PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Biomass is an important source of renewable energy. In Poland its technical potential is estimated at 408-755 PJ/yr. Some 80% of Poland’s biomass is in solid form with the other 20% found in liquid states. While biomass energy production from direct forest harvests is expected to reduce in Poland, scope still exists to produce renewable energy from ‘waste’ biomass products. However, the energy conversion processes must take steps to avoid pollution stemming from possible harmful elements in the waste biomass. Technological solutions are therefore required for the safe use of waste biomass as a source of renewable energy.
One option is ‘micronisation’ technology which involves using specially designed rotors to exert sufficiently high levels of force so as to break up waste biomass into molecular material. Such technology already exists and has been applied in food processing, for example. The technology has not however been transferred to, nor tested at, an operational level in the biomass sector and so no ready-made equipment for this purpose currently exists.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the MORENERGY project was to demonstrate an innovative technology using micronisation methods for generating pollutant-free energy from waste biomass. A full-scale prototype demonstration installation would be designed and built to test and document the performance of micronisation techniques in biomass energy production under different operational parameters. Economic and environmental performance would be monitored and used to inform an awareness-raising campaign aimed at promoting the technology’s market uptake. Long-term legacies from the project were expected to contribute to climate action targets at national, EU and global levels.
RESULTS
The project built and tested, under different operational parameters, a full-scale prototype for generating pollutant-free energy from waste biomass. Under the micronisation of wet waste biomass process, physical fragmentation occurs without chemical reactions, catalysts and the production of by-products. The waste is milled down to below 100 microns and then used as fuel for a turbine of 2 MW (the smallest known turbine on the market) to create electricity and heat.
Tests demonstrated that the installation produces the effective fuel, micronised straw, which can be used for energy production. As planned, the beneficiary produced 100 Mg of the innovative fuel. The project team also monitored the economic and environmental performance of the prototype, and used the obtained results for an awareness raising campaign aimed at promoting the technology’s market uptake.
The beneficiary planned to find a partner to help promote the prototype and would organise demonstration visits. Partnership with an industrial entity would also allow the prototype installation to be tested under industrial conditions. Follow-up tests would enable the beneficiary to further refine the prototype and to prepare a model for continuous operation. The prototype has a big demonstration potential, as it could be tested with different raw materials for fuel production. The widespread use of this innovative technology would help to reduce emissions of CO2 as well as of the other pollutants to the atmosphere (e.g. SO2). Given its especial applicability to rural areas, the technology could also contribute to improving the energy security of these regions and to creating new jobs outside agriculture.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
