SUPREMAS aims at demonstrating the potential and viability of innovative compact, modular and movable (i.e., transportable on truck) syngas production units capable of recovering the bioenergy content from multiple waste feedstocks (e.g. wood, chips, sludges from wastewater treatment, digestate). The chosen feedstocks are byproducts that result from very different processes and can be easily found in several European regions, both urban and non-urban. The developed modular systems will be capable of treating 60kg/h - 200kg/h feedstock (modular movable unit) targeting different end uses decentralized production characterized by different dimensions and end uses.
In particular, the SUPREMAS solution is foreseen to be easily adaptable to small communities or Plants having to treat residual biomass (e.g. woodchips from forests and urban maintenance, nut and almond shells….) and other organic wastes (e.g. digestate, OFMSW), valorizing the syngas through CHP direct integration.
The SUPREMAS conceptual system is composed of modular units designed at the purpose for syngas production and energy generation both via traditional CHP and also SOFC compacted modules. In particular, the SUPREMAS units system will be validated at TRL7 in two Demonstrators (in Spain and in Portugal). The obtained syngas will be exploited increasing the production yield and contributing to the achievement of CO2 free waste valorization plants. A conceptual design for an upstream purification module to meet the stringent requirements for direct injection in SOFC will be also done, to allow highly efficient generation of electrical power and heat with zero emissions to the atmosphere. This particular modular arrangement has been conceived to maximize the flexibility for the management of the system in different configurations according to the variability of the inputs, in terms of feedstock, and of the energy demand from the local energy ecosystem, and to enable, in the future, the adaptability of the design to other end uses. The proposed solutions physical demonstration will be complemented with a wide replication campaign both in the Demonstration country sites and in different other contexts facilitating community involvement. The project will also provide a deep understanding on the conditions for gas injection into the grid and the road mapping for the market exploitation.
Different software development activities will be also part of the project, aiming at monitoring the modular plant and at providing a DSS to allow economic and environmental impacts assessment, screening different plant configurations and available feedstocks. The demonstrations proposed in SUPREMAS are expected to contribute to ensure gas supply security, by exploiting bio-energy sources from a sustainable and cost-efficient perspective.