Pilot scale torrefaction of local

biomass residues (Torplant)

Jean-Bernard
MICHEL
University of Applied
Sciences and Arts
Western Switzerland,
heig-vd
POLICY
CONFERENCE
You all like torrefied coffee

Torrefied biomass

3
Context of the project
Overall goal: make it easy for the market

Simple feedstock
Complicated feedstock normalised
Project history
2015-2017: pilot testing & scale-up
towards profitability threshold of 500 kg/h

2012-2015: studies, design and

construction of a 100 kg/h pilot

2011-2013: torrefaction tests

HEIG-VD 6 kg/h

2008-2010: combustion tests

HEIG-VD

2005-2009: Pilot 50 kg/h

ECN, The Netherlands
 Automated and integrated pilot plant

Power supply,
controls & supervision

Raw biomass storage and feeding system

Flox burner system with turbo-compressor Torrefactor Thermal oil heater
Screw cooler of torrefied chips
Main results
Seven runs: 17 to 42 hours, continuous operation
Mass loss: 21% to 32% (about 8-10% energy loss)
High heating value of products: 20.6-21.7 MJ/kg increase of 5-8 %
Meet ISO/TS 17225-8
Better combustion properties on domestic boilers, lower emissions
of particulates (10%), CO (40-94%) and HC (39-85%) compared to
raw fuel
Potential scale-up to 500 kg/h commercial plant with good
profitability and a pay-back of about 5 years using low-cost residues
at the current cost.
Economics of a 500 kg/h plant
Next steps
GRT is the sole owner of the Torplant technology
Improvements to the plant for better overall efficiency
Combustion tests at customer locations:
District heating (chips & pellets)
Gasification
Industrial heating (pulverised fuel)
On-going search for one or several demonstration sites
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