Arbaflame pellets cost-effectively convert coal-fired power plants to biomass
18 April 2019
Arbaflame
Description
Arbacore pellets by Arbaflame have been specially developed to replace or mix with fossil fuel in coal-fired power plants. Arbacore is produced using a steam explosion process in which the wood fibres are broken down and lignin, the binding agent in wood, is released. You have similar solutions with torrefaction called torrefied pellets. This produces pellets that are brown, almost black, with a higher energy content and a film that makes them water-resistant. During pulverisation, the particles become so fine that they are more similar to coal than the regular white pellets.
European ARBAHEAT consortium investigate the conversion of the ENGIE Ultra-SuperCritical coal-fired Rotterdam power plant into a biomass-fired heat and power plant. Goal of this showcase is to investigate the technical possibilities of cost-effectively converting the coal-fired power plant into a flexible 100% sustainable biomass fired plant, which will be able to deliver sustainable electricity as well as sustainable heat. For this project the consortium will receive over € 19 million EU funding.
In 2015, Arbaflame converted their Thunder Bay Generating Station. Within months, the power station went from relying solely on coal to a 100 percent renewable solution, sending a significant message to power production companies worldwide.