From demonstration to commercial reference plant.
FastOx® gasification technology has been developed and tested at bench and pilot scale, reaching Technology Readiness Level 7. The next step is the 100 MTPD commercial offering.
A fully integrated demonstration with the U.S. Army.
Sierra Energy’s FastOx gasification demonstration facility at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County operated from 2018 to 2023. Sierra Energy demonstrated every core aspect of a high-temperature gasification system in one integrated facility, from waste preparation and charging through the production of particulate- and tar-free syngas.
Most testing used municipal solid waste that had been processed into refuse-derived fuel for the demonstration system. The system demonstrated the production of clean, energy-dense syngas suitable for power generation in an internal-combustion generator, and slag composition and production matched expectations from the earlier RETC testing.
U.S. Department of Defense
Invested $3 million as part of the Army’s net-zero waste initiative, through the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program.
California Energy Commission
Invested $5 million to demonstrate the production of ultra-low carbon renewable fuel from waste.
U.S. Army
Sponsored the project to meet the Army’s responsible waste management goals while improving energy security with renewable resources.
The project was reviewed and approved by the regional Water Quality Control Board and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District. All appropriate environmental assessments were completed.
Continuous innovation: second-generation FastOx gasification.
Demonstration testing identified several improvements to the gasification process, generating new intellectual property and advancing the system’s design. To validate these improvements, a second-generation demonstration gasifier has been designed, fabricated and delivered to Fort Hunter Liggett for installation. Long-term operation is expected to establish a commercial reference plant for customers and development partners.
Enhanced material handling
Improved solid-material feed systems to handle a wider range of waste feedstocks.
Durability upgrades
More reliable injection lances and water-cooled, refractory-lined support for materials in the high-temperature zone.
Streamlined design
Gasifier and polisher combined into a single vessel, reducing cost and improving operability.
Optimized control
Advanced control strategies designed to improve syngas yield and polisher tar destruction.
Advanced gas cleaning
Alkali sorbent-based dry-gas cleaning for halide removal, and centrifuge treatment of wet-gas cleaning water to recover soot and recycle it to the gasifier.
Front-end engineering studies delivered worldwide.
Sierra Energy supports project developers with process design packages and techno-economic analyses, and has completed Front End Loading (FEL-2) studies on four continents.