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A viable solution for residual biomass exploitation to reduce the cost related to the biomass disposal and simultaneously create profit by electrical and thermal energy use is combined heat and power generation over the micro-scale of power (m-CHP) based on biomass gasification. The exploitation and improving of these systems were the main objective of the Italian project "PROMETEO - Production of electrical, thermal and cooling energy with m-CHP fueled by residual biomass", funded by the local Ministry of Economic Development (MISE). The present work shows an extended experimental activity based on a 20kW micro-cogeneration system as powered by different types of residual lignocellulosic biomasses briquettes in a demonstrative environment site identified in a waste management and storage plant in the Municipality of Mugnano, Naples, in the south of Italy. The m-CHP plant is made of a gasifier, a syngas cleaning circuit and a spark ignition (SI) internal combustion engine (ICE) connected to an electric-generator. The electrical output was meant to power the plant machines for the operations of waste storage. For both biomasses, tests were conducted over two consecutive days for the complete characterization of the system in low and medium load and in different spark ignition timing to assess the system sensitivity. The plant performance was investigated with a complete characterization of the syngas and tar compositions, main pollutant emissions and internal combustion engine analyses, aimed at the evaluation of the energetic and environmental efficiencies of the whole plant during the exercise. An analysis of the assessment of the air quality near the plant by evaluating CO, O3, NO2, C6H6 and PM10 concentration was also carried out. The ultimate purpose of the present work is the demonstration of the advantages of the employment of biomass-powered cogeneration systems in the Mediterranean regions, as part of biomass-to-energy chains suitable of being set in rural zones, within National Parks as well as to serve Municipalities having the need to dispose green waste from pruning and maintenance operations.

The world interest in reducing CO2 emissions, producing energy by renewable sources and promoting the idea of a circular economy has been increasing during the last years. General public is aware about the importance of green biomass as a local renewable resource, which is widely available on the land and is exploitable through environmentally sustainable criteria in order to reach an ecologically sound economic development. In 2011, moreover, the Italian Government established that each new or renewed building has to be provided by a renewable source plant and the PNIEC’s publication (Energy and Climate Plan) established the Italian targets for 2030 towards the Green New Deal. The design of a new heating plant for a school is completely related to this framework. This paper aims to evaluate the potential construction of a short biomass energy chain to provide the school energy demand. The residual agro-forestal biomass, usually considered as waste, turns into the starting point for bioenergy production and for the realization of a virtuous example of a circular economy system inside a regional park in Tuscany, where the new “Scuola in Natura' will be built in a short time. The following paper deals with the technical, economical and environmental advantages and disadvantages of the installation of a renewable energy system that provides energy to the school and the farmhouse, already located in the area, by exploiting the residues of the park’s annual maintenance., Proceedings of the 29th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 26-29 April 2021, Online, pp. 222-230

The growing threats of global warming and climate change are two of the main concerns of world society. The culprits are greenhouse gas emissions, which mainly result from the combustion of fossil fuels (i.e. the consumption and production of energy from oil, coal and natural gas), a well-known issue at the centre of many climate change debates. The European Parliament has endorsed the EU target of zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 [1]. It is therefore essential to provide for sustainable energy development strategies such as biomass. The valorization of biomass makes it possible to alleviate environmental problems. we are able to obtain energy from what was, until recently, considered to be waste. this article assesses the contribution that chestnut skin biomass makes, in energy, environmental and economic terms, to the production process of the company Monsurgel Lda. The results show that the chestnut skin can contribute to an energy saving with a good investment payback time and also an environment contribution with the CO2 reduction., Proceedings of the 29th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 26-29 April 2021, Online, pp. 515-521

The valorization of residual biomass plays today a decisive role in the concept of &ldquo, circular economy&rdquo, according to which each waste material must be reused to its maximum extent. The collection and energy valorization at the local level of biomass from forest management practices and wildfire prevention cutting can be settled in protected areas to contribute to local decarbonization, by removing power generation from fossil fuels. Despite the evident advantages of bioenergy systems, several problems still hinder their diffusion, such as the need to assure their reliability by extending the operating range with materials of different origin. The Italian project &ldquo, INNOVARE&mdash, Innovative plants for distributed poly-generation by residual biomass&rdquo, funded by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE), has the main scope of improving micro-cogeneration technologies fueled by biomass. A micro-combined heat and power (mCHP) unit was chosen as a case study to discuss pros and cons of biomass-powered cogeneration within a national park, especially due to its flexibility of use. The availability of local biomasses (woodchips, olive milling residuals) was established by studying the agro-industrial production and by identifying forest areas to be properly managed through an approach using a satellite location system based on the microwave technology. A detailed synergic numerical and experimental characterization of the selected cogeneration system was performed in order to identify its main inefficiencies. Improvements of its operation were optimized by acting on the engine control strategy and by also adding a post-treatment system on the engine exhaust gas line. Overall, the electrical output was increased by up to 6% using the correct spark timing, and pollutant emissions were reduced well below the limits allowed by legislation by working with a lean mixture and by adopting an oxidizing catalyst. Finally, the global efficiency of the system increased from 45.8% to 63.2%. The right blending of different biomasses led to an important improvement of the reliability of the entire plant despite using an agrifood residual, such as olive pomace. It was demonstrated that the use of this biomass is feasible if its maximum mass percentage in a wood matrix mixture does not exceed 25%. The project was concluded with a real operation demonstration within a national park in Southern Italy by replacing a diesel genset with the analyzed and improved biomass-powered plant and by proving a decisive improvement of air quality in the real environment during exercise.

The European Horizon 2020 project [1] FLEXCHX aims to develop a flexible and integrated hybrid process combining electrolysis of water with gasification of biomass and catalytic liquefaction. This hybrid concept might allow more flexible and fast response to changes in consumer heat demand and might capable of managing the energy system fluctuations on an hourly and daily basis. In addition, the gasification and FT process concept has many designs and operation alternatives, therefore in order to develop a flexible hybrid process combining electrolysis, there was evaluated different operating modes and conditions at which some amount of by-product heat is generated. In this purpose, there was performed an analysis of the selected energy object integrated into the district heating system presenting the structure and regulation of the Lithuanian energy market. The basic aim of this work is to assess qualitatively the various potential district heating and industrial CHP applications where the waste streams may be integrated according to the heat and power markets. This work provides data for the surrounding conditions of FLEXCHX process in the present CHP system and possibilities of integration variations., Proceedings of the 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 821-826

The valorization of residual biomass plays a decisive role in the actual implementation of the concept of "circular economy", according to which each waste material must be reused at its highest level in order to reduce the impact of human activities on the biosphere. The Italian project "INNOVARE - Innovative plants for distributed poly-generation by residual biomass", funded by the local Ministry of Economic Development (MISE), involves the synergic activities of research institutes and industrial companies to pursue the aim of improving micro-cogeneration technologies fueled by biomass, in order to provide effective solutions of short-range biomass-to-energy chains, characterized by high overall efficiency and flexibility. A place for operational demonstration is chosen in the Municipality of Laurino, in the Cilento National Park, located in the Campania region, in the South of Italy. Main problems today still hindering a sustainable use of energy systems powered by biomass in various contexts are related the resource availability over a continuous time scale and to the necessity of extending their operating range in the absence of faults, to assure reliability. Within the project INNOVARE, a micro combined heat and power (mCHP) unit produced and marketed by the Italian Company CMD, the CMD ECO20 system, made of a gasifier, a syngas cleaning system and a spark ignition (SI) internal combustion engine (ICE) working as a co-generator, is chosen as the case study to assess the whole study. The availability of local biomasses is established by studying the agro-industrial production and by identifying forest areas to be properly managed through an original approach using the satellite location system based on the microwave technology. Woodchip from wood maintenance and olive-pomace from oil mills are also identified as possible feedstock for the system. A detailed experimental characterization of the selected cogeneration system is performed in order to identify its main inefficiencies. Numerical models of each component, validated against experimental data, are developed and used to optimize the performance of the whole conversion process. An improvement of the 5.8% on the electrical power is reached by identifying the optimal spark timing strategy. The waste heat recovery loop is modified in order to have at disposal the excess heat when the request for thermal load gets lower than the production capacity of the plant, with an increase in reliability even in the absence of thermal users. The positive development of the planned activities will have important effects at European level, by contributing to the diffusion of renewables, especially in areas where their penetration has been limited by the use of systems powered by non-programmable sources, in line with the principal current priorities of the European 2030 Climate & Energy Framework

The valorization of residual biomass plays a decisive role in the actual implementation of the concept of “circular economy”, according to which each waste material must be reused at its highest level in order to reduce the impact of human activities on the biosphere. The Italian project “INNOVARE - Innovative plants for distributed poly-generation by residual biomass”, funded by the local Ministry of Economic Development (MISE), involves the synergic activities of research institutes and industrial companies to pursue the aim of improving micro-cogeneration technologies fueled by biomass, in order to provide effective solutions of short-range biomass-to-energy chains, characterized by high overall efficiency and flexibility. A place for operational demonstration is chosen in the Municipality of Laurino, in the Cilento National Park, located in the Campania region, in the South of Italy. Main problems today still hindering a sustainable use of energy systems powered by biomass in various contexts are related the resource availability over a continuous time scale and to the necessity of extending their operating range in the absence of faults, to assure reliability. Within the project INNOVARE, a micro combined heat and power (mCHP) unit produced and marketed by the Italian Company CMD, the CMD ECO20 system, made of a gasifier, a syngas cleaning system and a spark ignition (SI) internal combustion engine (ICE) working as a co-generator, is chosen as the case study to assess the whole study. The availability of local biomasses is established by studying the agro-industrial production and by identifying forest areas to be properly managed through an original approach using the satellite location system based on the microwave technology. Woodchip from wood maintenance and olive-pomace from oil mills are also identified as possible feedstock for the system. A detailed experimental characterization of the selected cogeneration system is performed in order to identify its main inefficiencies. Numerical models of each component, validated against experimental data, are developed and used to optimize the performance of the whole conversion process. An improvement of the 5.8% on the electrical power is reached by identifying the optimal spark timing strategy. The waste heat recovery loop is modified in order to have at disposal the excess heat when the request for thermal load gets lower than the production capacity of the plant, with an increase in reliability even in the absence of thermal users. The positive development of the planned activities will have important effects at European level, by contributing to the diffusion of renewables, especially in areas where their penetration has been limited by the use of systems powered by non-programmable sources, in line with the principal current priorities of the European 2030 Climate & Energy Framework., Proceedings of the 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 834-848

Model-based optimization offers the appealing opportunity of interpolating performance of a physical system between settings and of inferring its behaviour from previously unobserved areas of the parameter space, up to the optimal one. Application of this technique to micro-Combined Heat and Power (m-CHP) generation based on biomass gasification allows better exploiting the potential of this renewable energy source (RES) and of the specific technology for thermo-chemical conversion. A numerical model of a real CHP plant of the micro-scale of power, the ECO20 manufactured by the Italian Company Costruzioni Motori Diesel S.p.A., is presented in this paper as coupled with an optimization algorithm for the search of the best performance in terms of electric power output. The considered m-CHP system, made of a gasifier, a syngas cleaning system and a spark ignition Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) working as a co-generator, is fueled by woodchip. The plant model is realized by schematizing the whole biomass-to-energy chain within the Thermoflex™ environment and, simultaneously, by improving the prediction of the ICE performance through a properly developed and validated one-dimensional (1D) model in GT-Suite®. Simulation of the combustion process is specifically customized for syngas use, namely to account for the extreme variability of this fuel that strongly depends upon the kind of processed biomass and the gasifier operating conditions. The system model is validated on the ground of experimental data collected on the real plant and is coupled with the modeFRONTIER™ software for the optimal choice of the main operating parameters. The final purpose of the work is the assessment of a framework for the energetic and environmental optimization of biomass-powered cogeneration systems suitable of being used under various conditions and for various purposes. The here reported case study consists of the optimization of the electric power output by the considered m-CHP unit as a function of the equivalence ratio at the gasifier and of the ICE spark advance. Starting from an electric output of 17 kW, measured during the experimental campaign, it is demonstrated that an improvement of 6% on the electric power can be reached by acting only on the system parameters settings, without changing the system components.

_Energy valorization of organic waste material is nowadays an assessed practice of circulare economy. Combined heat and power (CHP) technologies based on biomass gasification represent viable substitutes to traditional energy conversion units based on combiustion, whose need has recently experienced a huge growth, due to the increasing concerns about the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emisisons and related effects on climate changes. At ptesent, only a few solutions have yet achieved a level of full development for commercialization. One of them i the system developed by CMD ECO20, made of a gasifier, a syngas cleaning system and spark ignition internal combustion engine working asa co-generator. In the present work, a numerical model is developed to study this system into detail and search for optimal controlling parameters. the simulation relies on a combined use of the Thermoflex TM environment and a proper one-dimensional (ID) model of the engine module built within GT-Suite. An original contribution is given to the turbolent combustion model that accounts for the laminar flame speed of the specific syngas. the numerical model, that covers the entire biomass-to-energy conversion precess, is validated under real operative conditions. The final purpose of the work is the input parameters, as the initial biomass moisture content, the equivalence ratio at the gasifier or the timing of spark advance, to maximize the system electrical energy output.

In Finland most of the combined heat and power (CHP) plants are based on fluidized bed combustion and are co-combusting different types of woody biomass with peat. Due to the CO2 emission reduction targets and subsequent renewable energy support mechanisms, the share of biomass has been increasing. Biomass utilization can increase plant’s operational costs through higher fuel costs and negative effects on efficiency and availability of the boiler and increased maintenance work. The economic feasibility of biomass utilization is then dependent on whether the policy support measures make up for the additional costs. An interactive toolkit was developed to help to understand the relevance of various factors affecting the operation economics of a multifuel CHP plant and to study the respective competitiveness of peat and different types of forest biomass. In the fictional case example co-combustion of forest biomass and peat was found to be more feasible option than using either peat or forest biomass alone in the current market situation. Co-combustion provides synergy effects which decrease the O&M costs. The current low price of CO2 emission allowances makes biomass utilization dependent on the subsidies. The competitiveness between biomass and peat is also naturally strongly affected by the relative fuel price developments., Proceedings of the 24th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-9 June 2016, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 792-800

Recently biomass upgrading technologies like torrefaction and hydrothermal carbonization are investigated to make low quality biomasses and residues available for energetic use. Hydrothermal carbonization offers the conversion of wet, heterogeneous biomass to a homogenous biocoal with enhanced grinding and dewatering properties. In this work the utilization of biocoal in an entrained-flow gasifier is analyzed for subsequent heat and power generation in a gas engine. Basic simulation results of an air-blown gasification process in Aspen Plus® are presented and the development of a small scale autothermal entrained-flow gasifier is described. Large scale technologies like pneumatic dense-phase conveying were applied successfully in small scale with biocoals. Operational experiences and key findings are discussed. First trials were carried out using lignite as comparable fuel., International Bioenergy (Shanghai) Exhibition and Asian Bioenergy Conference 2015, IBSCE 2015

The logistics for the collection of energy biomasses is a major constraint in areas with severe orography, lack of transportation infrastructures and dispersed land ownership. The use of small size units eases this process for it reduces the extension of the gathering area. Nevertheless, small size means low electrical efficiency and high specific costs. Many yearly operating hours are required for making a small plant become a cost effective solution. A difficult compromise must be settled, between the proximity of the plant to the woodland and the presence of a local heat demand, for a full exploitation of the power output.This paper discusses the idea of using the heat surplus of a biomass-fired cogeneration unit to treat a share of the biomass and produce fuel like pellet, to be stored and distributed for heating purposes. This form of thermal energy storage makes time and geographical shift of heat utilization possible, also in small-scale applications. A technical-economical comparison is carried out and discussed between the above mentioned system and a district heating supplied by a traditional biomass boiler, or a conventional chip-fired cogeneration plant without pellets production. The economic profitability of different plant solutions is investigated in some case-studies., Proceedings of the 23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 1-4 June 2015, Vienna, Austria, pp. 702-708

The aim of this work is the operation analysis of a CHP system based on the combustion of wood biomass residues. A superheated­water boiler, which is fired with biomass residuals from pruning activities, supplies heat to two Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) units and to a small district heating system. Operation data of the two units have been analyzed over more than two years with an hourly time­step, in order to analyze the system performance with respect to design conditions. The results show a good availability of the biomass system, but the average gross power output of the two ORC units is lower than the nominal power. The main cause is related to the temperature of the water supplied to the evaporator of the ORC units, which is often lower than the required value: the poor quality of the biomass and the high moisture result in low combustion conditions. The results of this study point out the importance of considering real operation conditions during the design phase of the system: the variability of the input biomass can lead to off­design conditions, with lower performance than expected., Proceedings of the 22nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 23-26 June 2014, Hamburg, Germany, pp. 777-779

The sector of building heating in last years has seen an increasing interest in energy conversion efficiency and energy production from renewable sources. The amount of buildings supplied by district heating systems in northern Italy has doubled between 2000 and 2010. The main share of Italian District Heating (DH) is fuelled by fossil fuel CHP systems, and a smaller share relies on heat production from renewable sources. The increase of energy production from renewables is in line with the European targets set out in the Climate Package (20-20-20 targets) and with the recent debate on future targets for 2030. Moreover, the use of biomass-fired CHP systems could lead at the same time to an increase of primary energy savings with respect to separate production of heat and power. This study focuses on the benefits of installing wood biomass ORC units in existing DH systems. The primary energy savings and the energy share produced from CHP have been evaluated for different simulation scenarios, as well as a basic economic analysis considering the new Italian incentives on electricity production from renewable sources., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 1618-1624

The European Horizon 2020 project FLEXCHX aims to develop a flexible and integrated hybrid process combining electrolysis of water with gasification of biomass and catalytic liquefaction. This hybrid concept might allow more flexible and fast response to changes in consumer heat demand and might capable of managing the energy system fluctuations on an hourly and daily basis. In addition, the gasification and FT process concept has many designs and operation alternatives, therefore in order to develop a flexible hybrid process combining electrolysis, there was evaluated different operating modes and conditions at which some amount of by-product heat is generated. In this purpose, there was performed an analysis of the selected energy object integrated into the district heating system presenting the structure and regulation of the Lithuanian energy market. The basic aim of this work is to assess qualitatively the various potential district heating and industrial CHP applications where the waste streams may be integrated according to the heat and power markets. This work provides data for the surrounding conditions of FLEXCHX process in the present CHP system and possibilities of integration variations.

The aim of this work is to assess the integration of citrus residues gasification in a Sicilian medium size enterprise, which processes about 85,000 t/year of fresh fruit. In this work, gasification tests were performed in a bench-scale fluidized bed reactor working with both air and air-steam mixtures as gasification mediums. The gasification experiments were carried out at 700, 750, and 850 °C and at different steam to biomass ratios (0 – 1.25). Thus, evaluations on syngas composition and gasification efficiencies were carried out. According to the experimental results, the highest net cold gas efficiency (0.71) was achieved at 850°C and S/B =0.5. A combined heat and power (CHP) unit, using a reciprocating engine, was selected in order to simulate the combination of the gasification unit with an internal combustion engine (ICE).The results showed that the proposed system allows to produce about 8,256 MWhe/year and 10,224MWht/year as electrical and thermal output, respectively, by using two CHP units of 516 kWe, and consuming about 7,112 t/year of dry citrus peel (10%wt moisture). The thermal power output produced by CHP system may be used for drying the fresh citrus peels up to the desired water content, being this step the most energy demanding step., Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 106-110

Currently, biomass gasification for small scale combined heat and power (CHP) plants (< 500 kWe) is attracting increasing interest as a way to provide remote and/or rural districts with electrical-thermal power, also creating a sustainable economy on the territory. In this context, downdraft gasification technology, coupled with reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE), is characterized by higher conversion efficiencies in comparison with other technologies. However, the exploitation of a syngas from biomass gasification into a RICE is not easy, due to the presence of contaminants and to the composition that mainly affects engine outputs. At the same time, gasification operative parameters, such as equivalence ratio (ER), biomass moisture content, gasification air temperature (GAT), etc., have a significant influence on gas production and composition and, consequently, on its heating value. Therefore, it is not immediate to find the best setting to maximize, at the same time, gasifier and RICE performances.The present work shows the application of an experimental and numerical methodology aimed to study how the gasifier setting influences RICE performances. Using a kinetic model, implemented Aspen Plus ® commercial platform, the syngas production and composition of a wood downdraft gasifier has been predicted varying ER and GAT. After that, the influence of syngas composition on RICE performances has been analysed using the dedicated AVL Boost® commercial code. Both models have been previously tuned using experimental data obtained from a commercial scale wood gasification CHP plant., Proceedings of the 26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 14-17 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 679-684