Gasification

Gasification is one of the newest technologies that is increasingly being used for waste disposal.  It is a thermo-chemical process in which biomass is heated in an oxygen deficient atmosphere to produce a low-energy gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane.  The gas can then be used as a fuel in a turbine or combustion engine to generate electricity. Gasifiers fuelled by fossil sources such as coal have been operating successfully for many years, but they are now increasingly being developed to accept more mixed fuels, including wastes.  New gas clean-up technology ensures that the resulting gas is suitable to be burnt in a variety of gas engines, with a very favorable emissions profile.  Gasifiers operate at a smaller scale than an incineration plant, and can also be provided in modular form to suit a range of different scales of operation.