FlashTor® Demo Plant Lampang, Thailand

Together with its strategic partner TTCL, Blackwood is developing a first FlashTor® torrefaction plant in Asia. The construction of the plant started in the first quarter of 2022. The plant will serve as a demonstration facility. And it will be used to produce test volumes of black pellets for utilities and industrial customers. The design of the plant is flexible. As a result, it can process a variety of feedstocks, such as wood chips, wood pellets and agricultural residues. The plant is currently under commissioning and will start operation in August 2022.

Topell commercial demo plant Duiven, the Netherlands

To develop and show-case industrial scale torrefaction of biomass, Topell Energy built an industrial scale (7 tons/hr output) demo plant in Duiven in 2010. From 2011 until 2013 the plant was continuously improved, consequently driving production volume and quality towards the design specifications. Meanwhile this process lead to fundamental learning and know-how about biomass torrefaction. Finally, in the second half of 2013 an important milestone was reached: the world’s first industrial scale production of torrefied pellets. The plant has been operational until 2014.

Co-firing tests at Amer power plant

After the proof of concept of the Topell torrefaction plant in the fall of 2013, Topell conducted a large co-firing test with a consortium of utilities. The consortium partners included RWE, Vattenfall Nuon and GDF SUEZ (now Engie). The test took place at the 600 MWe Amer 9 power plant in Geertruidenberg, Netherlands. In total approximately 2,500 tons of black pellets were co-fired at different co-firing rates. The black pellets were co-fired using the existing coal infrastructure. Therefore the test proved that torrefied pellets are a superior biofuel compared to regular wood pellets. Furthermore it proved that there is no need for additional investment in biomass infrastructure at the power station. See press release.

The co-firing test was sponsored by the topsector TKI Biobased Economy.

Co-firing tests at the Helen Hanasaari and Salmisaari power plants

In 2015 and 2016, two co-firing tests with Blackwood pellets® were conducted at the Hanasaari and Salmisaari power plants of Helen Oy in Helsinki, Finland. During these tests up to 30% of coal was replaced by torrefied pellets. In other words, the tests proved that the higher calorific value, easier grindabiity and higher durability make Blackwood pellets® the ideal coal replacement for existing coal fired power stations. See press release.

The first Helen co-firing test was part of the SECTOR project. This project received funding from the European Union´s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No. 282826.