When biomass is transformed into fuel, heating or electricity, for instance at district heating plants, tar is released in the process.
Tar and the environment
Tar is a pollutant that is known for its carcinogenic and general harmful effect. Tar’s water-soluble components can damage ground water and have a toxic impact on certain plants and fish.
Governments around the world focus on producing 10% of all fuel from biomass, preferably waste products. In such energy plants tar removal technology is important – without a suitable process, energy production from biomass would not be environmentally sustainable.
Case: S-TAR in Skive District Heating Plant
Topsøe is developing tar removal technologies for different applications under the name S-TAR. Development of the technology for combined heat and power is carried out in collaboration with Danish Skive District Heating Plant, and the technology has been implemented at their plant in Skive. This relatively small plant converts wood pellets into heating and supplies around 19.000 Danish households. Every day the S-TAR technology saves the surroundings from between 240 and 1500 kg of tar.