A new article in Biofuels Digest discusses green syngas, a flexible, biomass-derived mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, as a substitute for fossil-based carbon.

The writers point out that while electrification using renewables is driving the energy transition, electrification solutions are immature or impractical for high temperature industries such as steel and cement which rely on direct fuel combustion. Further, in energy dense applications like aviation and maritime fuels, the weight and volume of batteries limit their usefulness. In these cases, replacing fossil-based carbons with green carbon is a lot more practical.

The article explores how syngas can power a new era of industrial recarbonisation and examines its feedstocks, conversion technologies, technical barriers, and real-world use cases. Also considered is what it will take to scale the syngas solution.

Syngas, they write, is not a single commodity. Rather, it’s a platform technology that allows for customisation depending on market demand and regulatory incentives. Post production, and resulting from gasification technologies including fluidized-bed, entrained flow, and fixed bed with different temperature and pressure conditions, green syngas can be upgraded by a variety of processes to produce aviation and marine fuels, hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and green chemicals amongst other outputs.

According to the writers, the overall growth of the global syngas market is expected to reach USD $731B by 2031 with a CAGR of 11.3%, providing significant opportunities for companies working in the space. The multiple projects involving syngas production that are developing globally include Haffner Energy’s biomass to hydrogen plant in Marolles, France expected to be commissioned by July 2026, and Elyse Energy’s BioTJet project. BioTJet is expected to produce 110,000 tonnes of e-fuels from end-of-life waste wood by 2029.

Read the full article here.