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Air Fluidized Bed Gasification

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Highly efficient fuel-flexible technology

The more waste that can be recycled the better. Gasification is a process that can find new value in traditional fuels such as biomass, municipal and industrial waste – by converting these materials into combustible gases. The resulting gas, called syngas or product gas, can replace fossil fuels in multiple applications. We provide two gasification technologies: one using air, the other a mixture of oxygen and steam. Oxygen-steam converts feedstock into valuable syngas (with end products: methanol, diesel, aviation fuel). Air converts feedstock into combustible gases (with end products: heat and power, lime and cement kilns)

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Gasification is a series of thermal processes including drying, pyrolysis, combustion and reduction. The air gasification process uses heat to break down low-quality solids or liquid fuels into their basic gaseous chemical components. The result is a gas stream rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide, with calorific values up to 8 MJ/Nm3. This gas can be used in various ways, including replacing fossil fuels in heat and power generation, lime and cement kilns and gas turbines, reducing the carbon footprint of these processes.

Flexible and efficient

  • Our technology is the most fuel-flexible on the market. Unlike others, we can utilize a wide range of fuels, including waste streams with refuse-derived fuels (RDF/REF), demolition wood, forest and agriculture residues, sludge, and other non-recyclable wastes.
  • Other technologies use high temperatures and short residence times. Our technology takes advantage of vigorous mixing and long particle residence times to efficiently gasify even the lower quality fuels.
  • With low-temperature fluid bed gasification, the residual ash never melts, allowing the use of feedstocks considered too corrosive for other gasifiers.

Versatile

  • The air gasification system can be retrofitted to existing fossil-fuel plants, allowing local biomass and waste use and reduced carbon emissions. For instance, fluidized bed gasifiers can be installed next to pulverized coal units.
  • Another application in the power generation sector is the Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC).
  • Air gasification can be used to recover materials and energy from waste streams. For instance, carton board is widely consumed globally for liquid packaging. The wood fibre can be recycled, but the remaining mixture of plastics and aluminum can’t be separated. Our technology allows aluminum to be recovered while generating heat and power from the non-recyclable plastic stream.

Creating syngas is a win-win process: it allows waste to be reused and to replace carbon-producing fossil fuels.