Gasification: capacities in Europe and economic aspects | Part 2
For the SAF platform, we have prepared the second part of a review of a report by the European Biogas Association (EBA), which details the technology of biomass and waste gasification in Europe.
Here is a more detailed overview of syngas, gasification plants in Europe and the economic aspects of gasification. The first part is already available for viewing on the SAF platform.
Syngas
Syngas energy density can be up to 30% lower than that of natural gas and cannot be injected as such in the natural gas grid.
This leads to the integration of gasification with second-stage processing. Product gas can be upgraded for various end-use applications, each with its own advantages and challenges. Gasification is usually combined with secondstage processing for the following end-uses:
- cogeneration into power and heat;
- water-gas shift into hydrogen;
- CH4 generation via methanation;
- Fischer-Tropsch (FT) into transportation fuels (e.g. diesel);
- high temperature industrial processes;
- chemical synthesis into balk chemicals (e.g. ethanol, methanol).
Energy Efficiency:
- Highest Efficiency: Direct CHP (80-90% overall efficiency with heat recovery).
- Moderate Efficiency: Methanation (60-70% and up to 85% with heat recovery) and hydrogen upgrading (60-70%).
- Lower Efficiency: Fischer-Tropsch fuels (45-55%), high T industrial processes (40-65%) and chemical synthesis (40-60%).
Biochar
The valorisation of gasification byproducts makes the process more economically viable and environmentally sustainable, while also opening up new avenues for technological innovation and resource utilisation. Even if most of the gasification applications help maximise syngas production, some gasifiers may also produce a small amount of biochar. It could be further used for energy generation or considered as a commodity material.
Biochar is a solid material similar to coal, is based on biomass and can be considered as a carbon sink. It is estimated that around 2.0-2.6 tonnes of CO2 are trapped per tonne of biochar. As long as it is not used thermally, carbon is preserved for hundreds of years.
Plants and raw materials
As of 2023, in Europe there were approximately 141 existing biomass and waste gasification installations and 54 installations at different stages of development or with an unknown construction date.
The feedstocks used in thermal gasification play a crucial role in determining the process efficiency and the quality of the produced syngas.
A wide variety of biomass resources can be utilised, including agricultural residues, forestry wastes, energy crops and municipal solid waste (MSW).
Read the full material with a chapter on the economic aspects of gasification on the SAF platform
We remind you that UABIO is a partner of the Sustainable agribusiness platform (SAF).
SAF is a communication platform that brings together agribusiness stakeholders and aims to establish strong links between market players and introduce sustainable approaches in agriculture. For this platform, our team prepares verified professional content on the bioenergy sector.
