Syngas Cleaning And Operation Time For Private/Independent Power Providers (IPP)

The continuity and stability of the electricity supply to the buyer is the most important thing for the private power provider or the Independent Power Producer (IPP). Electrical buyers in general are government through PLN or industry. To be able to provide such a continuous and stable electricity supply, IPP strives in such a way in a variety of ways including its various process engineering and also the operational. Biomass is a renewable energy source for electricity production that has many advantages especially in Indonesia, for example when wind and water (hydro) power plants are severely affected by weather conditions, the biomass power plant is not affected. Even high rainfall and tropical climate will increase the production of biomass as a source of energy. Related to the use of gas from biomass there are two routes to produce gas that is biology route and thermochemical route. The biological route is by fermentation in the digester, while the thermal route with gasification and pyrolysis. The characteristics of the raw material will determine the choice of technology, whether by biological route or thermochemical. Liquid waste or high water content and easy rot, such as livestock manure and palm oil mill effluent (POME) will use biological route, whereas biomass which is not easy to decompose such as woody biomass thermochemical route becomes the choice.

Why need to extract gas from the biomass? This is in addition to improving efficiency, also facilitate the utilization. Even by extracting the gas will also produce a number of economic value-added byproducts, for example with pyrolysis technology in addition to generating electricity, by-products such as charcoal, biooil, and biomass vinegar (liquid smoke). The economic value of these byproducts are bigger than the electricity production. The gas composition of the various biomasses also varies, depending on the biomass and the technology used, for example in biogas of large methane gas composition (55-75%), gasification of methane gas composition 0.5-3% while in pyrolysis gas composition methane 4-11%. Gas engine is a equipment or device commonly used to convert the combustible gas into electricity. Gas turbine although efficiency is higher but rarely used because of operational and maintenance factors are more difficult. Steam turbine is also rarely used and commonly used in large capacity power plants (> 20 MW). While Stirling engine and ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) technology can also use gas from the biomass, but it is not specific because both Stirling engine and ORC only require heat for its operation and it does not have to be from gas. Practically both technologies above are using a lot of combustion to obtain the required heat.

Stirling Engine

ORC Technology

Gas Turbine

Gas Engine

The problem of purity or cleanliness of the gas that resulted in the operation of private power plants (IPP) received serious attention. The cleaner the gas and the stable the gas supply so the more stable the operation of the power plant and the opposite. The purchaser or user of electricity also requires the amount of electricity supply and tolerance to the breaking or shutting down of electricity at a certain time which must be fulfilled by the provider or private power producer. Various gas cleaning technologies have been used to obtain clean and stable gas supply to the converting equipments used. Gas cleaning technology in addition must be cheap and also easy to use so that electricity providers remain profitable. In general, the gas cleaning technology is to clean the gas from its impurities including also reduce or eliminate the gases that potentially disrupt the operation of such conversion equipments. For example CO2 and H2S gases in biogas process or tar in gasification and pyrolysis. 

Water scrubber (absorber) and stripper unit for biogas refinery

JF BioCarbon continuous pyrolysis technology is the best choice of electricity production from biomass with thermal route. This is in addition to generated electricity, also produced side products that are not less profitable, namely charcoal, biooil, and biomass vinegar. Then how about cleaning the gas so that the power supply electricity continuously? With a number of line cleaning units that work alternately, the continuity of the supply of clean gas can continue to run so also with the supply of electricity. A number of sensors are installed to ensure the cleanliness of the gas. Downtime or power outages will be reduced or even eliminated. Sufficient gas cleaning will ensure the continuous operation of the gas engine generator as a conversion unit from pyrolysis gas (chemical energy) to heat and mechanical energy (reciprocating engine in gas engine) and generate electricity. It is time for private power companies (IPP) to consider slowpyrolysis technology to continue as a wise and best choice for the production of electricity from biomass and a number of byproducts that are very profitable.

Palm Kernel Shell Continuous Pyrolysis For Multipurpose Production

Production of palm kernel shells (PKS) which is palm oil mill waste in Indonesia approximately 9 million tons. Current utilization of 20% (1.8 million tons) for export, 15% (1.35 million tons) for internal use, 10% (0.9 million tons) for domestic (local) use, and the remaining 55% (4.95 million tons) yet used or become waste. Meanwhile, Indonesia's CPO production currently reaches 35.2 million tons, or 20% of FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunch), so the number of FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunch) produced in Indonesia currently ranges from 176 million tons. With an average productivity of 20 tons / hectare of FFB, so the FFB is generated from 8.8 million hectares. While the total area of ​​oil palm plantations in Indonesia is currently estimated to have almost 12 million hectares including unfruitful and unproductive age or need to be replanting. Another influential factor is the low level of productivity of oil palm plantations. Palm kernel shells are only about 6% of the FFB produced, and after is used for the internal CPO production process in the mill  with mesocarp, only about 4.5% of the palm kernel shell is the waste of the palm factory. From there it can also be calculated that every hectare of oil palm plantation will produce 1.2 tons or three quarters namely 0.9 tons of waste. With the current expansion of oil palm plantations up to 12 million hectares, the potential of palm kernel shells that become waste in the palm oil plant around 10.8 million tons or the amount of 10.8 million tons that can be used for export, fuel and production of various other products or external use.

Currently, there are a number of parties who have utilized the palm kernel shells for electricity production and boilers of some industries that are estimated to be less than 10% of the total produced palm shells. Some converting technologies into heat and electricity are used for processing such palm kernel shells. Combustion and gasification are technologies commonly used to convert or extract palm kernel shells into heat and electricity. Combustion technology in the furnace then combined ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) and Stirling engine to convert it into electricity. While the gas from gasification is then used as fuel in gas engine to generate electricity. Are there any other options for processing the palm kernel shell so that it has bigger added value or more profitable?

Palm kernel shells are not suitable for biogas production because the lignoselulose material or rich lignin content material making it difficult to biologically decompose. The choice is pyrolysis or thermal decomposition with absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis is a technology that can to produce charcoal, biooil, pyro acid and syngas. This is what makes it possible for multipurpose production. Palm kernel shells such as rice husks, sawdust and the like are bulk materials also so will be suitable for continuous pyrolysis. How come? The answer is because there are several options for using the continuous pyrolysis:

1. Production of electricity and charcoal 

2. Production of electricity and activated charcoal

3. Production of electricity and charcoal briquettes

4. Production of charcoal and bio-chemicals

5. Production of charcoal and biofuel

6. Production of Charcoal and heat

At the production of electricity and charcoal, the process of excess syngas is used for electricity production, and charcoal is also produced as a solid product of pyrolysis. The charcoal can also be made briquette so it will be efficient during transportation and its use. As for the production of electricity and activated carbon, then excess syngas is used for the process of activation of the charcoal produced, with a more detailed explanation can be read here. In addition to charcoal, bio-chemicals such as acetic acid, methanol and phenol can also be produced by processing further byproducts namely pyro acid and syngas. Biofuels namely, biooil and syngas can also be additional products besides charcoal. Syngas can also be packed in a tube for ease of distribution and usage. Meanwhile, if syngas and biooil are burned it will generate heat, so if the business of charcoal production in combination with agriculture such as the use of green house or also farms that require a warm certain temperature the continuous pyrolysis unit becomes also very effective to be used. 

Charcoal production from palm kernel shells can also be a solution to the high export tax of palm kernel shells. By processing it into finished product then the tax should be decreased even eliminated because there has been industrialization which also absorb labor and encourage economic growth. In private power producers or IPP (Independent Power Producer), the additional product namely of charcoal will provide an increase business revenue, so that their business becomes more attractive business. In addition to charcoal production, if you want the production of high quality solid fuel (solid biomass fuel) namely by upgrading or processing it with torrefaction, can be done also with pyrolysis technology.