Tokyo Gas Co. has been developing a new technology to utilize seaweed biomass for power generation. The success of its methane fermentation test was reported in the Research Journal of Food and Agriculture issued on December 1, 2005. In the test at a pilot plant with a processing capacity of one ton of seaweed per day, about 20 kiloliters of methane gas were generated from one ton of seaweed biomass, and the methane produced was used as a fuel for a gas-engine cogeneration system that generates electricity as well as recovers heat.

Two types of seaweed biomass are used for this system: seaweed wrack washed up on the beach and overgrown seaweed that is cultivated to protect the coastal marine environment. Seaweed, particularly sea lettuce, is often washed ashore in large amounts on the shores of inner bays, degrading beach scenery and emitting foul odors in the summer. Some kinds of seaweed, on the other hand, are grown to reduce eutrophication and to weaken wave action, but they are not edible. Tokyo Gas is aiming to utilize such waste seaweed as a biomass energy source.

Collected sea lettuce and kelp are first crushed and fermented to produce biogas that will be stored in a tank. Then, the gas is fed to the gas-engine cogeneration system for power generation and heat recovery. The generated electricity is used mainly for lighting in the plant facility while the heat is used for heating the fermentation tanks.

Tokyo Gas aims to commercialize this technology in fiscal 2007, based on data accumulated from the test operations.

http://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2006/techprogram/P73948.HTM

Posted: 2006/11/25 12:01:02 PM
Japanese version

TAG Energy , Manufacturing industry