New Zealand’s forests fueling a clean energy economy.

Syngas production leads to lower carbon emissions compared to fossil fuel-based energy generation.

Syngas, produced from biomass through gasification, is a gas mixture primarily composed of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO). It can also contain smaller amounts of other gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and water vapor. This process converts biomass into a gaseous fuel that can be used for various applications, including power generation, fuel production, and chemical synthesis.

Syngas produced from biomass offers a range of valuable applications. It can be used for power generation by burning it in internal combustion engines or gas turbines to produce electricity and heat, providing a flexible and renewable energy source.

In addition, syngas serves as a key feedstock for the production of liquid fuels such as diesel, gasoline, and other hydrocarbons through processes like Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, as highlighted by ScienceDirect.com.

Syngas is also an important raw material in chemical manufacturing, used to produce methanol, ammonia, and a variety of other organic compounds essential to industrial and commercial markets.

Made through gasification. Syngas occurs when carbon-rich feedstocks are put into high heat, high pressure and oxygen depleted conditions.

Syngas is environmentally friendly, and produced from renewable sources like biomass and waste. It eliminates reliance on fossil fuels when used as sustainable electricity generation, synthetic fuel production, and chemical manufacturing.

By utilising waste materials syngas production aligns with the principles of a circular economy.

Biochar can be part of syngas production, either as a direct product of biomass pyrolysis and gasification, or as a catalyst or catalyst support to enhance syngas generation. Biochar, a byproduct of biomass pyrolysis, can be gasified to produce syngas.

Biochar carbon removal is a negative emissions technology that sequesters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by producing biochar through pyrolysis of biomass and applying it to soil or durable materials.

Burned in gas turbines syngas is a cleaner and more efficient way to produce electricity.

Syngas can be used as the foundation for the production of other chemicals and fuels such as biomethanol, diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

Syngas can be used to produce Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG). In fact, syngas is a key feedstock in the synthesis of LPG. Syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, can be converted into LPG through various chemical processes.

On average, 6 tonnes of forestry dry biomass are processed per hectare each year of which 80% per hectare can be converted into syngas. This yields approximately 2,500 cubic metres of syngas per tonne of biomass, equating to around 12,000 cubic metres of syngas potentially produced per hectare annually.

Around 96% of New Zealand’s plantation forests are privately owned for commercial timber, with the remaining 4% managed by the government through Crown Forestry licenses or state-owned forests. Ownership structures vary, including companies, individuals, and iwi, while management of the trees is often handled by separate entities such as forestry companies, Crown Forestry, or local authorities. 48% of plantation forestry is owned by iwi entities.

On average, 6 tonnes of forestry dry biomass are processed per hectare each year of which 80% per hectare can be converted into syngas. This yields approximately 2,500 cubic metres of syngas per tonne of biomass, equating to around 12,000 cubic metres of syngas potentially produced per hectare annually.