Production of diesel from biomass and wind power – Energy storage by the use of the Fischer-Tropsch process

An increasing share of power production from sun and wind energy in Europe led to an increasing interest in novel energy storage technologies. The production of hydrogen from electricity via electrolysis enables the conversion of electrical energy into chemical energy, which can be stored with high energy density, if further process steps are applied. The Fischer-Tropsch process is well-known for the production of diesel fuel from different fuel types. Within the present work, results of an experimental campaign with a laboratory-scale Fischer-Tropsch plant are illustrated. The described experimental campaign was executed to determine the performance of a diesel fuel production from biomass. Furthermore, the investigation included the integration of hydrogen from wind power promoting a combined power-to-gas and biomass-to-liquid process. As a result, the investigated process is aiming at the storage of wind energy by the use of a chemical process enabling high energy density. Therefore, extensive measurement data was collected illustrating the influence of load changes on the operated laboratory-scale Fischer-Tropsch plant. The experimental campaign showed that an increased gas stream feed, enabled by the addition of hydrogen from wind power, leads to an increased output of Fischer-Tropsch products. Furthermore, the executed experimental campaign proved the suitability of different catalysts with respect to fluctuating load changes.