Editing Gasification (section)

==Current applications==
Syngas can be used for heat production and for generation of mechanical and electrical power. Like other gaseous fuels, producer gas gives greater control over power levels when compared to solid fuels, leading to more efficient and cleaner operation.

Syngas can also be used for further processing to liquid fuels or chemicals.

===Heat===
Gasifiers offer a flexible option for thermal applications, as they can be retrofitted into existing gas fueled devices such as [[oven]]s, [[Furnace (house heating)|furnace]]s, [[boiler]]s, etc., where syngas may replace fossil fuels. [[Heating value]]s of syngas are generally around 4–10&nbsp;MJ/m<sup>3</sup>.

===Electricity===
Currently Industrial-scale gasification is primarily used to produce electricity from fossil fuels such as coal, where the syngas is burned in a gas turbine. Gasification is also used industrially in the production of electricity, ammonia and liquid fuels (oil) using Integrated Gasification Combined Cycles ([[Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle|IGCC]]), with the possibility of producing methane and hydrogen for fuel cells. IGCC is also a more efficient method of CO<sub>2</sub> capture as compared to conventional technologies. IGCC demonstration plants have been operating since the early 1970s and some of the plants constructed in the 1990s are now entering commercial service.

===Combined heat and power===
In small business and building applications, where the wood source is sustainable, 250–1000 kWe and new zero carbon biomass gasification plants have been installed in Europe that produce tar free syngas from wood and burn it in reciprocating engines connected to a generator with heat recovery. This type of plant is often referred to as a wood biomass CHP unit but is a plant with seven different processes: biomass processing, fuel delivery, gasification, gas cleaning, waste disposal, electricity generation and heat recovery.<ref>[http://www.alfagy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=6 Wood Gasification CHP / Cogeneration Plants] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707110458/http://www.alfagy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=6 |date=2011-07-07 }}, 02.09.09</ref>

===Transport fuel===
[[Diesel engine]]s can be operated on dual fuel mode using producer gas. Diesel substitution of over 80% at high loads and 70–80% under normal load variations can easily be achieved.<ref>[https://archive.today/20110713142231/http://www.kedco.com/ind/industrial/principles-of-gasification/ Gasification Appliances Review], 04.02.08</ref> [[Spark ignition engine]]s and [[solid oxide fuel cell]]s can operate on 100% gasification gas.<ref>[http://e-collection.ethbib.ethz.ch/view/eth:41553 Electricity from wood through the combination of gasification and solid oxide fuel cells], Ph.D. Thesis by Florian Nagel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, 2008</ref><ref>[https://www.qualityscales.co.il/biomass-producer-gas/ Characterization of biomass producer gas as fuel for stationary gas engines in combined heat and power production], Ph.D. Thesis by Jesper Ahrenfeldt, Technical University of Denmark March 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.biocellus.com/pdf/High_temperature_electrolyte.pdf High temperature electrolyte supported Ni-GDC/YSZ/LSM SOFC operation on two-stage Viking gasifier product gas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217093848/http://www.biocellus.com/pdf/High_temperature_electrolyte.pdf |date=2008-12-17 }}, Ph. Hofmann ''et al''. in Journal of Power Sources 173 (2007) 357–366</ref> Mechanical energy from the engines may be used for e.g. driving water pumps for irrigation or for coupling with an alternator for electrical power generation.

While small scale gasifiers have existed for well over 100 years, there have been few sources to obtain a ready-to-use machine. Small scale devices are typically [[DIY]] projects. However, currently in the United States, several companies offer gasifiers to operate small engines.

===Renewable energy and fuels===
[[File:Holzvergaser Güssing.jpg|thumb|230px|Gasification plant, Güssing, Austria (2001–2015)]]
In principle, gasification can proceed from just about any organic material, including [[biomass]] and [[plastic pollution|plastic waste]]. The resulting syngas can be combusted. Alternatively, if the syngas is clean enough, it may be used for power production in gas engines, gas turbines or even fuel cells, or converted efficiently to [[dimethyl ether]] (DME) by methanol dehydration, methane via the [[Sabatier reaction]], or diesel-like synthetic fuel via the [[Fischer–Tropsch process]]. In many gasification processes most of the inorganic components of the input material, such as metals and minerals, are retained in the ash. In some gasification processes (slagging gasification) this ash has the form of a glassy solid with low [[Leaching (chemical science)|leaching]] properties, but the net power production in slagging gasification is low (sometimes negative) and costs are higher.

Regardless of the final fuel form, gasification itself and subsequent processing neither directly emits nor traps [[greenhouse gases]] such as carbon dioxide. Power consumption in the gasification and syngas conversion processes may be significant though, and may indirectly cause CO<sub>2</sub> emissions; in slagging and plasma gasification, the electricity consumption may even exceed any power production from the syngas.

Combustion of syngas or derived fuels emits exactly the same amount of carbon dioxide as would have been emitted from direct combustion of the initial fuel. Biomass gasification and combustion could play a significant role in a renewable energy economy, because biomass production removes the same amount of CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere as is emitted from gasification and combustion. While other biofuel technologies such as [[biogas]] and [[biodiesel]] are [[carbon neutral]], gasification in principle may run on a wider variety of input materials and can be used to produce a wider variety of output fuels.

There are at present a few industrial scale biomass gasification plants. Since 2008 in Svenljunga, Sweden, a biomass gasification plant generates up to 14&nbsp;MW<sub>th</sub>, supplying industries and citizens of Svenljunga with process steam and [[district heating]], respectively. The gasifier uses [[biomass fuels]] such as [[Chromated copper arsenate|CCA]] or [[creosote]] impregnated waste wood and other kinds of recycled wood to produces syngas that is combusted on site.<ref name="Elmia">[http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/elmia/pressrelease/view/foergasning-ger-laegre-utslaepp-mindre-stoft-och-bredare-braenslebas-nyhet-paa-elmia-recycling-to-energy-2010-381629 Gasification allows less emissions, less dust and fuel flexibility] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714143614/http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/elmia/pressrelease/view/foergasning-ger-laegre-utslaepp-mindre-stoft-och-bredare-braenslebas-nyhet-paa-elmia-recycling-to-energy-2010-381629 |date=2011-07-14 }} – News at Elmia Recycling to Energy 2010, 03.03.11</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120802122919/http://www.iqr.se/en/products/combustion/sfc.aspx SFC – Soot Free Combustion: large scale biomass gasification], 03.03.11</ref>

Examples of demonstration projects include:
* The 32 MW dual fluidized bed gasification of the GoBiGas project in [[Gothenburg]], Sweden, produced around 20&nbsp;MW of [[substitute natural gas]] from forest residues and fed it into the natural gas grid since December 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Göteborg Energi's biogas plant GoBiGas is now fully operational – GoBiGas|url = http://gobigas.goteborgenergi.se/English_version/News/Goteborg_Energi_s_biogas_plant_GoBiGas_is_now_fully_operational|website = gobigas.goteborgenergi.se|access-date = 2015-11-09|archive-date = 2016-03-05|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305065216/http://gobigas.goteborgenergi.se/English_version/News/Goteborg_Energi_s_biogas_plant_GoBiGas_is_now_fully_operational|url-status = dead}}</ref> The plant was permanently closed due to technical and economical problems in April 2018. Göteborg Energi had invested 175 million euro in the plant and intensive attempts to sell the plant to new investors had failed for a year.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Investerade nästan två miljarder i Gobigas – nu läggs projektet ner|url = https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/vast/investerade-nastan-tva-miljarder-i-biogasanlaggning-nu-laggs-projektet-ner|newspaper = SVT Nyheter|date = 3 April 2018|access-date = 2018-04-25|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180426081246/https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/vast/investerade-nastan-tva-miljarder-i-biogasanlaggning-nu-laggs-projektet-ner|archive-date = 2018-04-26|url-status = live|last1 = Youcefi|first1 = Fouad}}</ref>
* Those of the Renewable Energy Network Austria, <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.renet.at/main_en.php |title=RENET – The path to energy autonomy<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820004156/http://www.renet.at/main_en.php |archive-date=2007-08-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> including a plant using dual fluidized bed gasification that has supplied the town of [[Güssing]] with 2&nbsp;MW of electricity, produced utilising [[GE Jenbacher]] reciprocating [[gas engine]]s<ref>[http://www.clarke-energy.co.uk/case-studies/Case%20Study%20Gussing.pdf Gussing Biomass Power Plant] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313104351/http://www.clarke-energy.co.uk/case-studies/Case%20Study%20Gussing.pdf |date=2012-03-13 }}, http://www.clarke-energy.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109151558/https://www.clarke-energy.com/ |date=2018-11-09 }}, accessed 17.05.2011</ref> and 4&nbsp;MW of heat,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ficfb.at/|title=The FICFB-gasification system|website=www.ficfb.at|access-date=2018-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330110041/http://www.ficfb.at/|archive-date=2018-03-30|url-status=live}}</ref> generated from wood chips, since 2001. The plant was decommissioned in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gussingcleanenergy.com/technology/|title=Technology – GRE|website=gussingcleanenergy.com|access-date=2018-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613112503/http://gussingcleanenergy.com/technology/|archive-date=2018-06-13|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
* Go Green Gas' pilot plant in Swindon, UK has demonstrated methane production from waste feedstocks at 50&nbsp;kW. The project has prompted the construction of a £25million commercial facility that aims to generate 22GWh per annum of grid-quality natural gas from waste wood and refuse derived fuel, due for completion in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://gogreengas.com/commercial-plant/background/|title=Background - gogreengas|work=gogreengas|access-date=2018-03-07|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308041332/http://gogreengas.com/commercial-plant/background/|archive-date=2018-03-08|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Chemrec]]'s pilot plant in [[Piteå]] that produced 3&nbsp;MW of clean syngas from entrained flow gasification of black liquor.<ref name="chemrec">{{cite web|url=http://www.chemrec.se/|title=Under Konstruktion|website=www.chemrec.se|access-date=2018-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811054814/http://www.chemrec.se/|archive-date=2010-08-11|url-status=dead}}</ref> The plant was closed down permanently due to financial problems in 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyteknik.se/energi/biobransleanlaggning-laggs-ner-6542293|title=Biobränsleanläggning läggs ner|first=Håkan|last=Abrahamson|website=Ny Teknik|access-date=2018-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308041804/https://www.nyteknik.se/energi/biobransleanlaggning-laggs-ner-6542293|archive-date=2018-03-08|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The High Temperature Winkler (HTW), a pressurized circulating fluidized bed gasification process. During the 1990s HTW was tested with a variety of different feedstocks, including low-rank coals and various forms of biomass; wood, refuse derived fuel (RDF) and municipal solid waste (MSW). The last HTW facility closed permanently in 2002. Since 2015 tests of the process continues at a 0.1 t/h pilot unit at Darmstadt University, while redesigned full-scale units are proposed in Amsterdam and Rotterdam<ref>{{Cite web|title=HTW references by GIDARA Energy|url=https://www.gidara-energy.com/references/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=HTW Gasification Technology by GIDARA Energy|url=https://www.gidara-energy.com/htw}}</ref>