Biomass Gasification Combined Cycle - A Shared Opportunity for the Nation and Industry, 1999 Pulping Conference Proceedings

Delmar Raymond & Judith Kieffer

Weyerhaeuser Company

Since the early 1970’s, the forest products industry has been looking for safer, less expensive and environmentally improved alternatives to pulping liquor processing and wood residual combustion. Among the highest priority projects identified by the Forest Products Industry technology visioning process (Agenda 2020) are those related to demonstrating gasification of wood residuals, sludges and black liquor. The demonstration and deployment of these new gasification combined cycle technologies will provide significant benefits to shared industry and national objectives. These benefits include: increased industry competitiveness; substantially improved environmental performance; significantly increased energy efficiency; a dramatic shift to increased use of indigenous renewable energy; significant gains in technological leadership; the establishment of technologies with cross-cutting potential for other industries; and, for some states and regions, increased opportunities for farmers and land owners in supplying biomass raw material. In order to achieve these renewable energy and environmental benefits, the industry urgently needs to advance the technologies through large-scale demonstrations. These demonstrations will cost significantly more (40–50%) than subsequent installations. The industry has developed a partnership with the DOE to advance these technologies. DOE participation will not only make the demonstrations possible, it will also accelerate deployment of the technologies in the pulp & paper industry and ensure that results will be shared with other industries and the public. This paper will describe the background, vision and shared national and industry objectives. Subsequent papers in this session will describe the specific projects that are part of “The Forest Products Industry Gasification Combined Cycle Initiative”.