Gasification technology enables cheap production of biomass
3 Jul 2013
A new gasification method claims to turn forest residues into biofuel for less than a euro per litre.
A study by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has shown that lignocellulosic biomass can be used in the production of high-quality biofuels for the price of less than one euro per litre.
This has been made possible using a gasification technology developed in Finland which allows the transfer of more than half the energy of wood raw materials to the end-product.
The technology is considered ready to be scaled-up into a commercial production plant in Europe.
The VTT study focused on the production of four biofuels using a method based on pressurised fluidised-bed gasification.
The fuels studied were methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), Fischer-Tropsch liquids and synthetic gasoline.
The results show that the production of renewable biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass, mainly bark and forestry residues, could achieve an energy efficiency of 50–67%, depending on the end-product and process conditions.
The technology can be used to produce liquid transportation fuel at the cost of 58–78 €/MWh
Should the thermal energy produced as a by-product be exploited for district heat, for example, the overall efficiency from biomass to saleable energy products could reach 74–80%.
Based on the case studies, the research scientists estimated that once commercialised the technology can be used to produce liquid transportation fuel at the cost of 58–78 €/MWh.
Converted into gasoline-equivalent price per litre, the estimated production cost would be 0.5–0.7 €/litre.
The price of renewable solutions would thus be on a level with the current pre-tax price of fossil transportation fuels, and cheaper than existing imported biofuels.
Each case study design was based on a BTL plant with 300 MW capacity, the equivalent of a large district heating power plant.
A biorefinery of this size could produce liquid transportation fuel for about 150 000 cars.
The EU has set a target of 10% renewable energy content for the transportation sector by 2020.
