A Process and a Plant for Hydrothermal Synthetic Natural Gas (sng) Production from Waste Biomass

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes a process and system for converting wet biomass and biomass waste (such as manure, sewage sludge, food industry residues, or lignin slurries) into synthetic natural gas (SNG) using hydrothermal gasification in supercritical water. The process not only focuses on producing SNG that meets gas grid quality standards, but also integrates advanced heat and energy recovery techniques to maximize the efficiency of the conversion, reduce operational costs, and improve overall plant performance. The invention introduces multiple process designs that optimize the separation of products and recovery of energy, including options for electricity generation from by-products.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Municipal or industrial waste-to-energy plants converting biomass waste into grid-quality natural gas.
• Renewable energy production facilities aiming to substitute fossil natural gas with SNG from sustainable sources.
• Combined heat and power (CHP) plants utilizing wet and low-quality biomass to generate both SNG and electricity.
• Biogas upgrading or conversion facilities seeking higher efficiency and flexibility by processing a wider range of feedstocks, including wet residues.
• Sustainable fuel generation from waste streams in agro-industrial or food processing operations.
• Sewage and wastewater treatment plants converting sludge to valuable fuel while reducing disposal volumes and environmental impact.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables efficient conversion of wet biomass and waste materials that are otherwise difficult to process, minimizing the need for drying and preprocessing.
• Maximizes energy recovery by integrating heat and power generation, improving the overall thermodynamic and economic efficiency of the plant.
• Provides flexible process configurations adaptable to different types of feedstocks, plant sizes, and local conditions.
• Produces grid-quality synthetic natural gas usable for heating, transportation, and electricity generation, supporting renewable energy goals.
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by diverting carbon-rich waste from landfills and substituting fossil-derived natural gas.
• Offers potential for decentralized and modular renewable energy projects, boosting local energy security and utilization of waste resources.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

It is the aim of the present invention to provide a system and a process for hydrothermal SNG production from waste biomass having a design of the product separation that not only considers the grid quality specifications for SNG, but also the recovery of the exergy potential of the crude and the supply of required heat for the plant. Processes and systems for hydrothermal SNG production from carbon- containing substrate are disclosed, comprising in general: a) generating a slurry having a predetermined solids content as calculated in dry mass; b) heating and pressuring the biomass slurry above 200°C and 50 bar; g)gasifying the hydrolysed biomass slurry,from which precipitated solids are optionally separated before and/or after the gasification, c) performing LV separation and gas separation at high pressure to generate a liquid stream and a vapour stream; d)for the liquid stream, liquid expanding with or without power recovery or evaporating and turbine expanding followed by LV separation; and e)valve expanding or reheating and turbine expanding of the vapour stream followed by combustion and expansion in a turbine, and/or electrochemical conversion to heat and/or power of the so-generated SNG gas and/or supply of the so- generated SNG gas to a gas grid.