Development of a Gasification System for Utilizing Fish Processing Waste and Coastal Small Diameter Wood in Rural Areas

Many small rural communities lack the infrastructure and demands of urban areas and find themselves constrained by fuel and energy limitations. Researching gasification processes that can be used by these communities can play a significant role in making them sustainable by reducing their environmental and economic impact through the use of locally available resources. This research focuses on developing a methodology and process to gasify a unique waste stream composed of salmon fishery wastes and small diameter alder, by taking a low-cost practical approach to create a system that could be locally sustainable and support existing infrastructure and heating needs. The waste stream was successfully processed and then gasified in a small-scale downdraft gasifier. Various combinations of feedstock mixtures and gasification conditions were determined using a response surface model and then trialed. The results showed a distinct set of optimal conditions and suggested that utilization of salmon processing waste in a downdraft fixed bed gasifier is feasible and could potentially generate a new function for this waste.