Arnhem – HyGear, a supplier of industrial gases through on-site generation and recovery technology announced the completion and delivery of its Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) to the To-Syn-Fuel plant site in Hohenburg in Bavaria, Germany, where sewage sludge is converted in the Fraunhofers Thermo-catalytic reforming (TCR) system into valuable solid, liquid and gas fraction.

The produced liquid bio-oil is refined to suitable fuels using the hydrogen produced from the TCR gas fraction. This hydrogen will need to be purified first. After which, the hydrogen is separated from other species like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane using one of HyGear’s key technologies; the PSA.

Separation of the hydrogen is based on variations of adsorption capacity of an adsorbent as function of operating pressure. Subsequently, the cleaned hydrogen is compressed and redirected to the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactors or can be used for other applications like fuel cells. The required purity of the hydrogen can be controlled by the PSA settings.

PSA technology modified

HyGear’s existing PSA technology has been modified to meet the specifications of the TCR gas combined with recycled hydrogen from the HDO part of the TSF plant. Several technology improvements have been implemented to reduce the size and cost of the PSA.

Image 1: HyGear’s To-Syn-Fuel PSA installation

Design and assembly of the hardware was carried out at HyGear’s facilities in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The PSA is fully automated and can run safely without human interference. It is CE certified and installed in a container for easy handling and for both indoor and outdoor use.

Cleaning of TCR gas in September 2020

After completion of the final construction of the PSA with its software loaded, the system was shipped to the site of the To-Syn-Fuel plant in mid of June 2020. Installation will commence during the summer. It is expected that the first TCR gas will be cleaned at end of the third quarter of 2020.

About HyGear

Providing an alternative solution for end-users of industrial gases, HyGear developed cutting-edge technologies for on-site gas generation. By combining our advanced technologies with traditional supply methods, we guarantee the most optimal method of supply in terms of costs, reliability and environmental impact.

Our technical services and customer support are guaranteed by many of our partners worldwide. And to be able to serve our customers more effectively, we have offices in Europe and Asia.

To learn more about our technologies, please contact our dedicated sales team at sales@hygear.com, +31 88 9494 308 (Europe) and asia@hygear.com, +65 6909 3064 (Asia).

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 745749.