Liten, a CEA Tech institute, created its Génépi* platform to develop new ways to extract usable energy from biomass. The recently-opened platform offers exceptional resources covering all of the stages of biomass (wood, straw, etc.) transformation into syngas using thermochemical processes, from drying and grinding and/or torrefaction through to gasification. The platform's equipment (1,500 °C and 30 bars) offers capabilities unrivalled in Europe.
The biogas produced by the gasification reactor can be converted into syngas (or biomethane) or liquid fuel, which requires an additional process generally carried out by a manufacturer. The dried, torrefied biomass can also be used as solid fuel in industrial facilities as a partial or total substitute for coal.
Currently the Génépi platform can handle clean biomass and farming and food byproducts. However, the facility will ultimately be able to recycle household waste, solid recovered fuel (SRF), and even tires. Academic researchers and industrial R&D professionals can use the platform to test their new ideas, run experiments on different types of biomass, and take part in joint R&D projects.
*Génépi was established under the French government's Equipex financing instrument, part of the national economic stimulus package