Biomass Gas & Electric, LLC (BG&E) is a renewable energy project development company located in Atlanta, Georgia. BG&E is licensed to develop gasification facilities / projects using the patented SilvaGas® process owned by Future Energy Resources Corporation (FERCO), the predecessor of FERCO Enterprises. The technology was developed by Batelle Memorial Institute (Batelle), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and FERCO Enterprises. Initial testing of the technology was at the Batelle pilot plant, a 10-ton per day unit that logged 25,000 hours of operational time. A commercial scale unit was built at the McNeil Generating Station (a wood fired power plant) in Burlington, Vermont. The commercial scale demonstration unit is capable of 200-ton per day; successfully achieving the prescribed start-up and continuous operating parameters as established in the DOE grant contract. This facility has successfully demonstration the correlation of gasification results to the pilot plant and the systems’ flexibility to use multiple biomass feedstocks. A description of the facility as well as pictures can be found at www.nrel.gov.

The award winning SilvaGas® technology process converts a feedstock which could be but is not limited to forest residue, agricultural byproducts, wood waste, municipal solid waste (including animal waste) and energy crops, collectively called “biomass” (organic materials) into a clean, medium Btu, synthetic, natural gas. This medium Btu gas can be substituted directly for natural gas in most applications including industrial heating or drying applications, boilers, both conventional and advanced gas turbines, and fuel cells. This process is highly flexible in that it can accommodate a wide variety of organic feedstock’s of varying moisture content without impacting the Btu content of the product gas.

The basic process of gasification involves converting a biomass solid into a gas. The gasification process does not involve combustion; rather, it converts biomass to synthetic natural gas in an oxygen free, superheated environment. Most existing biomass gasification processes utilize partial combustion, or air blown gasification; which generates a low Btu gas that cannot be substituted for natural gas. The SilvaGas® process is highly competitive with renewable power alternatives (i.e. wind, solar natural gas) because the SilvaGas® process can be dispatched to match load demands and is not resource or site specific. The product gas can be used as a direct substitute for any fossil fuel used in the production of energy. At the completion of the gasification process, the material is reduced to about 1% of its original mass; dramatically prolonging the useful life of landfills and eliminating hazards associated with waste disposal. The system produces reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, which are 98% below conventional fossil fuel plant, and 40% below conventional biomass plants. SilvaGas® represents a clean affordable and environmentally sound alternative to fossil fuels, a solution to the world’s waste management issues and an opportunity to improve land use.

Batelle, the DOE, and FERCO Enterprises have received significant recognition and awards for the SilvaGas® process including, a prestigious R&D 100 Award for the most significant technological breakthrough in the field of renewable energy, on a worldwide basis. The technology has received the State of Vermont Governor’s Award for Excellence in Pollution Prevention. The SilvaGas® process was the only gasification technology mentioned in the May 2001 report of President Bush’s National Energy Policy Development Group: Reliable Affordable and Environmentally Sound Energy for America’s Future. The full report can be found at www.whitehouse.gov\energy\. See Chapter 6, page 6-12.

 

 

 

 

 

Process	Output	History
Stoker Combustion	Thermal Energy	Longest History Highest level of pollutant   -i.e. 250tn for 20MW No fuel flexibility
Fluid Bed Combustion	Thermal Energy	Extensive history and use Controlled emissions   -i.e. 50 to 100 tn for 20MW Limited fuel flexibility
Air Blown Gasification (includes air starved)	Thermal Energy Syngas	Short History (30+ years) Controlled emissions   -i.e. 50 to 100tn for 20MW Limited fuel flexibility
Pyrolysis (advanced gasification) (no air/oxygen)	Syngas	Latest Advancement (10+ years) Lower possible emissions   -i.e. 10 to 50tn for 20MW Widest range of fuel flexibility