Canada-based Minnova announces positive biomass gasification test results

Minnova Corp., an evolving cleantech and gold mine development company based in Canada, announced positive biomass gasification test results for corn stover from Romania and pineapple waste from Costa Rica, with more than 50 per cent H2 content in syngas achieved.

Test work was conducted at the University of Teramo, Italy, Department of Biosciences and AgriFood and Environmental Technologies under the supervision of Prof. Ing. Sergio Rapagnà. Corn and pineapple waste samples were dried and pelletized in a commercial pellet plant to approximate future industrial scale operations.

Pelletized samples were fed into the DUMA designed fluidized bed reactor and gasified under controlled conditions. The resulting syngas flow rates and H2 content exceeded expectations (minimum target of 50 per cent H2) for both corn and pineapple samples.

Concentration of tar in the syngas for both samples were in line with test results of comparable biomasses. Observations during testing suggests an opportunity exists to further improve the quality (per cent H2 content) and volume (gas yield Nm3/kg daf) of the resulting syngas by adjusting some of the operating parameters.

With positive gasification results in hand we are now in a position to start detailed technoeconomic studies on project initiatives in Costa Rica and Romania. In-country work will include soliciting biomass supply agreements, commercial offtake agreements for either green H2, electrical power or byproduct thermal energy, and definitive commercial site selection.

The results demonstrate continued progress towards the goal of producing a high H2 content syngas from biomass gasification that can be; i) purified to a green H2, ii) utilized for direct power generation, or iii) further processed to produce other valuable biofuels.

Southeast Asia: Decarbonizing the energy sector – CTA Program 2022-2023

The company has been selected to participate in the Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) program with a specific goal of addressing Southeast Asia’s climate target of net-zero carbon emissions between 2050 and 2065. Selected companies have demonstrated marketable, innovative technologies at a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or higher. The selection of our 3rd generation biomass gasification technology presents an opportunity to take a leading role in decarbonizing Southeast Asia’s power generation infrastructure by incorporating our technology which can produce green H2, electrical power and a variety of other valuable biofuels. The CTA program of Global Affairs Canada assists high-potential, technology focused, Canadian SMEs to accelerate their growth.

Southeast Asia’s carbon emission reduction target is ambitious, with current energy supply dominated by fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). Biomass may represent the only viable, carbon neutral, sustainable, and secure replacement for current base load electrical power production. The regions diverse supply of biomass waste (e.g., agricultural residues, woody biomass, animal wastes, and municipal solid waste) combined with its high growth, industrialized economy, and commitment to reducing carbon emissions meet our general site selection criteria.

Gorden Glenn, president and CEO of Minnova Corp. commented: “These are impressive test results that affirm our belief in our technology, and that gasification of biomass can be a technically viable and economical route for large scale green hydrogen production. The results not only exceeded our expectations, but there is also potential to further increase hydrogen content in the syngas. On our selection to participate in the Southeast Asia CTA program it is another confirmation that our 3rd generation biomass gasification technology is a marketable technology that offers a real carbon neutral solution to produce green hydrogen and power from locally available waste biomass around the world. The market opportunity that Southeast Asia represents is extremely attractive and adds to our existing global business development pipeline consisting of Canada, Europe, Central America, and Africa. Our transition to an operating, cleantech company is accelerating and we will continue to innovate and acquire or develop intellectual property associated with green hydrogen, renewable power generation and other carbon emission reduction technologies worldwide.”