Gasification is a thermo-chemical process in which carbonaceous (carbon-rich) feedstocks such as biomass, coal, or petrocoke are converted into a gas consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, methane (and lesser amounts of carbon dioxide and other trace gases) under oxygen depleted, conditions. The resulting gaseous compound is called Syngas. Carried out under proper conditions, gasification is an efficient energy extracting process that can return double benefits as a heat and electric generation system. Interestingly, this technology is nothing new; it was used extensively during WWII when ration-weary, gasoline-starved farmers used simple homemade gasifiers to turn wood into gas/liquid fuel for their tractors and equipment.
Gasification is an old technology with a long history of development. The process was mainly used from the mid- 1800’s through the early-1900’s to produce “town gas” from coal for heating and lighting purposes. The subsequent development of natural gas fields soon replaced “town gas." World War II brought a resurgence of gasification when petroleum starved Europeans used wood gas generators to power vehicles. But the need for liquid fuels remained and German engineers devised a way to make synthetic liquid fuel from gasified coal.
The 1970’s brought The Arab Oil Embargo and the “energy crisis” which prompted the U.S. government to support industrial scale gasification projects. From this development came the first Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) electric generating plant. Presently, several IGCC power plants are operating throughout the world. And crude oil price spikes and geopolitical instabilities in major oil-producing countries have generated serious interest in using gasification for GTL (Gas To Liquid) synthetic fuel processes.
Bioten Power and Energy Group
www.BiotenPower.com