M AY 2 0 0 7

FACTS

According to some estimates,

global energy consumption will
increase by as much as 6070%
over the next few decades. If
most of the energy is produced
by burning fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions will almost double at the same time.
By opting for renewable energy
sources, we can help to curb the
growth of greenhouse gases.
In Finland, about 20% of total energy consumption derives
from biomass; this high percentage is mainly due to the recycling of biowaste produced
as a by-product of the forest industry. The Governments aim
is to increase the percentage of
bioenergy by at least one-third
by 2010. The fuel is produced
domestically, and this means
shorter transport distances,
more reliable energy supply
and greater local self-sufficiency. With the rising cost of other energy sources, bioenergy
THE
has also become more
CHALLENGE
price-competitive.

FACTS on environmental protection is published in May 2007 by

Ministry of the Environment, Communications Unit
P.O. Box 35, FI-00023 GOVERNMENT, FINLAND
www.environment.fi

particularly its tar content and

the low efficiency of the process.

Clean gas at a high

efficiency rate
The Novel fixed-bed gasifier,
developed by Condens Oy, is
suitable for gasifying biomass,
peat, and also for REF fuels.
The gasifier allows gas production at a high efficiency rate

ES

(carbon conversion more than

99%) in the capacity range 110
MW. Catalytic cracking gives
the product gas low particle
and tar contents the cleaned
product containing only 50 mg
of tar/m3n. If necessary, the
product gas can be further filtered with a fibre filter at a
temperature of less than 250 C
to lower the solids content.
The gas produced can be
burned in boilers,

THE
SOLUTION

PHOTO: CONDENS

Low-emission
alternatives for
energy generation

Gas produced from biomass is

easier to handle as a fuel than
the biomass itself; gasification
makes it possible to use bioenergy for combined heat and
power generation (CHP) even
in small units. The energy content of the fuel is also more efficiently used in CHP than if heat
and power are produced separately. So far, the problem with
gasification has been the impurity of the gas produced,

Advanced gasifier technology for more efficient, small-scale energy

generation from biofuels.

IS

BES

Gasified biomass for efficient

power and heat generation

P R AC T

on environmental
protection

PHOTO: CONDENS

is needed for the successful

commercialisation and
international success of the
Novel gasifier and power plant,
as these are new energy production solutions requiring
considerable investment.

THE
SUCCESS
FACTORS

Small is beautiful

engines and other special applications (such as dryers and

furnaces). Since the gas produced by the Novel gasification process has a low tar content, the gas is particularly
suited for use in gas engines
for power generation. From the
gasifier, Condens Oy has developed the Novel power plant,
which is based on the idea of
providing a total service from
biomass gasification to CHP
generation and plant maintenance. Depending on the prop-

erties of the fuel, the power

plant can reach a power production rate of more than 30%
of fuel capacity and an overall
efficiency rate of almost 90%.
NOx emissions from the power plant are low, and the wastewater can be discharged into
the normal sewer system.
In 2005, the first Novel trial power plant (1.8 MWpower +
3.3 MWheat) was started up in
Kokemki, Finland, and it has
aroused a great deal of interest
worldwide. A long-term effort

T H E C O M PA N Y
Founded in 1987, Condens Oy is an SME operating in the environment and energy sectors. The companys main products have been
gas scrubbers and industrial wastewater purification systems; more
recently, products relating to biomass gasification and combustion
have been introduced. Since 2006, Condens Heat Recovery Oy has
been responsible for the business operations involving gas scrubbers
and Condens Oy for the gasifier and power plant business.
Condens Oy has made a determined effort to enter the market offering more sustainable energy solutions, with the business idea of
better energy utilisation and more efficient recycling of biomass.
www.condens.fi

Although technological development had already advanced

in the 1990s to the stage where
technological solutions were
available for producing sufficiently clean gas, it took longterm development work to develop the Novel fixed-bed gasifier into a marketable product.
Funding was received both
from national technology programmes and from EU research programmes.
The Technical Research
Centre of Finland VTT (Processes) has been involved in the
development work with Condens Oy since the end of the
1990s. Close cooperation between the company and the research centre produced impressive results. Issues relating to international property
rights (IPR) were resolved in a
way that was compatible with
the resources of a small company, and Condens Oy has the
licensing rights for the innovation.
The developers have had a
strong belief right from the beginning that, with rising electricity prices, there would be
an increasing demand for
CHP generation in increasingly small-scale applications.
The rise in energy prices has,
in fact, been the crucial factor
in the emergence of a market
for the Novel innovations.
Other factors promoting the
market have been international
conventions and commitments
aiming at the control of climate
change and national measures
for more sustainable and selfsufficient energy solutions.

W H Y BIOMAS S
GA SIFIC ATION?

Biomass can be used

to produce gas in two
different ways:
By fermentation
at low temperatures
in oxygen-free conditions
Gas can be produced by
fermentation from landfill
waste, sludge from wastewater treatment plants or
agricultural sludge and biomass from vegetation.
Gasification at high
temperatures
The raw material used
for gas production by
gasification can be almost
any biological material
produced by agriculture
or forestry, such as wood
chips or straw.
The advantage of a gaseous fuel is that it is suitable for many different
applications and types of
energy generation equipment. For CHP production, gas can give a high
efficiency rate, even in
small-scale applications,
where solid fuels are not
necessarily feasible. Technologies suitable for smallscale CHP generation
include gas engines and
turbines.

Contact information:
Ms. Merja Saarnilehto, Senior Adviser, Environmental Protection Department, Ministry of the Environment, email: merja.saarnilehto@ymparisto.fi
Mr. Risto Kuusisto, Chief Engineer, Environmental Protection Department, Ministry of the Environment, email: risto.kuusisto@ymparisto.fi
For more information: www.environment.fi