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was selected. The methanation is supplied by Haldor Topsoe and here fixed bed methanation is
used. Details about the flow chart can be seen in Figure 7.11.

The 20 MW BioSNG plant is actually under construction and start-up is planned for 2013. For
the second stage grants from the NER300 program of the EC will be received with high
probability. There appear to be good chances that also in near future also the second stage of
80–100 MW BioSNG production will be realized. 64

CONCLUSION

The product gas from thermal biomass gasification processes is an outstanding energy carrier.
It can be used as a stand-alone fuel (heat and power applications) or it can be further treated
and transformed into another energy carrier by chemical upgrading and synthesis. The energy
density of synthesis gas is only about 30% that of natural gas and is therefore not suitable for
distribution as-is, unless converted to transportation fuels and other chemical products such as
synthetic natural gas, methanol, and synthetic petroleum fuel. In a purified state, the hydrogen

component of synthesis gas can also be used directly for industrial applications (e.g., oil
refineries) or to power hydrogen fuel cells for electricity generation.
In this review, different biomass-based synthesis gas applications are described. The

processes for alternative fuels production from synthesis gas as well as other applications are
presented here. The heat and/power applications were developed in the last decades, but more
recently the interests for transportation fuels production (trucks, jet) have come more into the
focus, explaining the intensive R&D work performed and planned in this area. The reasons are
both the climbing prices of fossil fuels and also the climate change issue in combination with
an increasing energy demand in transportation sector. These factors are reflected in policy
measures to increase the use of advanced biofuels such as from the second and third
generation.

Recently, there are several projects going on to produce advanced biofuels for transportation.
An overview about ongoing projects can be found in several databases like:

IEA Bioenergy Task 33 Thermal Gasification of Biomass (http://www.ieatask33.org)

IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Liquid Biofuels (http://de-
moplants.bioenergy2020.eu/projects/mapindex)

US DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office
(http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/integrated_biorefineries.html)

Several different gasification technologies are used for production of synthesis gas from
biomass, but there is only the DFB steam gasification technology in commercial operation (for
CHP, not for synthesis gas). All others have done extensive R&D and also demonstration, but
no commercial plant is at the moment in operation.

There are several demonstration plants in the planning or construction phase (GoBiGas,
BioTfueL, Stracel BTL or Ajos BTL, Woodspirit, Enerkem demo on Ethanol, or TIGAS),