Clean bioenergy for industry - Novel fuel flexible highly efficient and close-to-zero emission combined biomass gasification and combustion technology for industrial applications

Project Information

CBE4I

Grant agreement ID: 101122292

DOI

10.3030/101122292

EC signature date 21 August 2023

Start date 1 September 2023

End date 30 November 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 4 974 688,75

EU contribution

€ 4 974 688,75

Coordinated by

BIOS BIOENERGIESYSTEME GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CBE4I (Clean bioenergy for industry - Novel fuel flexible highly efficient and close-to-zero emission combined biomass gasification and combustion technology for industrial applications)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CBE4I aims at the development of a novel, fuel-flexible biomass updraft gasification based technology for a highly energy efficient, almost zero emission and zero waste process heat supply for flexible implementation at industrial settings satisfying the specific demands of industry. Low-value biomass residues which are available in large quantities shall be applied.
CBE4I shall provide either (i) heat at different temperature levels which can be applied for indirectly heated processes via product gas combustion in an almost zero-emission gas burner with integrated three-way catalyst flexibly coupled with different boiler types (hot water, thermal oil, steam) or (ii) process heat and a clean product gas via product gas extraction with integrated thermal and catalytic tar reforming for utilisation in gas burners for direct heating. A novel flue gas condensation concept with directly coupled heat pump shall boost efficiency up to 120% (related to the NCV of the fuel). A newly developed condensate treatment shall allow for a direct discharge into sewers and regarding ash utilisation a new concept for application of biomass ashes in fertilizer production shall be developed. Moreover, CBE4I shall include the necessary fuel pre-treatment technologies and fuel logistics suitable for industrial sites. The latter comprise space saving on-site fuel logistics and on-line fuel quality assessment based on a new intelligent crane system.
The key innovations of the project are (i) the dual use of the product gases from the gasifier either for direct combustion or by providing a reformed product gas for application in industrial gas burners, (ii) the almost zero emission operation of the product gas burner with integrated three-way catalyst, (iii) the outstanding high efficiency of the new condenser concept and of the overall plant due to direct coupling of the condenser with a heat pump, and (iv) the novel approaches for ash utilisation in fertiliser production.
The methodology applied to reach these goals relies on technology development tasks (based on process simulations, CFD aided design of the single units, test plant construction, performance and evaluation of test runs), a technology assessment part covering risk assessments, LCAs, techno-economic, environmental and overall impact assessments as well as targeted dissemination activities. A market study shall investigate and define the framework conditions and application potentials of the CBE4I technology in different industrial sectors.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first 18 months of the 3-years project, the work focused on the development of the single plant components, the design and manufacturing of a testing plant and on basic investigations regarding ash utilisation in fertiliser production.
In the first project phase the basic system design for the CBE4I technology has been defined and based on that the system design for the testing plant to be installed at project partner Polytechnik has been worked out. In general, the system consists of a crane-based fuel feeding and fuel quality assessment system, a fixed-bed updraft gasifier, a multi-stage zero emission gas burner with integrated three-way catalyst (TWC), a boiler, an economiser and a flue gas condenser with directly coupled heat pump. Moreover, up to 50% of the product gas can be extracted through a specially designed extraction tube from above the fuel bed of the gasifier which passes through the so-called gas conversion zone, which is the first stage of the multi-stage gas burner. There, the extracted product gas is heated up and undergoes thermal tar reforming followed by catalytic tar reforming by an appropriate tar reforming catalyst (TRC) placed in the extraction tube. As a result, an almost dust and tar free product gas shall be achieved for further utilization in industrial gas burners
Within the first project period the single plant units have been developed and pre-optimized by means of computer aided methods (e.g. CFD simulations of the gas burner and the product gas extraction). An appropriate heat pump has been developed and tested in stand-alone operation. Moreover, based on simulations and lab-reactor tests a suitable TRC and a TWC have been developed. Based on this technology development work, the testing plant (400 kW fuel power related to NCV) has been designed and constructed. At the end of project period 1, the implementation of the testing plant at partner Polytechnik had almost been completed. In addition to R&D on the main plant components also the overall control system has been developed and implemented at the testing plant.
Besides the work on plant technology development, comprehensive investigations regarding logistics chains for presently energetically not used Southern European wood residues have been performed. Moreover, tests regarding the utilisation of the ashes gained from the gasifier in fertiliser production have been performed as well as tests regarding the reduction of Cr (VI) contents in biomass ashes, which may cause problems in keeping respective limit values in fertiliser production.
Technology-related R&D has been accompanied by risk assessments and safety analyses, a market study regarding the CBE4I application in different industrial sectors, preliminary techno-economic analyses in order to check the economic viability of the new technology and to define cost targets for the single plant components as well as preliminary environmental and overall impact assessments. Moreover, work on the performance of an LCA has been initialized.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

With its ambitious approach CBE4I aims to achieve a significant step beyond the state-of-the-art. For the first time a biomass-based system shall be developed which can provide heat at different temperature levels (depending on the boiler technology coupled with the gas burner) and a clean product gas for utilisation in industrial burners as a substitute for natural gas. Due to its novel flue gas condensation technology with directly coupled heat pump, the system shall achieve very high efficiencies of up to 120% (related to the NCV of the biomass fuel applied). Moreover, the CBE4I technology shall distinguish itself by almost zero harmful emissions (CO, ORG, NOx, dust) as well as zero harmful liquid and solid emissions. The utilisation of ashes in fertiliser production shall turn the ashes from a residue which has to be disposed into a material with a certain value.
The innovative aspects of the project shall make the technology very attractive for application in the industrial sector, where especially for the provision of high-temperature heat sustainable and CO2 neutral solutions are urgently demanded.

Image of the project consortium in front of the CBE4I testing plant

CBE4I project logo