Attrition Resistant Reactive Bed Materials in Fluidised Beds (ARRMAT)

The ARRMAT project deals with the manufacturing of attrition resistant reactive bed materials (ARRMAT) with desired properties for the application in fluidised-beds, with the experimental testing of these materials to identify optimal operation conditions as well as with the in situ investigation of such materials to derive from such investigations design rules for improved bed materials. The aim of the project is to contribute to significant improvements along the process chain in the production of Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) from dry biomass, the «SNG-from-wood» process which is already investigated within the CCEM project «2nd generation Biogas».

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Sustainable Hydrogen Technologies (HyTech)

The development of a sustainable energy economy, based not on limited fossil fuels, but on renewable, carbon neutral energy is a necessary and urgent task. Hydrogen (H₂) is a leading candidate for the storage and transportation of energy provided, it can be efficiently produced from renewable energy sources and effectively stored in a safe and concentrated manner. The HyTech project is focused on the realization of breakthroughs and advancing innovative technologies in the field of sustainable hydrogen utilization.

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Bio-synthetic Natural Gas from Microalgae (SunCHem)

There is consensus that bio-energy is one of the most cost-effective options of substituting fossil fuels and reducing the net emissions of CO₂. However, cultivating plants for energy use has recently been criticized because its production is competing with resources needed for the food production. Critical resources are a) valuable agricultural soils, b) fertilizers, such as phosphorus, and c) in some regions water for irrigation.

We propose a novel process based on (micro)algae cultivation using the conversion of the algal biomass through a catalytic hydrothermal gasification process (SunCHem process).

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New Pathways to Efficient Use of Biomass for Power and Transportation (2ndGenerationBiogas)

Two main goals have been set for the project:

• Demonstrate the technical feasibility of new highly efficient process paths to pipeline-grade methane from a very broad range of biomass (wood, solid agricultural residues, manure, sludges etc).
• Assess the impact of such technologies in the complex environment of biomass resources, enduses and environmental performance, with the ultimate goal to draw a roadmap towards clean and eco-efficient use of biomass in Switzerland in 2030.

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Integrated Biomass – Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cogeneration (WoodGas-SOFC)

The strategic goal of this project is to prove the techno-economical feasibility of wood gas as representative case of a (renewable) fuel obtained by gasification fed to a temperature-compatible, emerging Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system like the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), and identify optimal scales of such integrated systems. The aim of the project is the development of competence (understanding) and technologies (methods, tools).

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