According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scenarios that have a good chance of restricting global warming to less than 2°C involve substantial cuts in anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, implemented through large-scale changes in energy systems. The use of renewable energy sources and fossil fuels, in combination with carbon capture and storage (CCS), could help to reduce GHG emissions in the AbstractThis paper presents the main experiences gained and conclusions drawn from the demonstration of a first-of-its-kind wood-based biomethane production plant (20-MW capacity, 150 dry tonnes of biomass/day) and 10 years of operation of the 2-4-MW (10-20 dry tonnes of biomass/day) research gasifier at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Based on the experience gained, an elaborated outline for commercialization of the technology for a wide spectrum of applications and end products is defined. The main findings are related to the use of biomass ash constituents as a catalyst for the process and the application of coated heat exchangers, such that regular fluidized bed boilers can be retrofitted to become biomass gasifiers. Among the recirculation of the ash streams within the process, presence of the alkali salt in the system is identified as highly important for control of the tar species. Combined with new insights on fuel feeding and reactor design, these two major findings form the basis for a comprehensive process layout that can support a gradual transformation of existing boilers in district heating networks and in pulp, paper and saw mills, and it facilitates the exploitation of existing oil refineries and petrochemical plants for large-scale production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials from biomass and wastes. The potential for electrification of those process layouts are also discussed. The commercialization route represents an example of how biomass conversion develops and integrates with existing industrial and energy infrastructures to form highly effective systems that deliver a wide range of end products. Illustrating the potential, the existing fluidized bed boilers in Sweden alone represent a jet fuel production capacity that corresponds to 10% of current global consumption. 7

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Both agglomeration of bed material and corrosion of heat transfer equipment are issues related to combustion of biomass in a fluidized bed boiler. The biomass-ash component potassium is considered a major contributor for both phenomena. In this study, the conventionally used bed material, silica sand, was replaced with up to 40 wt % by the natural ore ilmenite in Chalmers 12 MW th circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler. In this study the purpose was to evaluate the physical and chemical changes ilmenite undergoes during this process. Close observations revealed that ilmenite underwent segregation of iron to the surfaces and an enrichment of titanium in the particle core. The ash formed a calcium-rich double layer on the particle, surrounding the iron layer. A diffusion of potassium into the particle core was also seen which led to the formation of KTi 8 O 16 . In addition to evaluating how ash components interact with the material, the ilmenite was leached and investigated as a possible potassium capturer. Leaching experiments on the used ilmenite showed that calcium and potassium were leachable to a very limited degree, namely, to less than 0.2 and 1 wt %, respectively, of the total content. The diffusion of potassium into the core of the particle could reduce both agglomeration and corrosion issues and could thereby be of great value for the improvement of the resistance of the bed material agglomeration in the fluidized bed boiler.

Biomass is recognized as a CO2-neutral energy resource. However, biomass is a challenging fuel to combust because of its heterogeneity with regard to the content of inorganic constituents, volatiles, and moisture. Oxygen carrier aided combustion (OCAC) is a process advancement that provides enhanced combustion in existing circulating fluidized bed (CFB) units. The oxygen carrier has a central role in the OCAC concept through the oxygen transport it provides. The natural mineral ilmenite (FeTiO3) has been identified as a promising potential oxygen carrier. In order to ensure the feasibility even for long-term operation in industrial-scale processes, it is imperative to understand the evolution of the material during an OCAC process. In the present study, ilmenite was used as the bed material in the Chalmers 12 MWth CFB boiler during OCAC with woody biomass as fuel. Bed material samples were extracted from the bed inventory at different time intervals ranging from 5 to over 300 h. This paper proposes a mechanism for migration and layer growth of biomass ash on the ilmenite used as the oxygen carrier in a CFB combustor. It was found that with increased time of exposure, potassium migrated into the particle core. Longer process times led to the formation of a calcium layer around the particle, and simultaneously, migration of calcium inward on the particle was observed. Thermodynamic calculations were used along with analysis techniques in order to build a hypothesis for the possible mechanism of ash–bed material interaction.

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