In Iowa, Frontline BioEnergy has achieved a breakthrough in syngas quality for biomass gasification at its new pilot facility located in Nevada, Iowa.
The innovative technology, called TarFreeGas®, has achieved the ultimate goal of biomass gasification: ultra-clean biomass-derived synthesis gas. Biomass gasification is a process that takes organic material, from corn stover to wood waste, and converts it to synthesis gas using high temperatures without combustion. Gasification of biomass was discovered more than 400 years ago, but syngas from gasified biomass contains numerous hydrocarbons, also called tars, which are detrimental to process equipment and can be hazardous to human health. Although research has tested a wide variety of methods from filters to absorbers to exotic systems involving plasma, a practical solution to managing these tars has remained elusive.
Frontline engineers started working on the tar problem at the company’s inception more than 15 years ago as part of their mission: to be a global leader in waste and biomass gasification solutions for renewable energy, renewable fuels, and products.
