Renergi Pty Ltd undertook a project to construct and demonstrate an innovative biomass gasification technology that converts biomass, such as agricultural waste and mallee crops, into a clean gaseous fuel that can be used to generate electricity.
Report extract
The ultimate aim of this project is to demonstrate the advanced biomass gasification technology originally developed by the researchers led by Professor Chun-Zhu Li in Curtin University to the biomass processing capacity of 100 kg/hr. The project has now been successfully completed and met all objectives of the project.
During the course of this project, a 100 kg/hr biomass gasification demonstration plant was designed, constructed, commissioned and operated to prove the technical feasibility of this advanced gasification technology. A large number of trials have been carried out using mallee biomass and wheat straw grown in WA agricultural regions as the feedstocks. The product gas quality has been monitored both with an on-line gas analyser and by sampling for subsequent off-line analysis.
The trials were carried out under a wide range of conditions. The demonstration plant performed very well, meeting or exceeding the design specifications. The results from the trials have demonstrated that this technology is capable of producing gasification product gas with low contents of tar and particulates and high heating values, which will be suitable for direct use in a gas engine to generate electricity and/or heat. A mass and energy balance process model has been developed.