Teilvorhaben I: Charakterisierung und Konditionierung der Brenngase (BioProcessHeat)
Third Party Funds Group - Sub project
Acronym: BioProcessHeat
Start date : 01.12.2024
End date : 30.11.2027
Overall project details
Overall project
Prozesswärmeerzeugung aus biogenen Festbrennstoffen mittels Oxyfuel-Vergasung und Gaskonditionierung für den optimierten Einsatz in industriellen Brennersystemen
Project details
Short description
Short description
Around 72% of industrial process heat in Germany is still generated using fossil fuels. Decarbonisation in this area is therefore essential for achieving the German government’s climate targets.
Although electricity-based process heat generation is on the rise, there are numerous industrial applications that still require gaseous fuels due to the nature of the processes involved. Hydrogen is considered a promising energy source, the availability of which is set to increase in the future through electrolysis. However, it can be assumed that large consumers in the steel, cement and chemical industries in particular will account for the majority of marketable hydrogen. Combined with a pipeline infrastructure that is initially only available in certain areas, this will result in bottlenecks and high costs for widespread decentralised use.
A realistic alternative is the gasification of biomass to produce combustible synthesis gases. These can be conditioned for specific processes and adapted to existing burner technologies. This opens up a path to CO2-neutral process heat generation even for temperature ranges from 1000 to 1800 °C.
In order to motivate industry to realise the production of CO2-neutral high-temperature process heat, various process chains for heat generation are to be field-tested and demonstrated in the project. The central activity of the project is therefore the construction and commissioning of a pilot plant. An innovative counterflow gasifier will be operated there, enabling both air- and oxygen-fuelled (oxyfuel) modes of operation. One focus is on testing oxyfuel gasification under real conditions and characterising the synthesis gases produced. In the future, the process chain is to be expanded to include a methanation plant and an industrial burner. The test campaigns serve to systematically investigate different operating modes, in particular in comparison to conventional air gasification.
Scientific Abstract
Around 72% of industrial process heat in Germany is still generated using fossil fuels. Decarbonisation in this area is therefore essential for achieving the German government’s climate targets.
Although electricity-based process heat generation is on the rise, there are numerous industrial applications that still require gaseous fuels due to the nature of the processes involved. Hydrogen is considered a promising energy source, the availability of which is set to increase in the future through electrolysis. However, it can be assumed that large consumers in the steel, cement and chemical industries in particular will account for the majority of marketable hydrogen. Combined with a pipeline infrastructure that is initially only available in certain areas, this will result in bottlenecks and high costs for widespread decentralised use.
A realistic alternative is the gasification of biomass to produce combustible synthesis gases. These can be conditioned for specific processes and adapted to existing burner technologies. This opens up a path to CO2-neutral process heat generation even for temperature ranges from 1000 to 1800 °C.
In order to motivate industry to realise the production of CO2-neutral high-temperature process heat, various process chains for heat generation are to be field-tested and demonstrated in the project. The central activity of the project is therefore the construction and commissioning of a pilot plant. An innovative counterflow gasifier will be operated there, enabling both air- and oxygen-fuelled (oxyfuel) modes of operation. One focus is on testing oxyfuel gasification under real conditions and characterising the synthesis gases produced. In the future, the process chain is to be expanded to include a methanation plant and an industrial burner. The test campaigns serve to systematically investigate different operating modes, in particular in comparison to conventional air gasification.
