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PROCESS & TECHNOLOGY FOR METHANOL AND DME

TABLE 10

Status of Biomass Gasifier Technology & Applications [11]

Gasifier Heat and power BTL Application Developers
Type Application
EF No past commercial heat Construction of biomass Several developers, with
and power applications using demonstration plants ongoing. Most differing company sizes,
dedicated biomass significant experience so far in and some large players
integrating biomass gasification with having established
fuel production, as a result of coal to designs based on fossil
liquid fuels experience feedstocks. Participation
by large industrial players
in several projects
BFB Well established heat and Currently scaling up to larger Technology developers
power applications, but only to systems, and BTL applications with are smaller companies,
modest scales using biomass plants under construction with only a few interested
in BTL
CFB Well established heat and Early days of BTL applications, Limited number of
power applications, good currently undergoing testing at pilot developers, one dominant
experience in scaling up CFB plants (strong research base,
for biomass with large industrial
players on-board), others
small
Dual Earlier stage of technology Early days of BTL applications, Few and small technology
development, heat and power carrying out slipstream testing at a developers, but some
applications successfully CHP plant interested in BTL
demonstrated
Plasma Established power applications, Very early days of scaling up to Several technology
but focused on MSW and was larger systems, some very small developers of different
waste feedstocks. Limited waste destruction plants also testing sizes, and many
experience with other biomass liquid fuels production interested in BTL

characteristics of the hydrocarbon source must be taken into consideration. The critical
properties are ash content, moisture content, density, particle size etc. For example, entrained
bed gasifiers can be designed for a wide variety of feedstock, but for a given design cannot
accept a wide variation of feedstock. On the other hand, for fluidized bed gasifiers there is the
problem of ash management with feedstock having low ash melting temperature.
The most versatile gasifier, which can handle almost any type of materials, is based on Plasma
Arc Furnace. Such gasifiers can even handle municipal sludge, producing non leachable
vitreous mass from the inorganic materials present in the biomass. Since the input power of
the plasma torch can be controlled at will, this technology offers tremendous feed flexibility with
regard to calorific value of the feed. More than 40 installations are currently operating world-
wide, and many more are coming up [6].

2.1.3
PURIFICATION AND CONDITIONING OF SYNGAS

The Syngas received from the gasifier requires to be conditioned before it goes into methanol/
DME production. The impurities in product gases from gasification are particulate matters,

Methanol and DME Production: Survey and Roadmap | 2017 37