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TERMOREF
Integration of thermochemical and reforming processes on waste biomass and product valorization with a zero-waste approach
Principal Investigator: Francesco Miccio
Personnel involved: Elena Landi, Valentina Medri, Angela Gondolini, Annalisa Natali Murri, Elettra Papa
Starting date: 01/04/2016
Duration: 24 months
Total funding: 976.317 €
Action: POR-FESR Emilia Romagna 2014/2020 – ASSE 1 – Research and Innovation, Action 1.2.2
Project Coordinator: Francesco Basile (CIRI EA)
Consortium: the research project takes place in partnership with a widespread partnership across the region, involving the provinces of Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Ravenna and Rimini. These include 5 research laboratories and 2 companies.
Official website: site.unibo.it/termoref
The project is aimed at the development of thermochemical processes applied to residual biomass (pruning, processing by-products, cast iron, sludge, etc.) and integrated with reforming and process updating processes. The concept is based on the idea of increasing the environmental and economic sustainability of some food chains through the acquisition of products with greater added value.
Within the project, the partners involved will realize two prototypes for the pyrolysis and gasification of biomass. They will be mainly used for the production of biochar, that is a vegetable carbon derived from the biomass pyrolysis to be used as fertilizer, as well as synthetic gas containing light hydrocarbons, which can be converted into synthetic natural gas (Bio-SNG). Both process products respond to the logic of reducing the environmental impact of CO2 through the storage of carbon in biochar and the reduction of the amount of combustion CO2 thanks to the use of natural gas.
Objectives of the project are the realization of two prototypes for the production of biomethane from the gas phase and of quality biochar. The first, also able to use biomass at high humidity, generates a pure synthesis gas for energy production, biomethane/ H2 and biochar. It will be an upgrade pirogasifier (75 KW) integrated with the catalytic tar reforming process. To this end, specific ceramic-based catalysts will be developed.
The development of a thermochemical process integrated with that of catalytic reforming is at the base of the second process, in which a gas with a high content of H2, a biochar solid and condensed with high vapor (biofuel) caloric are produced.
Publications and patents
- Miccio F., Natali Murri, A., Medri, V., Landi, E., Utilization of Fireclay for Preventing Fluidized Bed Agglomeration during Biomass Thermochemical Processing, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (2019)
- Bendoni R., Miccio F., Medri V., Benito P., Vaccari A., Landi E., Geopolymer composites for the catalytic cleaning of tar in biomass-derived gas, Renewable Energy 131 (2019) 1107-1116
