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Biogas

Mid Sweden University lands EU gasification grant

Mid Sweden University has announced that it has been granted SEK 4.6 million (≈ EUR 470 000) in funding from the EU Structural Funds for a biomass to biomethane research project.

Mid Sweden University Campus Sundsvall (photo courtesy Sandra Pettersson).
Mid Sweden University Campus Sundsvall (photo courtesy Sandra Pettersson). Mid Sweden University Campus Sundsvall (photo courtesy Sandra Pettersson).

Climate targets steer the replacement of fossil-based fuels for bio-based fuels. Sweden has adopted the goal of achieving a fossil-free transport sector in 2030 and by developing biomethane, renewable fuel availability for the sector can be increased. The development of biogas for vehicle fuel is though constrained by the availability of organic waste for anaerobic digestion (AD) and the number of AD plants.

However, according to Mid Sweden University, biogas production can be greatly increased and, at full scale, meet most of the demand for fuel for transport in Sweden by integrating gasification systems for biomass and biogas systems.

In order to produce larger volumes, an alternative route may be to gasify biomass to synthesis gas (syngas) through catalytic methanation or by integration into AD biogas systems to produce biomethane. In this way, biomethane could contribute to the goal of a fossil-free vehicle traffic by 2030.

The University has announced that it has been granted SEK 4.6 million (≈ EUR 470 000) in funding from the EU Structural Funds for an SEK 9.3 million (≈ EUR 952 000) biomass to biomethane research project.

The technology and implementation will be studied in cooperation with Chalmers University of Technology. A technical and economic analysis will be conducted to investigate the potential for commercialization and production of automotive fuel through integrated biomass gasification and waste disposal together with municipal utilities Härnösand Energi & Miljö and Mittsverige Vatten och Avfall, said Ulf Söderlind, an engineer at Mid Sweden University.

Previously, Mid Sweden University has conducted research in the field of bioenergy within the Fiber Science and Communication Network (FSCN) research centre.

This project will focus on biogas production, through biomethanization of synthesis gas, and is supposed to be commercialised between 2022 and 2025, said Wennan Zhang, project manager at Mid University.

The goal is that research will contribute to increasing biogas production from organic waste that can be used as vehicle fuel in the region. In Sweden, the goal is to commercialise gasification of forest– and industrial biomass residues so that 70 TWh per annum of biomethane can be produced to fully meet the domestic demand for renewable fuel in the transport sector.

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