Plasma2Gas

Microwave-induced plasma gasification system for organic waste

Sistema de Gasificação de resíduos orgânicos, por plasma induzido por micro-ondas

Project Details

Project Name: Plasma2Gas: New Energy Level – Gasification System

Main Objective: To reinforce research, technological development and innovation

Project Code

POCI-01-0247-FEDER-070233

Intervention Region

North and Alentejo

Total eligible cost

1.017.491,86 €

Financial support from the European Union

760.933,14 € (incentivo FEDER)

Approval Date09-12-2020

Start Date01-12-2020

Conclusion Date30-06-2023

Descriptive Synthesis

The Plasma2Gas project aims to develop a sewage sludge gasification system that operates using microwave induction.

The Plasma2Gas system – or solution – will include a waste feed unit, a microwave-induced plasma gasification unit, a syngas heat treatment unit, a syngas cleaning unit, a syngas storage and consumption unit, and a system-wide monitoring and automation unit.

The system has been designed to be fed raw materials: sewage sludge residue of various origins and physicochemical characteristics, such as sludge from sewage treatment works, sludge generated by the paper industry, and sludge produced by other sectors.

The Plasma2Gas solution is based on the premise of reusing syngas produced from the gasification of this waste to produce electricity, reducing the environmental impact of the process, and contributing to the efficiency and energy self-sufficiency of waste managers. In turn, excess syngas can be used to generate energy or burned in a controlled manner.

All the results gathered will be used to develop a database to validate and test the initial theoretical model on which the equipment control software will be based, which will allow for the technology to be tailored to the specific circumstances faced by each client. The process will also allow for the production of a solid by-product that can be incorporated into building materials.

Technical Library

Abstract

Project Technical Data Sheet

Project Description

Promoters

New Energy Level

NEL – NEW ENERGY LEVEL, founded in 2017, hereby launches itself on the market with the mission of researching, developing, producing, and marketing solutions and equipment tailored to its customers’ needs and individual requirements. Guided by innovation and a solid technological basis, its operations span various areas of engineering, with a focus specifically placed on developing and implementing mechanical, electrical, and software design.

Operating across several industrial sectors but with a particular focus on the environment, this project aims to contribute to one of the main challenges societies face nowadays: eliminating waste and commercialising it through a “waste to energy” process.

Ambitrevo, agricultural and Environmental Solutions was founded in 2007 and has since become a benchmark company in the area of organic waste management in Portugal.

Aware of the necessary changes and developments foreseen in the area of waste management, both within Europe and worldwide, Ambitrevo saw the Plasma2Gas project as an opportunity to get involved in developing a cutting-edge solution that complements its area of expertise, which it believes will be widely implemented across the EU and is of substantial interest to two key areas of international agendas – waste management and energy.

Ambitrevo

CVR - Centro para a
Valorização de Resíduos

The CVR – Centre for Waste Valorisation, which has been operational for 20 years, is a Technological Interface Centre (CIT) located in Guimarães, within the Azurém Campus of the University of Minho. Its headquarters contain 2000 m² of laboratories, its operations focussing on research, scientific analysis, and the application of real solutions in waste prevention and commercialisation.

Made up of 85 members, most of whom operate within the industry, the CVR runs the biennial International Scientific Conference “WASTES: Solutions, Treatments and Opportunities”, which has been attended by over 1200 participants from 45 countries throughout its 5 editions.

As a CIT, the CVR contributes to the “Plasma2gas” project by providing technical support backed by the know-how necessary to develop sustainable waste-treatment solutions, both from an environmental and economic perspective.

The University of Minho is currently among the country’s most prestigious higher education institutions, having taken progressive steps towards international recognition. The University of Minho is a public, administratively and financially independent university founded in 1973. It currently has three major hubs: the Gualtar campus in Braga and the Azurém and Couros campuses in Guimarães.

UMinho has established itself as a research-intensive university, reflected in its most recent positioning in notable global rankings. UMinho has a large multidisciplinary team of researchers with many years of experience in various areas.

Among its various research centres, the most notable include the “MEtRICs – Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Centre”, and the “CF-UM-UP – Centre for Physics of the Universities of Minho and Porto”, researchers of both of which have actively participated in the “Plasma2gas” project. “MEtRICs ” operates in the areas of Energy Conversion, Biomass and Waste Commercialisation, and Advanced Engineering Systems, among others, while the “CF-UM-IP”’s contribution is focussed on physics research of nanostructured materials, Condensed Matter Physics, Plasma Physics and Biophysics.