February 27th, 2012
Engineers Ireland has today brought out its analysis of Ireland’s energy infrastructure. According to the body, Ireland’s energy infrastructure in Ireland has served the country well up to now, but it is now facing significant challenges, including security of supply, competitiveness and meeting carbon emission targets.
The publication of the report The State of [...]
Latest News
February 27th, 2012
Ireland’s energy infrastructure challenges – report
Our Processes
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is the chemical and physical decomposition of organic substances that occurs at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. It is a well-established technology for converting organic materials into syn gas, which is then used for power production, or can be further processed to produce other fuels. It does not involve reactions with oxygen or any other reagents, and oxygen presence is specifically eliminated through various mechanisms and controls.
As a means of producing energy from waste, Pyrolysis has been developed over 20 years by continuous improvement and modernisation of an age-old technique used for making charcoal. Charcoal is the black residue consisting of carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from vegetative matter. It is usually produced by slow heating of organic matter (e.g. wood, sugar, etc) or other substances in the absence of oxygen. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal, hence the name charcoal – to turn to coal. The historic technique consists of piling the timber, covering with turf or moistened clay, then firing the bottom. The process breaks the feedstock into 3 phases; hydrogen rich gas, hydrocarbon, or tarry liquids and charcoal.
The Process
