Supercritical water gasification

Project

Thema
Green gas

Supercritical water gasification (SCW) is an innovative technology that can convert wet residual flows such as manure, green waste, and sewage sludge into renewable energy and reusable raw materials.

Gasunie and SCW Systems are building a demonstration unit at the Energy Innovation Park in Alkmaar. Gasunie is focusing solely on the construction of the infrastructure.

The technology

In this demonstration plant, the residual flows are converted, under high pressure and at high temperatures, into things such as green gas that is suitable for directly feeding into the high-pressure natural gas network.

The processing of wet residual flows is more difficult using existing techniques, because the water usually has to be removed first. Supercritical water gasification is a thermochemical conversion technology that actually uses the water component in the wet waste streams. The supercritical phase, as it is known, is created by putting the water, which contains the residual flows, under high pressure and bringing it to a high temperature. All organic molecules in the residual flow then disintegrate and reach a new equilibrium in the form of a syngas (CH4, H2, CO2 and CO). At the same time, inorganic substances such as salts crystallise out so that they can be recovered. What remains is water.

It is what is known as a multi-feedstock technology, in which all kinds of available residual streams can be processed. In addition, the gas becomes available at high pressure, so that additional costs for compressing the gas are avoided and the gas can be fed directly into the existing high-pressure network. There are no restrictions on selling gas from the high-pressure network, and it is possible to transport green gas anywhere.

Our partners

Logo SCW Systems
Logo Invest-NL
Logo PGGM

More information

Contact Bert van Halen

Project updates

  • SCW Systems working towards the creation of a supercritical gasifier

    Date

    In the past six months, despite COVID-19, progress has been made in Alkmaar on developing the gasification unit.

    The construction of the demonstration facility is in full swing, and the gasifiers are being built in a joint project by Gasunie and SCW Systems, who are working closely together.

  • PFZW invests in SCW

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    The Dutch pension fund for the care and welfare sector Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW) has acquired a minority stake in SCW Systems. A demonstration plant for supercritical water gasification has now been built in Alkmaar in cooperation with Gasunie. Supercritical water gasification is a revolutionary technology, developed in the Netherlands, that converts organic residual and waste flows into sustainable energy. Gasunie wants to build infrastructure for the Dutch market together with SCW Systems.

    An article on this was published in Dutch newspaper NRC. PGGM issued a press release on the investment by PFZW.

  • Green gas going directly into the high-pressure gas transport network

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    In the last few weeks, the contractor Oosterhof Holman made the connection diagram for the SCW plant in Alkmaar and the high-pressure gas transport network of Gasunie Transport Services. This will enable SCW Systems to feed the green gas directly into Gasunie’s high-pressure network in the future.

  • Progress in the construction of the supercritical water gasification demonstration facility in Alkmaar

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  • Presentation of SCW project at KVGN symposium on “Energy in Transition, Gas in Transition”, innovations and business models

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    This year, interest group for the gas sector KVGN is organising a series of three symposia on the subject of the energy transition. How can we create an energy supply that is clean and at the same time reliable and affordable? That is the challenge we face as a society. One thing is clear: there is no single solution for a sustainable energy supply. The solution lies in the smart combination of the various energy sources and systems, and in cooperation between existing and new parties (open innovation, knowledge sharing, etc.) We see that the role of natural gas will change in the coming years. Under the title “Energy in transition, gas in transition”, KVGN would like to explore with you the challenges we face, and how the gas sector can contribute constructively to a low-carbon energy supply. The subject of this symposium is “Energy in transition, gas in transition: new rules of the game”. 

    At the invitation of KVGN, Martijn Theelen gave a presentation on the cooperation between Gasunie and SCW Systems.

  • SCW project given a specific mention in a news item on the Rijksoverheid.nl website

    Date

    The SCW project has been given a specific mention in a press release put out by the Dutch Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy:

    “Within SDE+ there is also room for the development of innovative techniques. For example, a grant of € 82 million has been assigned to a project that can use a new technology called supercritical gasification to convert wet biomass such as manure, green waste and sewage sludge directly into renewable gas. With existing techniques for processing the wet biomass, the water must first be removed before it can be turned into gas. This new technology makes the process more efficient: almost all the energy stored in the organic matter becomes available.”

    See the link to the press release on the website of Rijksoverheid.nl.

  • SDE decision

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    On 30 March 2016, SCW Systems submitted an SDE grant application, and on 30 June the Netherlands Enterprise Agency decided to award the grant for the project. The grant is awarded in the form of a payment per MWh of renewable gas produced. It is granted for the following period:

    The grant period starts on: 1 October 2018

    The grant period ends on: 30 September 2030

  • SDE application

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    SDE application submitted for a production unit with a nominal capacity of 18.6MW by means of biomass gasification and renewable gas. Location: Energy Innovation Park, Alkmaar.

  • Signing of a joint development agreement

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    SCW Systems and Gasunie have signed a joint development agreement to enable the development of a supercritical water gasification facility. The plan is for this first-of-its-kind demonstration facility to be located at the Energy Innovation Park in Alkmaar.

  • Getting to know SCW Systems and Gasunie

    Date

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