Research facility for the production of SNG and Fischer-Tropsch fuels from biomass
Advanced Bioenergy Lab (ABL)
AustriaNew on Amplifa
About the Advanced Bioenergy Lab
The Advanced Bioenergy Lab (ABL) is a research facility for the development and testing of advanced renewable energy carriers at pre-industrial scale. The feedstock base consists of agricultural and forestry biomasses such as residues and by-products from forest management, wood processing and food production, including bark, forest wood chips, waste wood, dairy and brewery waste, manure and sewage sludge. The core of the facility is a dual fluidized bed gasifier developed at TU Wien with 7–10 MW fuel thermal power, converting up to 1.55 tonnes of dry biomass per hour into product gas. From the cleaned product gas, high-purity SNG (approx. 340 Nm³/h) for feed-in to the natural gas grid is produced via methanation with a nickel catalyst, and liquid fuels such as wood diesel and bio-kerosene/SAF (approx. 150 l/h) are produced via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis with a Co/Zr/SiO2 catalyst. The technologies are brought to market maturity under real, industry-relevant conditions in continuous operation and form the technological basis for a first commercial plant of over 50 MW before 2030.
- Site
- Austria
- Processes
- Dual fluidized bed gasification (biomass gasification), Methanation & SNG upgrading (Sabatier and water-gas shift reaction, nickel catalyst), Fischer-Tropsch synthesis & diesel upgrading (steam reforming, hydrotreating,, Fuel blending, Gas production from biomass (dual fluidized bed), Methanation & SNG upgrading, FT synthesis & diesel upgrading (wood diesel, bio-kerosene/SAF), Research & testing at pre-industrial scale
- Materials
- Bark, Forest wood chips, bark-containing fuels, Dairy waste, Brewery waste, Waste wood, Manure, Sewage sludge
- Certificates
- Continuous operation at pre-industrial scale, ISO 9001
- Industries
- Industry, Natural gas grid feed-in, Seasonal storage, Peak load, Agriculture and forestry, Heavy mobile machinery
- 01
Fuel blending
- 02
Dual fluidized bed gasification
- 03
Gas cleaning
- 04
Methanation & SNG upgrading
- 05
FT synthesis
- 06
Steam reforming & hydrotreating (diesel upgrading)
Fuels & Catalysts
Dual fluidized bed gasification
Gasification of various solid biomasses into product gas with adjustable gas composition.
Methanation (Sabatier & water-gas shift)
Conversion of the cleaned product gas into natural-gas-grade SNG using a nickel catalyst.
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
Synthesis of the product gas into long-chain hydrocarbons using a Co/Zr/SiO2 catalyst.
Bark
Forestry residue for biomass gasification.
Forest wood chips
Main fuel from forest management.
Waste wood
Wood recovered from material use as fuel.
Dairy and brewery waste
Industrial residues to broaden the feedstock base.
Sewage sludge & manure
Agricultural and municipal residues for gasification.
Nickel catalyst
Catalyst for methanation to SNG.
Cobalt/zirconium/silicon dioxide catalyst
Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
Location
ABL Real Laboratory
ATResearch and demonstration facility (real-world laboratory)
- Lot size
- Continuous operation, pre-industrial scale
- Materials
- Biomasses (bark, forest wood chips, waste wood, waste, sewage sludge)
- Dual fluidized bed gasifier 7–10 MW FTP
- Methanation plant with gas upgrading
- Fischer-Tropsch synthesis plant
- Steam reforming
- Hydrotreating
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dual fluidized bed gasification (biomass gasification)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Bark, Forest wood chips, bark-like fuels, Dairy waste, Brewery waste, Waste wood, Manure, Sewage sludge |
| Methanation & SNG upgrading (Sabatier and water-gas shift reaction, nickel catalyst)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Product gas from biomass gasification |
| Fischer-Tropsch synthesis & diesel upgrading (steam reforming, hydrotreating,Engineering | – | – | – | – | Product gas from biomass gasification |
| Fuel blendingEngineering | – | – | – | – | Biomasses |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dual fluidized bed gasifier (reactor) | – | 1 | Fuel thermal power 7–10 MW, 1.55 t dry biomass/h (at 8 MW FTP) | – | – |
| Methanation plant with gas upgrading | – | 1 | approx. 340 normal cubic meters of upgraded gas per hour (partial stream 3 MW FTP) | – | – |
| Fischer-Tropsch synthesis plant with diesel upgrading (steam reforming, hydrotreating) | – | 1 | approx. 150 liters of fuel per hour (partial stream 5 MW FTP) | – | – |
Additional services
Operation & Demonstration Operation
The facility is equipped with all components and process steps of a large-scale industrial plant, so that a direct transfer of the results to large-scale plants is possible. After commissioning and optimization, the facility is operated in continuous operation.
| Evidence | ABL Real Laboratory |
|---|---|
| Continuous operation at pre-industrial scale | |
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1902
Sabatier reaction discovered (basis of methanation)
- 1926
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis developed by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch