Producing Gas Good) Ack RMR ok seek Lal aco Energy crops are harvested, and. most ofthe agricultural and forest residues and many industrial by-products are recovered as solids Containing from around 10% to more than 90% moisture. These can be burnt so long as the moisture content is reduced below about 50% and preferably to around 15%. However, there are many advantages in turing these into gaseous fuels. The heating value of the fuel is increased as the amount of oxygen in the fuel is decreased, while gas can be used in bumers that can easily be adjusted (tured up and down) to meet varying demands for heat on a more or less instantaneous basis. Gases may also be used in internal combustion engines, turbines and fuel cells enabling electricity to be generated with greater efficiency. Gas may be produced from biomass using either biological processes (anaerobic digestion) or thermochemical processes (pyrolysis and thermal gasification) State of the art Anaerobic digestion is an established technology and generally available on a commercial basis. However, reliable thermochemical plant using biomass to produce heat or electricity in the MW range are stil under technical and ‘commercial development. In contrast, mlions of anaerobic digesters (commonly known as biogas plants), hhave been bult around the world since the frst ones (using sewage sludge) were established in the UK at the end of last century. Most of these are very ‘small, built in developing countries, while several hundred relatively small digesters have been built on farms in the EU. ‘These have shown varying levels of ‘success with both technical faults and oor economics reflecting limited rates of {G88 production. Greater commercial success has been achieved by high rate systems installed in sugar, starch or cheese factories, vegetable canneries ‘and meat processing plant as well as breweries and distileres. These provide both primary waste treatment and Contribute to process energy needs. Further commercial success has been the development of large,joint digestion systems in Denmark Biological processes These facilities accept materials trom ‘groups of farmers and industry, returning digestate as fertliser for the farmers, generating electricity and providing district heating. The right conditions for biogas generation also occur in deep (iandflls). In the early 1980s gas generation and contamination of ground water by leachate began to cause serious problems in ‘Anaerobic digestion is a process that occurs in the absence of oxygen catalysed by a mixed population ofbacteria, that break down the polymers foundin biomassto release biogas, a mixture of carton dioxide and methane. Biogas may also contain varying levels of other gases including hydrogen sulphide, which is highly toxic and corrosive to ‘some metals. The process occurs in several stages. First, polymers such as cellulose, starch, proteins and lipids are hydrolysed to sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, etc. These are then converted to a mixture of hydrogen gas, low molecular weight acids (primarily acetic acid) and carbon dioxide, inthe process of acetogenesis. These are then reacted together to generate methane, in methanogenesis. Countries such as the UK and Germany, ‘as waste disposal sites increased in size. ‘A combination of national and EU supported RTD activities, as well as relevant legislation’ and technical developments within the industry has generally solved these problems, with the se of liners for leachate containment and collection of the gas as an energy source, Part ofa group of anaerobic digesters (27000 cubic metres capacity) treating distilery effuent in aly.mass: An Energy Resource for the Eui Thermochemical processes ‘The main thermochemical processes that have been applied to biomass are gasification and pyrolysis. Both processes involve heating the feedstock in the presence of less oxygen than is required for complete combustion and can produce a mixture of gas, iquid and char. The yields of these materials ‘depend on the nature of the biomass used, rate of heating, the highest temperature reached, the way in which off-gases react with hot solids, the amount of water (as steam) and the presence or absence of other substances that may act as. catalysts. At one extreme, processes can be optimised to produce charcoal and at the other designed to produce a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide (synthesis gas) suitable for use in catalytic formation ofiquid fuels (methanol and hydrocarbons). To some extent the terms gasification and pyrolysis are interchangeable. However, it is possible to classify such processes on the basis of how the heat usedis generated. In ‘a gasifier process heat is produced by partial combustion of part of the raw material, whereas in pyrolysis an external ‘source of heat is used. Since it is expensive to use pure ‘oxygen, most biomass gasifiers use ai. However, thisresults in @ fuel gas (containing carbon monoxide, hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide), with @ lower heating value since itis diluted with nitrogen. In general heat causes the molecular structure of the biomass components to disintegrate, losing molecules of water and low molecular fragments (many of which are highly reactive) and tending to form char (carbon), Hot char wll eact with steam to produce ‘carbon monoxide and hydrogen, producing a higher heating value gas. However, many of the lower molecular weight ‘compounds, may be swept from the reactor, recombining to form tars as they cool. In addition fine particles of ash and partly carbonised biomass may be also be carried in the gas stream. Hence, the gas requires cleaning before it can be sed in an internal combustion engine or turbine. Technical barriers The production of charcoal is an established technology, as is the gasification of fossil feedstocks. However, the design of reliable, cost-effective gasifiers for handling biomass has proven more dificult. Many different designs, using air or ‘oxygen moving up or down through stationary beds of biomass, with or with out catalysts as well as entrained flow, Circulating bed and multistage systems have been experimented with. The main objectives have been to improve the quality of gas by reducing tars and handle ash, as well as improve stabilty and reliability of gas production and the quality of the gas produce, reducing the need for gas cleanup. @ Non-technical barriers In general these are similar to those for combustion plant. However, added concerns for investors arise since the technology has yet to be proven on a commercial scale. As with other biomass facilities, the questions of how small generators are to be incorporated into existing, fossil-fuel and nuclear based industry, {9Fid distribution systems and electricity markets, need resolving, RTD issues This area of activity is covered by current EU RTD Framework Programmes, as described on page 16 and 17. The ARBRE Project seen through somo ofthe short rotation coppice Dlanted to provide feedstock (Source: First Renewables Lt, UK). Gas cleaning This is a critical area in both combustion and gasification systems. There is a need to reduce emissions in flue gases, to reduce the level of damaging contaminants such as hydrogen sulphide and mercaptans in biogas and landfll gas, and to remove particulates and tars from gas resulting from thermal processes. A wide range of techniques is available, including {gas scrubbing with water and chemical solutions; fitration, electrostatic precipitation or use of cyclones to remove particulates; use of molecular sieves or chiling to remove water and other impurities; the use of iron, calcium or zinc oxide or ‘chemical reduction to remove sulphur compounds. In particular tars may be cracked by passing the gas stream back through the gasifier bed, or through a second stage, with external heating. Scrubbing with water or various proprietary liquids may also be used to reduce levels of carbon dioxide. While most of these processes are commercial on a large scale as used in the petrochemical industry, they may not be feasible or economic if applied to small biomass powered facilites