by Qi Chen, Pete Rocha (LEC Partners/Biofuels Digest) From aviation to cement, industries reliant on fossil based-carbon need a sustainable substitute—not just to meet climate targets but to remain competitive. In these industries, decarbonization should not be the goal, but recarbonization with a sustainable substitute. That substitute is green syngas: a flexible, biomass-derived mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This article explores how syngas can power a new era of industrial recarbonization. We examine its feedstocks, conversion technologies, technical barriers, and real-world use cases—along with what it will take to scale this solution. For stakeholders across the bioeconomy, green syngas offers more than a molecule—it offers a market.
The Decarbonization Dilemma in Industry
Hard-to-electrify industries need green carbon.
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The Role of Syngas
Green syngas is a highly flexible, globally available resource that can drive the replacement of fossil carbon in multiple industries. Syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, is produced from biomass sources typically via gasification or pyrolysis technologies. Once produced, green syngas can be upgraded by one of four major processes (Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Water-Gas Shift, Synthesis, and Methanation) to produce a variety of products, including: aviation and marine fuels, hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and green chemicals. The versatility of syngas is a tremendous commercial advantage as it provides many potential end-product markets. Syngas should be regarded as a single commodity, but rather a platform technology that allows for customization depending on market demand and regulatory incentives.
Simplified Syngas Process, Source: Scholarly Community Encyclopedia
Sources of Biomass
Syngas is valuable because it unlocks value from waste biomass.
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Further, this upgrading of biomass can support public policy goals such as landfill diversion, and creation of jobs in rural communities.
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Conversion Technology Overview
Biomass gasification is the technical pathway to producing valuable syngas from waste biomass.
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Depending on the completeness of the gasification, other products like bio-oil and biochar may be produced. If the gasification is incomplete, upgrading will occur to remove things like tars, particles, and inorganics. The purified syngas can then be upgraded into many valuable products, such as hydrogen, methanol, and Fischer-Tropsch fuels.
Source, Brandin, et al., 2015
Addressing Technical Challenges
There are several types of gasification technologies including fluidized-bed, entrained flow, and fixed bed with different temperature and pressure conditions.
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High temperature gasification methods, like plasma-arc, can offer complete conversion, reducing the impact of these issues. However, such technologies are still under development.
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Status of Different Gasification Types, Source: LEC Analysis
From Molecule to Market: Syngas Use Cases
Recently, moves to decarbonize economies has catalyzed many use cases where syngas derivatives can be used effectively. The demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is growing.
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The maritime industry too, is making strides in decarbonization.
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Finally, green hydrogen demand is growing globally.
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While many of these programs are electrolysis-focused, biomass-based hydrogen also meets most goals for carbon reduction in these programs.
Investment & Commercialization Outlook
As with any other emerging technology, the development of syngas presents challenges, but also opportunities. Companies entering the space will need to deal with the normal tests of scaling up to commercial scale, and the CAPEX associated with first of its kind technologies. Yet, there is also reason to believe that the pull from markets looking for low carbon products will create the basis for the industry moving forward.
There are multiple developing projects involving syngas production that are developing globally. For example, Haffner Energy has announced a biomass to hydrogen plant in Marolles, France expected to be commissioned by July, 2026. While Elyse Energy has announced its BioTJet project to produce 110,000 tonnes of e-fuels from end-of-life waste wood by 2029.
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Why Syngas Matters Now
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Biomass is globally available in large quantities and can be unlocked by conversion to syngas. Syngas enables the production of key chemicals like methanol, hydrogen, and Fischer-Tropsch fuels, which can address hard to abate sectors like aviation, maritime shipping, and steel manufacturing. The importance of syngas in reaching net-zero has begun and will only increase in the coming years. READ MORE
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