Success for Korean Plasma Gasification Fuel Cell Demo

27 October 2011

The fuel cell system supplied by Canadian fuel cell company, Ballard Power Systems to Korean plasma gasification firm GS Platech for a waste to energy demonstration  facility is now operating successfully to provide power to the local South Korean electricity grid.

GS Platech's pilot plant in Cheongsong is South Korea's first commercial plasma gasification and vitrification system which utilises the GSplatech's proprietary non-transferred plasma torch (200 kW X 2) and plasma cyclonic gasifier technology.

The facility is capable of producing sufficient high purity hydrogen to generate 50 kW power through the Ballard fuel cell stacks - supplied by Dantherm Power, Ballard's backup power systems company.

"This is the first ever demonstration of a waste to energy system incorporating both of these technologies," claims Jesper Themsen, managing director and CEO of Dantherm Power.

GS Platech says that it intends to further promote this solution to new customers worldwide and, to this end, recently hosted tours of the demonstration site in conjunction with the International Solid Waste Association World Congress 2011.

Attendees were shown the potential for this waste to energy system to address two key environmental issues in tandem: environmentally responsible waste treatment; and clean power production.

The project was undertaken as a national research project of the Korean Ministry of Knowledge and Economy with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment, under the framework of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.


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