The H2020 Biofficiency project – A holistic approach towards ash-related problems in case of combined heat and power generation from biomass

Heating and cooling account for about half of the EU’s final energy demand, while biomass currently accounts for more than 90 % of all renewable heat. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants using biomass represent a promising technology for increasing the share of renewables in the EU. However, the main problems arising from the use of biomass are ash-related problems caused by the ash composition, which limits steam temperatures and consequently the efficiency of the plant. The Biofficiency project aims to enable secure and almost carbon-neutral heat and power generation at the highest possible efficiencies while reducing environmental risks and paving the way for a sustainable development in ash utilisation. This article provides an overview of the project goals, the approach as well as some basics and first results towards a better understanding and more sophisticated handling of ash-related problems for the next generation of highly-efficient and sustainable CHP plants.     «

Heating and cooling account for about half of the EU’s final energy demand, while biomass currently accounts for more than 90 % of all renewable heat. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants using biomass represent a promising technology for increasing the share of renewables in the EU. However, the main problems arising from the use of biomass are ash-related problems caused by the ash composition, which limits steam temperatures and consequently the efficiency of the plant. The Biofficiency proje...     »