The Kopf SynGas process

The Kopf SynGas process is a thermal process for producing a fuel gas from dried sewage sludge. The synthesis gas can be used as a substitute fuel in energy-intensive industrial combustion processes. Alternatively, after prior treatment, it can be made available for internal combustion or for motorized use in combined heat and power plants.

The technology of gasification, in which carbon is converted into gaseous components, has been known since the 19th century. During the shortage of raw materials at the beginning of the 20th century, the synthesis gas, obtained from the gasification of coal or wood, was used as an energy source, but also as a raw material for the chemical industry.

The Kopf-SynGas process, developed in 2001, is based on a stationary fluidized bed in which dried sewage sludge is converted into synthesis gas. This gave rise for the first time to the idea of decentralized energy generation through the use of a previously ignored residual material and very early on to an alternative to the incineration of sewage sludge in mono-incineration plants. This idea was implemented in a pilot plant in Balingen. The plant is still in operation and processes the sewage sludge produced in Balingen on a decentralized basis.