European Bio-Energy Projects

EU-BRIDGE
Objectives
The strategic aim of the project is to
address the climate issue by developing
technology for the high-efficiency
generation of electricity from biomass.
The two main objectives of the EU-BR-IDGE
(EU-Brazil Industrial Demonstration of
Gasification to Electricity) project are:
• to demonstrate advanced biomass-fuelled
integrated gasification – gas turbine
(BIG-GT) combined-cycle technology
(Figure 1) in the largest installation
of its kind in the world, through
the construction and operation of
a 32 MWe power plant in Mucuri, Bahia,
Brazil, based on eucalyptus wood from
dedicated sustainable plantations; and
• to prepare for commercial tests in this
power plant using sugar cane trash
and bagasse, by conducting a supporting
research programme on these
agricultural residues.
Demonstration of European
biomass IGCC technology
in Brazil
Challenges
The main challenge of this project is to prove the
technical and commercial potential of BIG-GT
technology when applied to woody biomass and
agricultural residues such as sugar cane trash
and bagasse.
The major advantage of BIG-GT technology is
its high conversion efficiency to electricity of
more than 40%.
Estimates made by USAID indicate that the use
of BIG-GT technology will permit 50,000 MW
power to be generated from cane residues worldwide.
The use of advanced conversion technology
in the sugar cane industry also has the advantage
that emissions harmful to the atmosphere
can be significantly reduced as a result of a
change in traditional harvesting of cane which
normally consists of setting huge areas of cane
fields ablaze during the harvesting season.
By harvesting the cane trash for energy
production, the production of local air pollutants
can be avoided, as can those hydrocarbons
contributing to climatic impact, during the fires
following the harvest.
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Project structure
The project consortium comprises TPS Termiska
Processer AB (S), Sistemas de Energia
Renovável, SER (Brazil), Centro de Tecnologia
Copersucar, CTC (Brazil), and Thomas Koch
Energi AS, TKE (DK).
As part of achieving the first objective of the
project, TPS is to be responsible for the basic
engineering of the demonstration power plant
and will also assist SER in the procurement,
erection, start-up and initial monitoring of the
plant’s operation.
As part of achieving the second objective of the
project, TPS will perform pilot-plant tests on
sugar cane trash and bagasse. CTC will be
responsible for all activities to be carried out in
Brazil including the studies of agricultural issues,
harvesting machinery, and fuel quality aspects.
TKE is to conduct tests in a prototype strawfeeding
system specifically developed for the
feeding of straw-like fuels to a gasifier.
Expected impact and exploitation
Agricultural residues from sugar manufacturing
from cane comprise a biofuel of immense
potential in developing countries. Estimates
made by USAID indicate that about 50,000 MWe
could be generated by BIG-GT technology from
cane residues available worldwide, amounting to
2,800 TWh/year that could be generated in the
80 developing countries where sugar cane is
grown, representing 170% of the current
generating capacity in these countries.