The project titled “Ammonia as a X-Power enabler for stationary power facilities deCarbonization through Direct Combustion” aims to produce alternative energy without relying on coal or other “dirtier” sources, it was announced today.
The solution devised by researchers, who have been working on this for 38 months, involves the use of biomass, forest residues, and ammonia to address energy gaps and subsequently power the grid.
The project, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), could also contribute to heat production, according to the promoters.
In statements to Lusa, Professor Válter Silva, who leads the project, explained that the team concluded it is possible to supply the grid “up to percentages between 10 to 20% with ammonia” and also biomass mixtures “without losing performance.”
Válter Silva added that this experiment also led researchers to conclude there is an “additional advantage” in significantly minimizing the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The project focused on finding solutions for the shortage of biomass, as it is a seasonal product, according to the researcher.
The lack of biomass at certain times of the year prompted the researchers to compensate by using ammonia.
“Ammonia allows combustion, a burn, where we do not have the release of carbon dioxide,” he said.
However, other issues arise, such as the release of NOx (NOx compounds are nitrogen oxides that include, for example, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and nitrous oxide).
“On one hand, we have a significant advantage as we do not have carbon dioxide, but on the other, we have NOx, yet we can optimize the process to reduce emissions significantly,” he explained.
According to Válter Silva, the project’s idea was to bring together a set of solutions so that “we do not have to depend” on traditional energies.
“The result was quite interesting. We managed to ensure performance at the same level using various sources, such as biomass and ammonia,” he added.
To illustrate, the researcher explained that an international station using coal could apply the results of this project to “significantly reduce” its emissions by “more than 20%.”
The project’s funding ends in June and was shared between the Polytechnic Institute of Porto and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering at the Instituto Superior Técnico, with collaboration from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin (United States).
