Decarbonisation Technology - February 2024 Issue

in sectors with limited alternatives, when electrification is not applicable. The technology is also carbon capture ready – an essential feature in achieving negative emissions. KEW utilises pre-combustion carbon capture, providing a highly cost-effective pathway to achieving negative carbon outcomes. Cost-effective modular solution There are other ‘competitors’ using gasification, particularly in the US and Canada, but their focus is on large-scale projects on a massive scale. KEW’s pressurised technology works for multiple industries because it is modular, flexible, cost-effective and can scale up via its modularity (see Figure 2 ). By integrating into communities or existing industrial processes, it can not only revolutionise sustainable energy production from waste processing but also significantly reduce installation and energy costs. The sweet spot is smaller- to medium-scale project deployment from approximately 5-100 MWth energy output from 20,000-400,000 tonnes per annum of waste (which varies depending on the specification and moisture content). Minimal CO 2 emissions For waste majors collecting rubbish, the technology allows them to start with converting their ‘dirtiest’/more challenging waste (high CV plastics and fines) that is difficult and expensive to incinerate into a stable, clean gas with lower carbon emissions. More importantly , the technology has strong sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials. It delivers significant methane and CO2 savings. For example, for the same amount of waste, it avoids the equivalent amount of methane emissions by diversion from landfill and by diversion from incineration and fossil fuels, the end product emits approximately 70% less CO2 per MJ of energy (and can be carbon negative when CCUS is deployed). Local circular economy waste solution KEW’s key focus is to create local circular waste economies. Whether it is:  Co-locating on industrial sites to use their waste or third-party waste to generate energy for on-site fuel switching.

 Working with major waste firms to turn local and regional household or commercial and industrial waste into renewable and recycled carbon fuels (such as renewable and recycled carbon DME) to power local homes and businesses or into hydrogen, methanol, SAF, and other fuels and chemicals for industry and transport.  Helping countries such as Sub-Saharan Africa implement a sustainable integrated waste management infrastructure to manage and turn their waste into sustainable cooking fuel, replacing harmful traditional cooking fuels such as charcoal and kerosene. Ultimately, waste should be tackled locally and turned into something sustainable and valuable to local communities. Working in this way reduces the burden on the national grid and other suppliers and the need to import energy, thereby offering increased energy security. Advanced gasification commercial-scale plant KEW’s technology has progressed through design and development to deployment with a full commercial-scale demonstrator flagship facility at its Sustainable Energy Centre (SEC) (see Figures 3 and 4 ). The world’s first pressurised advanced gasification plant is currently producing hydrogen- rich syngas to power the local community and in 2024 will operate full end-to-end configuration from waste reception to waste-to-renewable and recycled carbon DME, and waste/biomass-to- hydrogen production with CO2 capture. This flagship facility is a Global Centre of Excellence for innovative and emerging technologies and was the first waste gasification plant in the UK to receive an end-of-waste permit and is in an Air Quality Management Zone. This is where hydrogen plays a crucial role, especially given its prominence on the UK government’s net-zero agenda. By converting non-recyclable waste into hydrogen, KEW can capture all CO2 emissions at source, preventing emissions when the hydrogen is eventually used. Additionally, as waste/biomass is the feedstock, when combined with carbon capture and utilisation/sequestration, this process can lead to a net-negative carbon outcome. It is a successful waste/biomass-to-