What is Syngas?

Syngas is a versatile gas made up of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons. 

Traditionally, syngas is made from fossil fuels, like many other fuel options. However, thanks to recent renewable technology, we can now produce syngas from biomass, waste tyres, and plastics.

In this blog, Anergy will detail Syngas, how it is made, and what makes it an ideal alternative to other traditional fossil fuels. 

How is Syngas made?

Syngas is typically produced through a thermochemical conversion using natural gas or coal, but in recent years, biomass has been used during the process of gasification or pyrolysis. These processes involve heating the biomass feedstock to very high temperatures in a controlled environment. By allowing limited oxygen into this environment, this breaks down the material into a mixture of gases, mostly hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

These processes, such as pyrolysis, are tools to breakdown the feedstock into various components including syngas. Ultimately, the quality and composition of the syngas also depends heavily on the source feedstock. 

Where is Syngas used?

Since Syngas is used as a fuel source, it can be spread out across many different industries. It can often be found being used in a power plant with gas turbines to generate electricity and heat. The chemical industry is one of the largest industries to use syngas as well as using Syngas to produce a variety of fuels. Syngas can also be broken down into its main components to make use of the hydrogen on its own.

Do I need a specialised engine to use Syngas?

To use Syngas, you don’t always need to purchase a new engine. 

Simply by making modifications to an off-the-shelf engine that accepts fossil fuels, your engine can run on Syngas. 

Syngas from Anergy’s HTP generally have a higher calorific value such that minimal modification is required.

Why fuel gas engines with Syngas?

Syngas, when produced using biomass, is a much more renewable option to power gas engines. They are known for: 

• reduced greenhouse gas emissions

• lower energy costs 

• energy independence

Syngas that is produced by heating biomass is considered a low or zero-carbon fuel as it is produced with carbon that was removed from the atmosphere, making it easily renewable. It also produces fewer sulphur emissions for a cleaner exhaust. 

Syngas is also a more cost-effective option for companies, allowing businesses to save money without risking quality and investing any extra finances in other aspects of their business.

What are the secondary byproducts of Syngas?

Whilst Syngas is a more renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels, it does still produce secondary byproducts as part of the process. 

This includes: 

• tars

• inorganic compounds (alkali metals, nitrogen, sulphur, and chlorine compounds) 

• solid particles

Most of the secondary byproducts can be recycled back into the Anergy's HTP kiln for the tars to be further broken down into syngas.

Benefits and challenges of Syngas

 

 

COVID-19 and Syngas 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of distribution globally. It has been estimated that over 1.24 trillion disposable masks were disposed of worldwide from December 2019 to May 2021. (Science Direct) 

However, did you know that these disposable face masks could be used to create Syngas? 

A 2023 study found that these face masks could be turned into energy rather than being dumped into the environment, and cause damage to the surrounding ecosystems. 

“The steam gasification/pyrolysis technique offers a reliable solution for the utilization of such wastes via chemical recycling into value-added products. The aim was to estimate the effect of thermo-chemical conversion temperature and steam-to-carbon ratio on the distribution of gaseous products obtained during non-catalytic steam gasification of 3-ply face masks and KN95 respirators in a fluidized bed reactor.”

The result of this study found that “disposable protective face masks can be chemically recycled into syngas using pyrolysis/steam gasification at ≥800°C temperature, escaping the need for catalyst employment during the conversion process.” (MDPI) 

How does Syngas fit into Anergy?

The syngas from Anergy’s process is superior when compared to syngas from other thermal processes. This is due to the HTP process which will produce superior syngas and our 4-stage cleaning process through our GCU to remove any secondary byproducts such as tars, dust, and moisture prior to utilisation of the syngas. 

To learn more about our unique process, see our HTP and Anergy's Gas Clean-up (GCU) equipment, or you can contact us today.