Titan V

At the Biogaz Europe trade show (29 to 30 January in Nantes), GRTgaz, Leroux & Lotz Technologies and Terrawatt reached a key milestone with the installation of an industrial demonstration pilot to produce renewable gas by combining two technologies (biological methanation and pyro-gasification)². This innovative process launched in Pays-de-la-Loire and named “Titan V” form part of regional efforts to develop the circular economy by producing sustainable energy that can be controlled and stored from underused or poorly used local resources, such as wood waste, solid recovered fuels, sewage sludge, etc.

The Titan V project kicks off an important development phase with the installation of a biological methanation unit that connects to the existing pyro-gasification facility on the Innov’Energy R&D platform at Leroux & Lotz in Nantes. The innovation lies in the coupling of pyro-gasification and biological methanation.

Titan V brings together the complementary expertise of three French companies: Leroux & Lotz Technologies, which specialises in the design and construction of thermal equipment (industrial boilers, pyro-gasification equipment, etc.); the start-up Terrawatt, which is developing an innovative biological methanation process; and GRTgaz, the manager of the gas transmission network. Initially, operating tests will be carried out on biological methanation from gases stored in cylinders. These tests will pave the way for the second stage, which will directly link Leroux & Lotz’s pyro-gasification facility with Terrawatt’s process to produce renewable gas that can be used in the network. This second stage will also aim to optimise the process’s performance, with a view to the countrywide industrialisation of the sector.

Throughout the project, GRTgaz will check the composition of the gas obtained and its compliance with technical specifications to confirm the process’s ability to provide a low-carbon gas that can be injected into the existing natural gas networks.

Titan V illustrates the commitment of the regions to developing efficient waste treatment solutions by producing renewable, local gas from various inputs (waste, biomass, etc.) and with recourse to expertise developed by a French ecosystem of innovative companies (start-ups, SMEs, mid-caps, etc.). This locally produced gas provides the community with tangible solutions for local waste treatment, decarbonisation, the circular economy, and support for the regional economy. According to a 2018 study led by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME)², 100% of the gas consumed in France could be of renewable origin by 2050 with the involvement of the different renewable gas production sectors (anaerobic digestion, pyro-gasification and Power to Gas).

The Titan V project is certified by the EMC² competitiveness cluster. It represents an overall investment of around €1.3 million. The project receives financial support from the Pays-de-la-Loire Region amounting to €402,500 a (mix of loans and subsidies for the three project leaders: LEROUX ET LOTZ TECHNOLOGIES, GRTgaz and TERRAWATT), as well as financial support from Nantes Métropole.

¹ Biological methanation is a process that recombines gaseous molecules produced from different types of waste to make methane that can be recovered in the existing networks, for all types of uses. The specific process developed by Terrawatt uses a closed environment to cultivate micro-organisms supplied by the gas produced upstream from waste.

² Pyro-gasification is a process for recovering solid waste that breaks down matter into different gaseous molecules by heating them at very high temperatures (between 800 and 1500°), with little (or no) oxygen. 

³ “A 100% renewable gas mix in 2050?”