Munich, 24th January 2013: Linde Engineering Dresden GmbH has signed an agreement with the Finnish Forest BtL Oy for the licensing of the biomass gasification technology Carbo-V®, which will be implemented in a new Biomass–to-Liquid (BtL) plant in Kemi, Northern Finland. The commercial operation for the production of biodiesel and naphtha is expected to start at the end of 2016.
“This first license agreement marks a significant step in the progress of licensing Carbo-V® after Linde purchased the technology last year and consolidated it into its portfolio,” said Jörg Linsenmaier, Managing Director of Linde Engineering Dresden. “Forest BtL has selected Carbo-V® technology because it is suitable to use commercially available dry chipped wood directly,” said Sven Petersen, Vice President Carbon and Energy Solutions of Linde Engineering Dresden. “Compared to other technologies, Carbo-V® has a very high carbon conversion to synthesis gas as well as an outstanding syngas quality,” said Mikko Kara, Chief Executive Officer of Forest BtL Oy.
Apart from the license the contract includes the development of the process design package (PDP) for the gasification. Further services like front end engineering design (FEED) for gasification as well as for shift and gas cleaning are pre-defined.
The BtL plant will have a gasification capacity of 480 megawatts (MW) and an annual output of about 130,000 tons of biodiesel and naphtha, using about 1.5 million tons of wood, a second-generation feedstock not competing with food production.
The project will be funded by the European Union’s NER300 programme for innovative, low-carbon technologies. NER300 offers grants to installations of innovative renewable energy projects, grid integration projects and up to 12 CCS projects.
Linde Engineering Dresden GmbH, a subsidiary of The Linde Group, is one of the leading companies worldwide when it comes to the design, delivery and construction of chemical, gas, biotechnology and pharmaceutical plants.
About The Linde Group
The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 62,000 employees in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2011 financial year, Linde generated revenue of EUR 13.787 bn. The strategy of the Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The Group is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
Under the ”Clean Technology by Linde“ label, the company offers a wide range of products and technologies that help to render renewable energy sources financially viable, and significantly slow down the depletion of fossil resources or reduce the level of CO2 emitted. This ranges from specialty gases for solar module manufacturing, industrial-scale CO2 separation and application technologies to alternative fuels and energy carriers such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen.
For more information go to http://www.linde.com/cleantechnology