Online workshop on 26 March 2025 on the Biobrick2 research project
CO₂-neutral brick production: successful demonstration of the integration of a wood gasifier
The BioBrick2 research project shows what CO2-neutral brick production could look like: building on the results of the predecessor project BioBrick, the successful integration of a wood gasifier into a brick plant was demonstrated in real operation.
The main objective of BioBrick2 is to promote the use of biomass and biogenic residues for the provision of process heat in high-temperature processes in order to replace fossil fuels. This can reduce the industry‘s dependence on imports and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In the brick and tile industry, heat for firing processes is largely provided from natural gas. In Germany alone, annual consumption is around 4.8 terawatt hours, which is 89 per cent of the industry‘s total heat consumption. Among the climate-friendly energy sources, biomass has the disadvantage that conventional combustion can only reach temperatures of around 500 degrees. Electricity, hydrogen or biomethane can achieve temperatures of up to 1500 degrees. One solution is wood gasification: up to 1100 degrees are possible here, but only with an adapted burner technology in which the combustion of the synthesis gas produced provides the high-temperature process heat.
The technical integration and long-term operation of such a wood gasifier in a brickworks has now been demonstrated in real operation as part of the research project.
Commissioning and real operation at ABC-Klinker
At the end of 2023, a Burkhardt V3.90S wood gasifier was put into operation at ABC-Klinker‘s Schüttdorf plant following the installation of the modified gas burners and the gas control system. The wood gasifier, fully installed, wired and piped in a special container, enables seamless integration into the existing system.
During commissioning, the natural gas burners in one row of burners in the tunnel kiln were initially replaced with burners adapted for the use of wood gas. A stable flame pattern was generated, demonstrating the technical feasibility of the concept. Since mid-2024, after the brickworks‘ winter break, the tunnel kiln has been running continuously with wood gas on three of the ten burner rows. Operation of the wood gasifier has been stable so far. Neither negative influences on the kiln temperatures nor on the appearance or quality of the bricks have been detected.
Further analyses and outlook
In the further course of the project, long-term tests of direct wood gas utilisation in the tunnel kiln will be carried out. The investigations will focus on the load change behaviour of the gasifier, for example during pusher times, as well as detailed observations of the temperature distribution, the flue gas composition and possible effects on the products. At the same time, strategies for completely CO2-neutral operation are being developed and a techno-economic assessment of direct gas utilisation is being carried out based on the results obtained.
The utilisation of biomass in the gasifier could bring an additional benefit: The residue from wood gasification - the gasifier ash - was used as a porosification agent on a trial basis. Up to 0.8 per cent by mass of gasifier coal, based on the wet weight of the brick, could be introduced.
About the project
The BioBrick2 project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as part of the 7th Energy Research Programme, will run from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2025. The project is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT, with Burkhardt as the gasifier manufacturer and a clinker plant of the ABC-Klinkergruppe as an active reference company for the brick industry.
Workshop on the project
An online workshop on the project will take place on 26 March 2025.
This is primarily aimed at companies from the brick and ceramics industry.
Using the BioBrick 2 project as an example, we will demonstrate the successful integration of a wood gasifier into an ongoing brick production process. New approaches for the generation of CO2-neutral process heat for high-temperature processes will be presented, e.g. through the use of bioenergy.
