The Nexterra gasification system converts biomass fuels (such as bark, clean construction debris and biosolids) into clean burning “syngas” that can be used as a direct substitute for natural gas and other fossil fuels in the production of heat, steam or power. It can also be used as a feedstock to produce synthetic fuels, hydrogen, and bio-methane. Compared to conventional combustion equipment, gasification is cleaner and provides greater fuel flexibility and syngas versatility.
Emissions
- Air emissions produced by Nexterra systems fall well below typical North American permit limits.
- The emissions profile of a Nexterra system is well below the emissions profile of a modern biomass combustion system of similar size.
- Nexterra’s gasifiers produce extremely low particulate emissions (typically <50 mg/m3) that may eliminate the requirement for air pollution control equipment
- Nexterra’s gasification systems can achieve emissions performance equivalent to (and in many cases better than) Best Available Control Technology (BACT) requirements for natural gas.
- Emissions from Nexterra gasification systems are so clean they are, in fact, comparable to the US EPA AP-42 Emissions Factors for clean burning natural gas.
- In 2010, Nexterra engaged a third party consulting organization (Levelton Consultant) to compile and compare air emissions permit testing data drawn from biomass combustion facilities and operating Nexterra facilities around North America. The work demonstrated that clear and compelling differences exist between emissions from Nexterra systems and those of leading biomass combustion suppliers.
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Renewable
- Nexterra’s proprietary gasification systems convert renewable biomass fuels into clean burning “syngas” that can be used as a substitute for natural gas and other fossil fuels in the production of heat, steam or power.
- Since biomass is a readily available fuel, it is one of only a few renewables that can generate energy at any time, unlike wind and most solar technologies, which only produce when the wind is blowing or sun is shining.
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Clean Burning
- Syngas is composed primarily of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane, as well as vapourized pyrolysis liquids and hydrocarbons.
- Unlike energy derived from the direct incineration of many waste fuels, syngas is a clean burning fuel that can be used as a substitute for natural gas, fuel oil or propane to produce process heat, steam, hot water and/or electricity using conventional energy recovery equipment.
- Syngas can also be synthesized and used as a basic chemical building block for a large number of products in the petrochemical and refining industries.
- Since Nexterra gasifiers produce an exceptionally clean syngas, heat exchangers remain clean and require minimal maintenance and downtime.
- Clean syngas can also be used to directly fire heating and drying applications such as veneer dryers, rotary dryers, lumber dry kilns, lime kilns and boilers.
- A further benefit of gasification compared to the use of coal or direct-fired hog fuel boilers is the reduced particulate matter that exits the boiler entrained in the flue gas. In certain cases, an ESP is not required to clean the flue gases from boilers fired with syngas.
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Carbon Neutral
- Displacing natural gas with biomass is highly desirable because biomass is carbon neutral and low cost.
- Biomass is usually considered “carbon neutral,” in regulation and policy in Canada and abroad. For example, when wood waste is combusted for energy, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which the trees had already adsorbed from the atmosphere when the trees grew.
- The assumption is that as they grow naturally new trees will absorb the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. This carbon neutral consideration is why biomass power plants assume net CO2 emissions of zero.
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