Descrizione del progetto
Pirolisi di biomassa completamente rinnovabile a energia solare per prodotti energetici ricchi di carbonio
La biomassa, con il suo elevato tenore di carbonio, rappresenta un’alternativa ecologica sostenibile agli idrocarburi convenzionali. Il riscaldamento in assenza o con un apporto limitato di ossigeno (pirolisi) consente di convertire la biomassa in preziosi prodotti energetici: bio-olio liquido, biochar solido e pirogas. Il progetto PYSOLO, finanziato dall’UE, prevede di rendere questo processo completamente rinnovabile fornendo il necessario calore di processo ad alta temperatura a partire da energia solare a concentrazione, con il sostegno di un sistema di accumulo termico per i periodi in cui l’energia solare è insufficiente. Quando sia il solare a concentrazione che il sistema di accumulo di energia termica esauriranno le proprie capacità, vi saranno due percorsi a fornire calore: la conversione di una frazione del prodotto di pirolisi disponibile e la conversione dell’elettricità in eccesso a basso costo da fonti di energia rinnovabili, tra cui il fotovoltaico e l’eolico, attraverso un sistema di riscaldamento elettrico (a induzione).
Obiettivo
PYSOLO (PYrolysis of biomass by concentrated SOLar pOwer) project aims at preparing the ground for a novel groundbreaking and fully renewable process combining concentrated solar power and biomass pyrolysis. Thanks to the use of solar heat in the pyrolysis process, the production of valuable products bio-oil, biochar and pyrogas can be maximized and the associated CO2 emission minimized, with economic and environmental benefits compared to conventional pyrolysis. The proposed system uses particles heat carrier, ensuring operational flexibility and avoiding the need of heat transfer surface in the pyrolysis reactor that facilitates the system scale-up.
Specifically, PYSOLO process aims at developing at TRL4 the two key unit operations of this novel solar pyrolysis system, namely: (i) the solar particle receiver and (ii) the pyrolysis reactor with the associated particle-char separator. The very innovative feature of PYSOLO lies in its innovative and unique coupling of pyrolysis technology with high temperature CSP system. This ground-breaking feature can potentially offer the following main advantages:
- delivering solar bio-oil, electricity or pyrogas and biochar for many energy and non-energy uses, when solar energy supplies the heat necessary for the pyrolysis process, either in sunny hours or by exploiting high temperature stored solids;
- run in self-mode the pyrolysis process (i.e. with electric heating or burning pyrogas and biochar), when solar energy is not sufficient and the TES unit is discharged;
- providing balancing services to the electric grid:
1. from the conversion of the available pyrogas when solar energy or TES are sufficient to maintain the pyrolysis process running and the grid requires the generation of additional electric power;
2. by using low-cost excess electricity from non-programmable RES (i.e. PV and wind) and converting it in high temperature thermal energy via the induction electric heating system.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringelectric energy
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringthermodynamic engineering
- agricultural sciencesagricultural biotechnologybiomass
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energyconcentrated solar power
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
20133 Milano
Italia