The French hydrothermal gasification sector represented at the Bio360 Expo takes a further step towards industrialisation

The war in Ukraine underscores the importance of energy independence for Europe, in particular for its gas supply.

The European Union is looking to double its targets for the production of renewable gas through its RePowerEU Plan, to 35 billion Nm3 a year thereby giving gas a much larger share. Following on from the preparations of the SFEC (French Energy & Climate Strategy), two leading French industrial companies – Leroux & Lotz Technologies and VINCI Environnement – have agreed to work on developing hydrothermal gasification (HG) technology.

Following the example of the Dutch model, the hydrothermal gasification sector, which produces renewable gas from wet or liquid biomass, has been showing strong growth for the past two years. 

The companies in the sector are joining forces, most notably through the Hydrothermal Gasification Working Group, to promote the emergence of demonstrator projects and pave the way for industrialising the technology. Leroux & Lotz Technologies and VINCI Environnement are the first two French companies to come on board, either to directly deveop the technology or to collaborate with the developers.

The sector is targeting a production capacity of at least 50 TWh by 2050.

A round table will be held at 2-3.30 pm on Wednesday 30 March to build on the progress made by players in the hydrothermal gasification sector in France and gain fresh perspectives from representatives of the Dutch and Swiss sectors. The meeting will focus on the question of which factors will lead the sector towards successful industrialisation.

Attendees will include SCW Systems, which demonstrated in 2019 its capacity to effectively manage the full process of gasification and injection into a high-pressure gas network through its industrial-scale pilot project. SCW Systems is currently commissioning its first 20 MW industrial demonstrator project in the Netherlands. The country’s hydrothermal gasification plan is highly ambitious with a goal to produce 11.1 TWh SCV/year, equivalent to 57% of total production (~ 20 TWh) of renewable gas in the Netherlands by 2030.

The Netherlands’ ambitious plans will inform the discussions with our French (VINCI Environnement, Leroux & Lotz) and Swiss (TreaTech) developers. GRTgaz and Banzo will also take part as moderators.

Hydrothermal gasification (HG) is an innovative process of thermochemical conversion that can be used to process a variety of wet or liquid organic waste, produce renewable gas and recover valuable materials. The technology offers considerable benefits such as eliminating micropullotants, pathogens and medicinal waste found in certain types of waste as well as recovering a number of solid and liquid materials that can be converted into water, phosphorus, nitrogen, metals, methane, hydrogen and other recyclable products. As such, HG provides a solution for depolluting our waste, producing energy, recovering water, making biofertilisers as well as greatly reducing by as much as over 15 times the amount of final disposal waste.

Created in late 2020, the French hydrothermal gasification (HG) sector is represented by a group of multi-sector organisations motivated by common interests in the energy transition for regions. These private and public entities are united in the Hydrothermal Gasification Working Group.

The group’s aim is to work towards stucturing the sector across France by 2024, meeting the country’s national targets relating to the energy transition and regional circular economy and more broadly expanding it to the European level.

The Hydrothermal Gasification Working Group is seeking to assemble players in the sector across the entire value chain, including developers, renewable gas producers, water and waste processing firms, users, equipment manufacturers, trade associations, design offices, gas network operators, research laboratories and local authorities.