PARTICIPANT PROFILE Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) EERA Bioenergy Sub Programme Areas PSI can contribute to Thermochemical Fluidised bed methanation, Gas cleaning, Gas analytics, Hydrothermal gasification, Hydrothermal liquefaction, Sulphur analytics, Fluidised bed materials, Sulphur sorption materials, In situ catalyst studies, Catalyst development, X-ray spectroscopy Algae Based Biofuels Hydrothermal gasification, Hydrothermal liquefaction, Nutrient cycle Stationary Bioenergy Methane from wood The Bioenergy and Catalysis Laboratory (LBK) targets the use of biomass feedstocks, including naturally grown and mass-produced biomass, agriculture and forestry residues, and organic-rich wastes. Biomass is the most important renewable resource of Switzerland after hydroelectricity. Thermochemical and catalytic processes are developed for the clean and efficient gasification of biomass from forestry and agricultural residues. energy production process based on biomass, the cogeneration of energy and chemicals seems to be a highly attractive pathway, which will be further developed in the laboratory. Continued on next page The hydrothermal gasification process, developed in the Catalytic Process Engineering (CPE) group, allows wet biomass, including purpose-grown algae, to be processed efficiently to create synthetic natural gas (SNG), providing a versatile renewable fuel. The scale-up of this technology is well underway via the spin-off company Hydromethan AG and industrial partners, although many scientific questions still remain to be answered. Due to the extremely tight boundary conditions for an economically feasible Figure 1: Mobile container for hydrothermal gasification and methanation of wet biomass, including algae, at different sites in Europe. Figure 2: Pressurised pilot-scale fluidised bed reactor for research on hydrodynamics, demonstration of exothermic catalytic reactions (such as methanation for production of Synthetic Natural Gas from biomass) and to obtain detailed data for model validation. 1 PARTICIPANT PROFILE Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) Energy from dry biomass The Thermal Process Engineering (TPE) group is focused on the conversion of abundant or waste biomass (woody and dry herbaceous biomass) via the conventional gasification process either into second generation biofuels (synthetic natural gas (SNG)) or electricity via high temperature fuel cells and gas turbines. System integration of gasification, gas processing and the final conversion process is key to the successful implementation of such technologies in the market. New technologies have to compete with established biomass-based technologies. Techno-economic requirements for new technologies are therefore well known and dictate in which directions technology development has to go. More or less independent of the conversion route, the following unit operations are important: removal of particles and heavy metals, treatment and/or removal of hydrocarbons, especially tars, and treatment and/or removal of sulphur species. In all research projects, a system engineering approach is adopted. Material or process unit development is driven by having a specific process chain in mind. The investigated thermal processes are operated with catalytic and non-catalytic materials. All process units are therefore considered as chemical reactors. new materials and catalysts is only reasonable when all material cycles are closed and if recycling and ecoefficiency are considered. These aspects are covered by the Chemical Processes and Materials (CPM) group. In the SunCHem project the group is developing, together with academic and industrial partners, a cycle process for the production of SNG from algae, recycling all internal material streams. Material characterization by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Swiss light source Diagnostic tools for the analysis of process fluids and materials are of central relevance to a scientific approach to process development. To this end, the Bioenergy and Catalysis Laboratory (LBK) operates an X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamline at the Swiss light source (SLS) of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). The SuperXAS beamline has been extensively used for in situ studies of processes relevant to the technology developments at the laboratory. The beamline has developed over the last few years into a centre for operando investigation of catalysts and catalytic processes. Catalysts for energy conversion processes and clean exhaust gases The development and investigation of advanced materials, particularly catalysts, is considered as the key for further progress in the field. The Catalysis for Energy group (CEG) is working on catalyst development for energy conversion processes with a focus on exhaust gas catalysis. Material cycles and efficient use of resources The development of either new chemical processes or Figure 3: The superXAS beamline at the synchrotron of the Paul Scherrer Institute is dedicated to in situ investigations of catalysts under process conditions. CONTACT Oliver Kröcher E: [email protected] T: +41 56 310 20 66 W: www.psi.ch/psi-home www.psi.ch/lbk/lbk All photos courtesy of PSI. 2