Forestry integration of pyrolysis technology for processing Waste-logs, Wind-thrown Trees, and Slash to improve bio-mass recovery.
Portable truck-trailer mounted e-Pyrolysis® system
H2&e e-pyrolysis® system utilises electric heating.
This reduces emissions compared to furnace-heated plants.
The electricity is produced by an on board generator that runs on the systems syngas.
An Electrical heating gives very precise control and high output efficiencies.
A complete system includes feedstock preparation consisting of a wood chipper and drier unit.
The Pyrolysis chamber is fed through a hopper at one end with off-take points for syngas, bio-coal at the output end.
The Syngas is cooled and filtered before use in the on-board generator. The bio-coal is also cooled and then bagged or pelleted prior to shipment off site
Portable sites are generally smaller in size, produce lower volumes of products, and will have more variability due to the requirement to move the site.
Differing feed material ranges (logs, slash, stumps, pruning waste, weather-damage event material).
Key products are high-energy value, i.e. bio-coal and oils, these have lower volumes to transport relative to the (energy) value.
Most coal fired boilers in NZ processing plants, i.e. dairy, power stations, abattoir and timber mills, can combust bio-coal also called torrefied wood.
Forestry trees are a sustainable and renewable source of bio-mass that can be repurposed into bio-coal and syngas (hydrogen & methane).
Slash does not necessarily mean branches and twigs often associated with the trees head. Slash includes logs or biscuits created when trimming to transport length, and logs that don’t meet specification for value added products.
Torrefaction is a low temperature pyrolysis process (roasting, carbonisation) .
Temperatures are controlled within a range of 250 to 420 degrees Centigrade producing dry products with enhanced fuel properties (bio-coal, charcoal, torrefied biomass). The hydrophobic properties (water resistance) and high calorific values are suitable to an easily transported energy fuel.
As these products are bio-sourced and if supplied from commercial forests are considered renewable products in respect to green house gas emissions (GHGE) and carbon credits.
Increasing the amount of biomass removed from forests should also reduce the storm damage potential from uncontrolled release of logs and slash in flood events, fire potential and general erosion control.
Bio-coal is torrefied wood; the process involves heating wood chips in an oxygen free chamber at temperatures in the range of 250 to 400 degrees Centigrade. The torrefied timber has an energy value ranging from 18 to 30 MJ/kg, after briquetted for ease of transport, the energy value stabilises at approximately 21 to 29 MJ/kg.
Bio-coal is an ideal renewable replacement for current coal use and certainly a key candidate for integration for replacement studies.
Bio-coal (Carbonisation), is the low-temperature pyrolysis processing of biomass via torrefaction and carbonization to produce high-quality calorific fuel at LHV 21 to 29 MJ/kg.
This is suitable for power generation, e.g. as a coal replacement.
Syngas gas produced during the process can be used for pre-drying of wood biomass and to power the plant.
Syngas gases collected from the pyrolysis of wood consist of a mixture of hydrogen and methane.
For the proposed plant type, sufficient gas is always produced to run the machinery and any associated processing such as pre-drying.
The volume of syngas produced is dependent on the makeup of the other products and via internal operation of the plant; syngas can be a preferred output if desired, therefor reducing the outputs of other products