BIOMASS GASIFICATION :
CHALLENGES AND THEIR SOLUTIONS
BY - J. MUKHERJEE
Background of GP Energy
 GP Energy is in the field of Biomass Gasification Since 1987
when MNRE was not born.
 It is the first in India to develop commercial sized plants.
 It has successfully installed more than 100 such plants in
India , Nepal , Thailand and South America.
 Some of its valued clients include –
GP Gasifier System
 It is based on fixed – bed updraft
technology.
 It is a multi-fuel system can accept
various forest waste and agro waste from
a wide range in the same plant.
 It is a continuous operating system and
capable running for 24 hours a day and
up to 350 days in a year.
 The calorific value of gas is in the order of
1250-1350 Kcal/Nm3.
 The elaborate gas cleaning system
ensures tar and particulate concentration
in gas remain below 10 mg/Nm3.
Advantages of Biomass Gasifier
 Low investment.
 Cheap and renewable source
 High efficiency
 De-centralized stand alone system
 Wide range of economically viable capacities from few
kilowatts to few megawatts.
Challenges and their Solutions
Continuous supply of biomass throughout the year at a stable price.
 For rural electrification biomass consumption is very low. Hence ,
normally it does not pose any problem.
 GP Energy has successfully developed Gasifier Stove which
facilitates controlled flame and reduce fuel consumption by 6065%.
 Considerable quantity of biomass saved by converting from
traditional chullah to cook stove can be used in Gasifier.
GP Gasifier Stove
domestic type with single burner
commercial type with double burner
Challenges and their Solutions
 For industrial use , the gasifier should accept multi fuels
allowing flexibility in feed stock
 Fast growing Briquetting Industry is a reliable and
dependable source of supply.
 For large requirement, GP Energy has partnered with
Gussing Renewable Energy GmbH , Austria to introduce their
world class gasification technology on MSW gasification.
Gussing Gasification System
Heat
Electricity
Synthetic
natural gas
Gasoline, diesel
Dual fluidised bed steam gasification system developed by GREA
Gussing Technology
Properties of Gas & Acceptable feedstock
Gas Composition :
CO2
= 15 – 25 %
CO
= 20 – 30 %
CH4
=
8 – 12 %
H2
= 35 – 40 %
N2
=
3–5%
Calorific Value (Gross)
= 3,825 – 3,875 K.cal/ Nm3
Feed Stock Tried
▪
Wood Chips ▪
▪
Barley
▪
Animal residues
▪
▪ Saw dust
Sewage sludge (Pellets)
Clover pellets
▪
▪
Rape seed grisp
Brown coal
▪
MSW
Challenges and their Solutions
Disposal of Ash
• Ash from wood gasification comes out as char has a high
market value.
• Ash from other agro-waste gasification contains 10-15%
unburnt carbon and reused in the agricultural field or in the
brick , roofing tiles and other clay industries.
Challenges and their Solutions
Disposal of Tar
• Generated tar has wide range of applications. When
quantity is high , tar can be used :
- as black paint
- as fuel for the furnaces
- as fuel for distillation
• For small quantity , there is no buyer, tar can be put back to
the gasification reactor for burning and disposal.
Challenges and their Solutions
Disposal of Re-cycled water
• Water when reused for cleaning of the gas , contains high level of
BOD and COD and cannot be drained untreated.
• For small installations, water may not be recycled and may be
drained with dilution , if required.
• GP Energy has incorporated effluent treatment plant in its systems
for proper treatment and re-use of the same treated water.
• Few Systems have arrived where water is not used for gas cleaning.
• GP Energy has gone one step ahead and now brought a unique
gasification system which is absolutely tar free. NO GAS CLEANING
REQUIRED AT ALL.
Properties of Gas & Acceptable feedstock
Composition:
Hydrogen
Methane
- 21.90 %
- 2.74%
Calorific Value
- 1800 – 1900 Kcal/Nm3
Carbon Monoxide
Ethane
- 31.70%
- 0.60%
Tar & Particulate - 0.00%
Feedstock Tried
-Coal Dust , Wood Scrap wastes , Grass and water hyacinth.
-Agricultural waste - coconut husk , palm waste , maize cobs , rice husk
-Cashew nut and groundnut shell , alfalfa seeds etc.
-Paper and plastic briquettes , leather , sawdust briquettes
-MSW briquettes and sewage sludge
Economics for energy generation
Cost of generation depends on
 Size of the plant
 Cost of in-put i.e. biomass, labour etc.
 Maximum utilization of plant (PLF)
Government Support
To popularize biomass based systems , active support from the
government is a must in the following areas :  Creation of Biomass Depots where all kinds of biomass in
loose form and/or in briquetted form shall be available. Biooil, vermi-compost, biogas in balloons etc. shall also be
available under the same roof.
 Organising awareness and training program in the rural areas
for collection and briquetting of forest waste and agricultural
residues/waste including RDF. The programme should
concentrate on the locally available biomass.
Government Support
• Creation of electrical load in the rural areas by way of
encouraging irrigation and cottage industries which may be
suitable as per specific site condition like rice huller , atta
chakhi , saw mill , mini cold storage, milk processing plant
etc. with the help of various departments.
• Since RDF is considered as bio-fuel, there is huge potential
for generation of power from MSW. As such municipalities
should be compelled to take up MSW based power projects
on PPP model.
Thank you
for your kind attention