While we’ve been blogging about issues ranging from innovative waste resolution strategies to renewable energy policy, Ze-gen’s team of engineers and plant operators have been working diligently to re-commission Ze-gen’s large-scale pilot facility, located in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Ze-gen Pilot Facility
Ze-gen previously operated the pilot facility from October 2007 to October 2008 successfully proving the liquid metal gasification process can produce syngas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) that exceeds target objectives for commercialization. Through careful analysis of the year’s worth of data from the New Bedford facility, the team has modified the process and redesigned the plant to accommodate these changes. Over the weekend the team began adding copper to the gasifier, the metal we’re using as the gasification medium. Once the copper is fully molten, the testing regime will begin.
The team’s initial testing will use wood pellets as the feedstock. Beginning with this clean wood will serve as a control for syngas quality monitoring. Because the syngas quality is relatively predictable using the wood pellets it will help the team to calibrate the system in preparation for post-recycled construction & demolition debris (C&D) feedstock. Testing with C&D as the primary feedstock is projected to begin next week.
