In Sweden, the Swedish Energy Agency has granted biomass gasification technology developer Cortus Energy AB support for a feasibility study to produce green aviation fuel using its proprietary WoodRoll forest biomass gasification together with a subsequent process to convert the gas into liquid fuels.
Studies suggest that fossil free domestic aviation in Sweden would require around 2 TWh per annum of biojet fuel. Furthermore, that the country has sufficient forest biomass to produce green aviation fuel but that a resource efficient value chain from forest to green aviation fuel is needed to make this a reality.
Cortus Energy’s unique WoodRoll gasification process converts forest biomass into a renewable energy gas with the high efficiency. Using a catalytic conversion process, this synthesis gas can be transformed into liquid green fuel.
The catalytic technology that converts synthesis gas into liquid fuels is proven for large scale projects based on fossil energy. However, WoodRoll synthesis gas is produced from biomass and, in this context, has a small capacity and most initiatives for small scale solutions are found outside Sweden.
Therefore the study aims to identify such small-scale technologies suitable for use in combination with WoodRoll and thus enable local production of green aviation fuel. For the study, Cortus Energy has received support from the Swedish Energy Agency amounting to SEK 391 644 (≈ EUR 37 900).
The study will be conducted during the first quarter of 2019 together with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). A good result would create the conditions for developing this application scope for Cortus Energy.
With WoodRoll we produce a unique pure synthesis gas suitable for catalytic processes, as we demonstrated earlier this year in Köping with the production of automotive gas (SNG). Now, we take the next step to convert our gas into liquid fuels. We are pleased that the Energy Agency sees the potential in this and supports this study. Much development is under way for the “Gas-To-Liquid” processes in the capacity area WoodRoll operates in. If we can find and qualify a useful solution for green aviation fuel, the market potential is huge. remarked Rolf Ljunggren, CEO Cortus Energy.
