Title:
Techno-economic Viability of a Carbon-negative 20 t/h Biomass Gasification Project Integrated with Electrical Production at the Back End - IRR-positive without Local Incentives
Author(s):
van Tonder, G.C., Botha, W.N.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Thermochemical renewable energy projects have historically struggled to achieve commercial viability without substantial incentives, often failing to progress beyond the “technology valley of death.” Even when scaled, underperformance and high capital costs have limited competitiveness with fossil-based systems. These challenges are frequently linked to undercapitalized development structures and inflated capital expenditure assumptions. This study presents a techno-economic assessment of a commercial-scale, carbon-negative biomass gasification system integrated with Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power generation. A 45 MW updraft gasification facility is modeled under a cradle-to-grave boundary, with carbon permanence defined by H/Corg < 0.4 and MRV aligned with voluntary carbon markets. Three scenarios are evaluated. Electricity-only results in LCOE of 11.30 c/kWh and IRR of 14–16%. Including biochar at $400/t reduces LCOE to 5.80 c/kWh and increases IRR to 22–26%. For the third scenario which includes incentives and voluntary market CDR credits the LCOE is 3.20 cents/kWh. Results confirm that viability is driven by multi-product revenue rather than electricity alone.
Keywords:
biomass, electricity, gasification
Topic:
Industry Track
Subtopic:
Thermochemical Biomass conversion
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
IDV.3.24
Pages:
1122 - 1127
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-IDV.3.24
Price:
FREE
