Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GICO (Gasification Integrated with CO2 capture and conversion)
Período documentado: 2020-12-01 hasta 2022-05-31
The world is facing a massive economic, energy and environmental challenge, that is particularly acute for Europe. World energy demand is set to increase by more than 30% between today and 2040. Oil and gas reserves are increasingly concentrated in a few countries. We almost reached 100$ per barrel (60 €/MWh), and natural gas is at 200 €/MWh. The 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework, reinforced by the European Commission’s “New Green Deal”, has set the objectives to reach 50% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 1990, 27% share of renewable energy in 2030 and 27% energy efficiency. Bioenergy contributes to Europe's energy supply almost as much as the primary energy production of indigenous gas and more than that of oil. The share of biomass (used for heat, electricity and biofuels) in the production of EU RES is about 60%. In the production of renewable electricity biomass share is about 20%. New technologies must be found in order to integrate biomass (especially residual/waste) especially in the transport and electricity sectors. There exists significant solid biomass/waste potential but the difficulty in converting these feedstocks together with the high CAPEX/OPEX (capital and operative costs) high emission of the actual biomass/solid waste power systems limit the development of this potential.
Indeed, there is no renewable energy technology with:
1) higher commercial potential (where there is life there is biomass and there will be always low cost biomass waste):
2) lower environmental impacts (it can arrive to CO2 negative emission);
3) better resource efficiency/social acceptance and cross-fertilisation with many sectors (is the only one that can produce also materials/chemicals and can be integrated with food, materials, chemicals and fuel industries)
than the use of residual waste biomass and renewable electricity excess via integration of (see Figure 1):
(i) Hydrothermal Cracking in order to allow the conversion also of the biomass waste difficult to convert directly
(ii) Sorption Enhanced Gasification in order to convert the solid/liquid biomass in a stream of high content of hydrogen (a more usable clean fuel gas) and a stream with high content of CO2 to be converted (from the CHxOy biomass watse)
(iii) Hot Gas Conditiong in order not to generate waste and to convert contaminants in useful gas
(iv) Carbon Capture Storage and Use in order to have a high content of CO2 and to convert it in more useful gases
(v) Power 2 Gas in order to convert renewable electricity excess in fuel and stabilize electrical grid
(vi) Advanced biofuel and electricity production technologies to produce bifule and electricity with high efficiency and low emissions
Indeed, there is no renewable energy technology with:
1) higher commercial potential (where there is life there is biomass and there will be always low cost biomass waste):
2) lower environmental impacts (it can arrive to CO2 negative emission);
3) better resource efficiency/social acceptance and cross-fertilisation with many sectors (is the only one that can produce also materials/chemicals and can be integrated with food, materials, chemicals and fuel industries)
than the use of residual waste biomass and renewable electricity excess via integration of (see Figure 1):
(i) Hydrothermal Cracking in order to allow the conversion also of the biomass waste difficult to convert directly
(ii) Sorption Enhanced Gasification in order to convert the solid/liquid biomass in a stream of high content of hydrogen (a more usable clean fuel gas) and a stream with high content of CO2 to be converted (from the CHxOy biomass watse)
(iii) Hot Gas Conditiong in order not to generate waste and to convert contaminants in useful gas
(iv) Carbon Capture Storage and Use in order to have a high content of CO2 and to convert it in more useful gases
(v) Power 2 Gas in order to convert renewable electricity excess in fuel and stabilize electrical grid
(vi) Advanced biofuel and electricity production technologies to produce bifule and electricity with high efficiency and low emissions
From December 2020 until May 2022 the activities has been carried out without significatively delays and increase of cost nevertheless COVID and war that increased time and cost of activities:
WP2 GASIFICATION INTENSIFIED WITH CO2 CAPTURE PROCESS
• Selection of 20 biomass residues with large availability and low cost done at M6
• Fully characterisation of the 20 biomass residues in order to choose 5 to be applied in GICO without pre-treatments and 5 with done at M12
The tests on SEG reactors, filter candles, sorbents and catalysts to achieve, within M36, 90% H2 and 90% of CO2 with no bed agglomeration and no sorbents deactivation phenomena still has to be demonstrated but the first results are in “agreement”.
WP3 CO2 CONVERSION & O2 SEPARATION
Activities on Plasma assisted catalysis technologies (Dielectric Barrier Discharge, DBD, Gliding Arc Discharge, GAD, Glow Discharge, GD, High voltage Nano-second Plasma, HiNaP) has started but tests (with the oxygen membrane) still has to be conducted and so the overall chemical and energy balance to define the most convenient technology. Nevertheless the preliminary results seem indicate the DBD as the one with higher potentiality to reach CO2 conversion efficiency of 90% with acceptable energy expenses.
WP4 Integrated lab scale tests and industrial plant design
Almost completed lab scale tests of integrated gasification/carbonation–combustion/calcination-HGC.
WP5 First evaluation of the market done as well the basis (ASPEN simulation) in order to undertake the overall techno-economic, environmental and social impact analysis done.
WP6 the following meetings and scientific article have been carried out:
- Gasification meeting together with the IEA.
- Participation in 3 international conferences
- 3 workshops in international initiatives about Gasification and Hydrogen.
- Horizon Results Booster
- “Energy Analysis of an Integrated Plant: Fluidized Bed Steam Gasification of Hydrothermally Treated Biomass Coupled to Solid Oxide Fuel Cells” on “Energies” journal, Vol 14, Iss 7331, p 7331 (2021)
WP2 GASIFICATION INTENSIFIED WITH CO2 CAPTURE PROCESS
• Selection of 20 biomass residues with large availability and low cost done at M6
• Fully characterisation of the 20 biomass residues in order to choose 5 to be applied in GICO without pre-treatments and 5 with done at M12
The tests on SEG reactors, filter candles, sorbents and catalysts to achieve, within M36, 90% H2 and 90% of CO2 with no bed agglomeration and no sorbents deactivation phenomena still has to be demonstrated but the first results are in “agreement”.
WP3 CO2 CONVERSION & O2 SEPARATION
Activities on Plasma assisted catalysis technologies (Dielectric Barrier Discharge, DBD, Gliding Arc Discharge, GAD, Glow Discharge, GD, High voltage Nano-second Plasma, HiNaP) has started but tests (with the oxygen membrane) still has to be conducted and so the overall chemical and energy balance to define the most convenient technology. Nevertheless the preliminary results seem indicate the DBD as the one with higher potentiality to reach CO2 conversion efficiency of 90% with acceptable energy expenses.
WP4 Integrated lab scale tests and industrial plant design
Almost completed lab scale tests of integrated gasification/carbonation–combustion/calcination-HGC.
WP5 First evaluation of the market done as well the basis (ASPEN simulation) in order to undertake the overall techno-economic, environmental and social impact analysis done.
WP6 the following meetings and scientific article have been carried out:
- Gasification meeting together with the IEA.
- Participation in 3 international conferences
- 3 workshops in international initiatives about Gasification and Hydrogen.
- Horizon Results Booster
- “Energy Analysis of an Integrated Plant: Fluidized Bed Steam Gasification of Hydrothermally Treated Biomass Coupled to Solid Oxide Fuel Cells” on “Energies” journal, Vol 14, Iss 7331, p 7331 (2021)
GICO seeks at developing advanced, smart and flexible approach to convert bioenergy and RES electricity excess into biofuel and on-demand power production, so producing fuel for the transport sector meanwhile balancing the grid stability. GICO aims to bring together several socio-economic benefits:
(i) utilisation of residual biomass wastes (agricultural, industrial and municipal biomass waste with high humidity and/or ash content, and/or low ash melting point, and/or high contaminants level) otherwise left to decompose naturally producing CH4 or openly burned or converted with low efficiency and high environmental impacts reducing the cost of
(ii) GICO materials and technologies developed will open new market for residual biomass, sorbents, catalysts, gasifier, plasma technologies, membrane reactors, giving the opportunity to increase efficiency and reduce emissions and costs (50% efficiency increase: 80% vs 40% for fuel and 40% vs 25% for electricity; 25 vs 45 gCO2eq/kWhe biomass GHG emissions; solid fuel to 20 €/t = 5 €/MWh vs 15 €/MWh; high quality gaseous to 10 €/MWh vs 40 €/MWhm; methanol 33 €/MWh vs 75 €/MWh; electricity 100 €/MWhe vs 220 €/MWhe);
(iii) potential to produce around 50% of electricity or 50% of transport EU energy demand, GICO create a real pathway to reduce to zero the EU annual energy import bill and create millions of local plants and job.
GICO’s main success factor is in its modularity and simultaneous production of four energy carriers (bio-syngas, electricity, heat, biomethanol) with reuse of waste CO2 and discontinuous RES electricity starting from low-cost residual biomass of local origin creating a high number of green high-quality jobs throughout the supply chain (recovery of waste biomass, decentralized energy production, distribution of the energy products) and to have a positive social impact (reduction in the import of fossil fuels, reduction of use of lithium batteries, reduction of net GHG emissions). At the same time, distributed generation makes it possible to stabilize the grid (increase the self-consumption rate, peak shaving, increase grid efficiency, improve load shifting and valley filling strategies) and obtain the CAPEX and OPEX incentives connected to the self-consumed energy
(i) utilisation of residual biomass wastes (agricultural, industrial and municipal biomass waste with high humidity and/or ash content, and/or low ash melting point, and/or high contaminants level) otherwise left to decompose naturally producing CH4 or openly burned or converted with low efficiency and high environmental impacts reducing the cost of
(ii) GICO materials and technologies developed will open new market for residual biomass, sorbents, catalysts, gasifier, plasma technologies, membrane reactors, giving the opportunity to increase efficiency and reduce emissions and costs (50% efficiency increase: 80% vs 40% for fuel and 40% vs 25% for electricity; 25 vs 45 gCO2eq/kWhe biomass GHG emissions; solid fuel to 20 €/t = 5 €/MWh vs 15 €/MWh; high quality gaseous to 10 €/MWh vs 40 €/MWhm; methanol 33 €/MWh vs 75 €/MWh; electricity 100 €/MWhe vs 220 €/MWhe);
(iii) potential to produce around 50% of electricity or 50% of transport EU energy demand, GICO create a real pathway to reduce to zero the EU annual energy import bill and create millions of local plants and job.
GICO’s main success factor is in its modularity and simultaneous production of four energy carriers (bio-syngas, electricity, heat, biomethanol) with reuse of waste CO2 and discontinuous RES electricity starting from low-cost residual biomass of local origin creating a high number of green high-quality jobs throughout the supply chain (recovery of waste biomass, decentralized energy production, distribution of the energy products) and to have a positive social impact (reduction in the import of fossil fuels, reduction of use of lithium batteries, reduction of net GHG emissions). At the same time, distributed generation makes it possible to stabilize the grid (increase the self-consumption rate, peak shaving, increase grid efficiency, improve load shifting and valley filling strategies) and obtain the CAPEX and OPEX incentives connected to the self-consumed energy