Gasification is a high-risk project
“Gasification and methanisation of forest residue is technically and economically a high-risk project” , claimed one of the keynote speakers at a gas seminar held recently.
“Everyone I spoke to highlighted the robust development in gasification and methanization technology over the past ten years. But do they have a product? I haven’t really seen one yet.”
He was alluding to the fact that a large number of projects across Europe had been cancelled at an early stage due to the technology risk, the space requirements and the business model itself.
“There will be major problems if these obstacles are not removed. We are talking about a lot of money for funding research, development and installation.”
Martin Seifert outlines a few difficulties:
• Space. Large-scale facilities – necessary to achieve economic efficiency – require large areas of land, and cannot be reasonably integrated into the relatively small energy hubs built in Switzerland and other European countries. Forest residue is extremely space intensive.
• Raw material. The quality and water content of biomass and forest residue fluctuate significantly. Preprocessing is probably necessary, but very costly. In Switzerland, the volume of forest raw material is insufficient.
• The gas product. The gasification process produces a complex gas mix, which must be purified prior to methanization. Even after methanization, expensive post-processing and purification is necessary.
• Logistics. Gathering and transporting forest residue for gasification is a complicated and costly procedure.
“Nevertheless, the European gas industry welcomes biogas and wants to have it in its system,” said Martin Seifert. “But it must maintain the right quality, pressure and continuity – and that requires large volumes.”
He concluded his speech by asking a few provocative questions:
• Why not use biomass directly, in coal-fired power plants?
• Why not make chemicals from the forest residue, directly from the synthesis gas, and forget
the whole idea of injecting it into gas grid?
• Whey not burn the wood directly in local stoves and boilers? That would be the best from all perspectives.
Martin Seifert’s speech sparked lively debate among the audience participants, which was of course the intention.