pt/comadem2007Email: [email protected].

Biogas Markets AsiaDate: 14th – 15th June 2007Venue: SingaporeWebsite: http://www.greenpowerconferences.

com/renewablesmarkets/Biogas_Singapore07.html

3rd Coaltrans RussiaDate: 18th – 19th June 2007Venue: Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya, MoscowWebsite: http://www.coaltrans.com/

default.asp?Page=11&eventid=ECK131&site=coaltrans

International Field Workshop on “RenewableEnergy for Sustainable Development in Africa”Date: 18th – 21st June 2007Venue: MauritiusFax: +27(0)12-481-4273Email: [email protected] /

[email protected]

Energy 2007Date: 20th – 22nd June 2007Venue: The New Forest, UKWebsite: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/

conferences/2007/energy07/index.html

China Eco ExpoDate: 21st – 24th June 2007Venue: China Exhibition CentreWebsite: http://www.ecoexpo.com/

default.aspx Email: [email protected]

Renewable Energy EuropeDate: 26th – 28th June 2007Venue: Feria de Madrid, Madrid, SpainWebsite: www.renewableenergy-europe.com E-mail: [email protected]

Powergen EuropeDate: 26th – 28th June 2007Venue: Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain Website: http://pge07.events.pennnet.com/

fl/index.cfm

Energy in Regional Development – Learning from European Best Practice Date: 29th June 2007 Venue: Combined Universities in Cornwall,

Tremough, Penryn, Cornwall, UKContact: Lindsay Knuckey, Cornwall

Sustainable Energy PartnershipEmail: [email protected] Tel: +44(0)1209 614 974

8th International Conference of EcomaterialsDate: 9th – 11th July 2007Venue: ICEM8, Brunel University, LondonWebsite: www.brunel.ac.uk/sed/icem8 Email: [email protected]

The 41st IUPAC World Chemistry CongressDate: 5th – 11th August 2007Venue: Lingotto Conference Centre, Turin, ItalyContact: Prof. Giuseppe Della GattaWebsite: www.iupac2007.org Email: [email protected]

Bioenergy 2007 - International BioenergyConference & ExhibitionDate: 3rd – 6th September 2007Venue: Jyvaskyla, FinlandWebsite: http://seminaarit.ohoi.fi/

default.asp?seminarID=6

Future Energy: Chemical SolutionsDate: 12th – 14th September 2007Venue: University of Nottingham,

Nottingham, UKWebsite: www.rsc.org/energy07

Industrial & Power Gas Turbine O&M ConferenceDate: 12th– 13th September 2007Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, LondonContact: Sophie Fuggle, Gas Turbine EventsTel: +44 (0) 207 931 7072Fax: +44 (0) 207 931 7186Website: www.gasturbine-events.comEmail: [email protected]

India Electricity 2007Date: 20th – 22nd September 2007Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, IndiaTel: 022 – 2496 8000 / 2496 6633 - 39 /

ext: 117Fax: 022 – 2496 6631 / 32Mobile: 098195 01719Email: [email protected]

10th International Conference “Hydrogen Materials Science in Chemistry of Carbon Nanomaterials” (ICHMS 2007)Date: 22nd – 28th September 2007Venue: Sudak, Crimea, UkraineWebsite: http://www.ichms.com.ua/

Biomass Asia 2007Date: 29th – 31st October 2007Venue: China World Trade Centre, BeijingContact: Mr. Marco WangTel: +86-10-88145170Fax: +86-10-88110979Email: [email protected]

Diary of EventsCompiled by Emily Wakefield, Aston University, UK

42

Country Representatives

43

Below is a list of distributors of the ThermalNet newsletter. If you would like to receive a copy of the newsletter please contact therepresentative for your country. If you would like to make a contribution to the newsletter please contact the newsletter administratorfor the relevant technology.

AUSTRIAHermann HofbauerTechnical University of ViennaInstitut für VerfahrenstechnikBrennstofftechnik und UmweltechnikGetreidemarkt 9/166WienA-1060AUSTRIATel: +43 1 58801 15970Email: [email protected]

BELGIUMYves SchenkelCentre for Agricultural Research (CRA-W)Chausée de Namur, 146GemblouxB-5030BELGIUMTel: +32 81 627 148Email: [email protected]

DENMARKUlla KorsgaardEGJ DevelopmentDalgas Alle 3Herning DK-7400 DENMARKTel: +45 99 26 82 18 / 40 44 67 14 Email: [email protected]

FINLANDAnja OasmaaVTT Technical Research Centre of FinlandLiquid BiofuelsBiologinkuja 3-5PO Box 1000EspooFIN-02044 VTTFINLANDTel: +358 20 722 5594Email: [email protected]

FRANCEPhilippe GirardCIRAD- ForêtEnergy Environmental UnitTA 10/1673 Rue Jean Francois BretonMontpellier Cedex 534398FRANCETel: +33 4 67 61 44 90Email: [email protected]

GERMANYD MeierBFH-Institute for Wood ChemistryLeuschnerstrasse 91Hamburg-Bergedorf D-21031GERMANYTel: +49 40 739 62 517 Email: [email protected]

GREECEM ChristouCRES - Centre for Renewable Energy Sources19th km, Marathonos Ave.CR 190 09 PikermiGREECETel: +30 210 6603 394 Email: [email protected]

IRELANDM DoranRural GenerationBrook Hall Estate65-67 Culmore RoadLondonderryBT48 8JEUKTel: 02871 358215Email: [email protected]

ITALYD ChiaramontiUniversity of FlorenceDepartment of Energetics “Sergio Stecco” Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Via di S.Marta 3, Florence50319ITALYTel: +39 055 4796 436Email: [email protected]

NETHERLANDSJaap KoppejanTNO PO Box 342Apeldoorn7300 AHNETHERLANDSTel: +31 55 549 3167Email: [email protected]

NORWAYMorten GrønliDepartment of Energy and Process EngineeringNorwegian University of Science andTechnologyKolbjorn Hejes vei 1A7034 TrondheimNORWAYTel: +47 73 59 37 25 Email: [email protected]

PORTUGALBenilde MendesNew University of LisbonFaculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaGrupo de Disciplinas de Ecologia da HidrosferaQuinta da TorreLisbon2829-516 CaparicaPORTUGALTel: +351 21 294 8543 Email: [email protected]

SWEDENEva LarssonTPS Termiska Processer ABStudsvikNyköping61182SWEDENTel: +46 155 22 13 54Email: [email protected]

USADoug C ElliottBattelle PNNL902 Battelle BoulevardPO Box 999RichlandWashington99352USATel: +1 509 375 2248Email: [email protected]

UK & REST OF WORLDEmily L WakefieldAston UniversityBio Energy Research GroupChemical Engineering and Applied ChemistryBirminghamB4 7ETUKTel: +44 (0)121 204 3420Email: [email protected]

NEWSLETTER ADMINISTRATORS

CombNetJaap KoppejanTNO PO Box 342Apeldoorn7300 AHNETHERLANDSTel: +31 55 549 3167Email: [email protected]

GasNet Harrie KnoefBiomass Technology Group BTGPO Box 217AE Enschede7500 NETHERLANDSTel: +31 53 486 11 90Fax: +31 53 486 11 80Email: [email protected]

PyNe/ThermalNet Emily L WakefieldAston UniversityBio Energy Research GroupChemical Engineering and Applied ChemistryBirminghamB4 7ETUKTel: +44 (0)121 204 3420Email: [email protected]

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