Status Overview of Torrefaction Technologies
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Status overview of torrefaction technologies A review of the commercialisation status of biomass torrefaction This publication provides an update of the status of commercialisation of biomass torrefaction. It contains both a review of recent research efforts and an overview of the progress made in commercialisation of the technology. IEA Bioenergy: Task 32: Biomass Combustion and Cofiring Status overview of torrefaction technologies A review of the commercialisation status of biomass torrefaction Authors: Marcel Cremers, DNV GL, Netherlands Jaap Koppejan, Procede Biomass, Netherlands Jan Middelkamp, DNV GL, Netherlands Joop Witkamp, DNV GL, Netherlands Shahab Sokhansanj, UBC, Canada Staffan Melin, UBC, Canada Sebnem Madrali, CanmetENERGY Copyright © 2015 IEA Bioenergy. All rights Reserved ISBN 978-1-910154-23-6 Published by IEA Bioenergy IEA Bioenergy, also known as the Implementing Agreement for a Programme of Research, Development and Demonstration on Bioenergy, functions within a Framework created by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Views, findings and publications of IEA Bioenergy do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the IEA Secretariat or of its individual Member countries. Executive Summary This report provides an update of the Status overview of torrefaction technologies, which was produced by IEA Bioenergy Task 32 in 2012. The reason for this action was the observation that commercialisation of torrefaction technologies has been more difficult than earlier anticipated. The maturation and market introduction of torrefaction technologies has gone slower than anticipated 5 years ago, when it was expected that a significant fraction of the biomass pellets supplied today could have been replaced by torrefied pellets. It has been hard to fully prove the claims made earlier on product characteristics, and several companies have gone bankrupt due to inability to produce good quality product or due to a lack of buyers. Nevertheless, it is clear that the companies involved have significantly improved their ability to produce high quality products, with pellets of comparable durability to conventional wood pellets. The torrefied pellets exhibit comparable supply costs, however end users should be convinced that the claimed superior handling and combustion characteristics do translate into an economic advantage that can counterbalance the perceived risk. As for conventional wood pellets, price parity with coal is essential to enable commercial market introduction of torrefied biomass for co-firing. In the absence of a substantial price penalty for CO2 emissions and with the low price level of coal, this implies that typically additional subsidy schemes should be in place. 1 Table of contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................... 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................... 2 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 4 2 FUNDAMENTALS AND KEY ISSUES ............................................ 5 2.1 TORREFACTION PROCESS .............................................................. 5 2.2 MASS AND ENERGY BALANCES ......................................................... 6 2.3 PELLETISATION.......................................................................... 8 2.4 HYGROSCOPIC NATURE ................................................................. 9 2.5 SELF-HEATING ........................................................................ 10 2.6 IGNITION OF DUST .................................................................... 10 2.7 GRINDABIITY .......................................................................... 11 2.8 COMBUSTION BEHAVIOUR ............................................................ 11 2.9 LOGISTICS ............................................................................. 12 3 TORREFACTION TECHNOLOGIES ............................................ 14 3.1 ROTATING DRUM REACTOR ........................................................... 14 3.2 SCREW TYPE REACTORS .............................................................. 15 3.3 MULTIPLE HEARTH FURNACE (MHF) OR HERRESHOFF OVEN .................... 16 3.4 FLUIDIZED BED REACTOR ............................................................ 17 3.4.1 Bubbling bed reactors ..................................................... 17 3.4.2 Toroid or torbed reactor .................................................. 18 3.5 MOVING BED REACTOR ............................................................... 19 3.6 BELT AND VIBRATING GRATE REACTOR ............................................. 20 3.7 MICROWAVE REACTOR................................................................ 21 4 TORREFACTION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS .......................... 22 4.1 TORR-COAL GROUP .................................................................. 25 4.2 TOPELL ENERGY BV .................................................................. 26 4.3 SOLVAY BIOMASS ENERGY .......................................................... 27 4.4 TEAL SALES INC. ..................................................................... 29 4.5 AIREX ENERGY ........................................................................ 30 4.6 RIVER BASIN ENERGY ................................................................ 32 4.7 ARIGNA FUELS ........................................................................ 33 4.8 EARTH CARE PRODUCTS INC. ....................................................... 34 4.9 TORREC ................................................................................ 36 4.10 TERRA GREEN ENERGY ............................................................... 37 5 CHALLENGES FOR MARKET IMPLEMENTATION ....................... 39 5.1 LIMITED STAFF DEDICATED TO TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ...................... 39 2 5.2 FEEDSTOCK FLEXIBILITY ............................................................. 39 5.3 TREATMENT OF TORREFACTION GASES .............................................. 39 5.4 PERSPECTIVES ON PROCESS UPSCALING ............................................ 40 5.5 PROCESS CONTROL ................................................................... 41 5.6 PRODUCT QUALITY/CONSISTENCY .................................................. 41 5.7 DENSIFICATION AND PELLET DURABILTY ............................................ 41 5.8 HEALTH AND SAFETY (HSE) ........................................................ 42 6 RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................. 43 6.1 PRODUCTION SCALE UP .............................................................. 43 6.2 END USER CONFIDENCE .............................................................. 43 6.3 LOWER PRODUCT PRICE .............................................................. 44 6.4 PRODUCT STANDARDS ................................................................ 44 6.5 STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND TRACEABILITY ............................ 45 6.6 TORREFYING WASTES ................................................................ 45 7 CONCLUSIONS........................................................................ 46 7.1 RECENT TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ............................................... 46 7.2 THE BUSINESS CASE .................................................................. 47 7.3 POLITICAL AND LEGISLATIVE CONSTRAINTS ........................................ 47 8 REFERENCES .......................................................................... 48 3 1 Introduction ln 2012, IEA Bioenergy Task 32 published the report "Status overview of torrefaction technologies". The report describes the process of torrefaction, an overview of torrefaction technologies, applications of torrefied biomass and the economic value of torrefied pellets. This report has been received in the public domain as a valuable report. After a rapid initiation of the torrefaction technology up to 2012 the general public opinion currently is that torrefaction suffers from a stand-still. However, the torrefaction technology is in the development stage, and it is considered important to report on development steps that have been taken recently. Therefore, Task 32 decided to update the 2012 torrefaction report. The current report includes an update of torrefaction developers, as well as their status and views on the torrefaction technology, its product and any opportunities and obstacles that favour or hamper further introduction of the technology and its product. This is mainly done by means of questionnaires and performing interviews with the developers. It includes also some key results of the SECTOR project. SECTOR (Production of Solid Sustainable Energy Carriers from Biomass by Means of TORrefaction) was a large-scale European FP7 research project that focused on the further development of torrefaction-based technologies for the production of solid bioenergy carriers up to pilot-plant scale and beyond, and on supporting the market introduction of torrefaction-based bioenergy carriers as a commodity renewable solid fuel1. 1 https://sector-project.eu/project-brief.10.0.html 4 2 Fundamentals and key issues This chapter explains the fundamental aspects on torrefaction, and the mechanisms that influence the quality of the fuel produced. In several cases reference is made to some of the key findings of the SECTOR project. This was a major EU FP7 funded research project of 21 partners from 9 European countries, aimed at addressing the key technical and non-technical