Integrated CO2 biomass gasification and chemical looping combustion for the production of biochar, CO2 for green houses and clean energy

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The energy sector in Canada and around the world faces challenges around efficient, economical and environmentally sound processes for the conversion of renewable resources. Combustion processes such as the ones commercialized by the KMW Energy Company with headquarters in London, Ontario, rely on producing energy from biomass with low NOx and zero net CO2 emissions.KMW Energy Company aims to significantly improve their biomass conversion processes making them more economically competitive and reduce NOx emissions even further and this to stay competitive in the current landscape of increasingly tougher environmental regulations. To achieve these goals, the present study led by Prof. de Lasa at the University of Western Ontario considers key steps for a new "Integrated CO2 Gasification + Chemical Combustion Looping" (CO2G-CLC) process. The process development involves KMW and the technology end-users, in addition to Natural Resources Canada's CanmetENERGY. The latter will use the results to inform policy decisions around emission guidelines. Agricultural communities in Canada are the prime users for the extensive application of the new CO2G-CLC technology. It will provide these communities with a source of clean energy, biochar, which can be used as a soil supplement, and concentrated CO2 for optimizing photosynthesis in greenhouse operations. Thus, the integrated "CO2G+CLC" process can considerably support agricultural communities by providing them with unique tools to convert agricultural waste into valuable products, thereby improving their financial operations Furthermore, the scale-up and commercialization of the "CO2G+CLC" process will create valuable new business opportunities and R&D jobs for Canadians. In summary, the CO2G-CLC process will provide the technical tools to transform waste into clean energy and valuable by-products. This will help the growing Canadian clean-energy sector to remain at the cutting-edge of innovation, thereby ensuring that Canadian agricultural businesses have the means to stay competitive.