A new white paper released by the European Biogas Association (EBA) has mapped the opportunities of gasification technology’s contribution to building European circular economies and reducing carbon emissions as part of the net-zero roadmap. By producing cleaner energy, biochar, and biofuels from biomass and wastes, gasification is a key enabler for the EU's energy decarbonization the EBA paper finds.
Long-term solutions are needed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, limit global temperatures and create more circular, sustainable economies.
According to the paper “Gasification: A sustainable technology for circular economies“, gasification is a highly promising and already commercialized technology ready for scale-up. The value of the global market for gasification of fossil, biomass, and waste resources is cited by the EBA to have been worth US$479 billion in 2019 and projected to double to US$901 billion by 2028.
Versatile technology
Gasification is a process capable of converting waste products (biomass, agricultural and industrial waste, and plastics) into a gas called syngas, which then can be used directly to generate renewable electricity and heat or further processed into advanced biofuels, and hydrogen.
Gasification of biomass and wastes into syngas and biochar, as well as its application in other forms of energy, can have a real impact on these three goals, by both reducing the amount of waste in Europe and generating renewable energy.
Its success and ability to scale to become the waste-to-energy/fuel method of choice depends on the levels and type of political, policy, economic and commercial support.
This support will allow for higher cost reductions and raise awareness of its strong potential to accelerate the EU’s net-zero responsibilities for waste, energy, and fuel markets.
Support circular- and bioeconomies
Deployment of the technology can support the realization of the circular economy. It has the potential to turn wastes and residues including biomass, municipal and non-hazardous industrial and commercial waste, and which are often lacking better disposal methods, into value and profitable revenue streams.
This is beneficial for forest owners, wood producers, and for investors, and brings also a new range of opportunities for collectors and producers of other waste types.
The technology can also contribute to reducing carbon emissions as part of the net-zero roadmap. Indeed, gasification plants have the potential to produce not only renewable energy but also carbon-rich materials that can serve as stable carbon sinks.
Gasification technologies offer the opportunity of being low carbon, neutral, or even negative carbon emissions.
The EBA concludes that bioenergy and advanced biofuels produced through gasification will end up playing a valuable role in an integrated European sustainable energy system.
All over Europe, companies and communities are committed to developing the sector, which needs concrete public and political support policies to demonstrate confidence as well as further widen and scale-up in its current commercial phase.
