Canadian bioenergy developer Nexterra is moving on to the next phase of a planned combined heat and power (CHP) system for its Product Development Centre in Kamloops. The company has completed performance testing for the conditioning technology that cleans and refines biomass-derived syngas so that it can be directly fired into internal combustion engines instead of natural gas to generate electricity.
The technology will be packaged with Nexterra’s biomass gasification systems and internal combustion engines into modular CHP plants. The eventual goal is to convert the conditioned syngas into biomethane and other synthetic fuels and chemicals.
Dejan Sparica, Nexterra’s VP and chief engineer, says, “Trials conducted in the fourth quarter of 2009 verify that our combined gasification and conditioning technologies produce a clean, stable and consistent grade of syngas with more than 99 per cent removal of tars and inorganics.”
The next step will be to operate a GE Jenbacher model 208 internal combustion engine on conditioned syngas this year, followed by full-scale demonstration projects.
Nexterra is partially funding all of this with help from Sustainable Development Technology Canada, the BC Bioenergy Network, the National Research Council of Canada, and Ethanol BC.
