SOFCOM project: Proof-of-concept of WWTU plant feeding a SOFC CHP system integrated with CO2 removal

[SOFCOM is an applied research project (FCH JU Grant Agreement 278798) devoted to demonstrate the technical feasibility, the efficiency and environmental advantages of CHP plants based on SOFC fed by different typologies of biogenous primary fuels (locally produced), integrated by a process for the CO2 separation from the anode exhaust gases. The research activity is devoted to the scientific, technical and economic management of the proof-of-concept of a complete energy systems based on SOFCs, integrated in a waste water treatment plant (WWTU), with CO2 management. Several issues are addressed, like high efficiency integration designs, impact of the fuel pollutants on the SOFC and fuel processing units operation, gas cleaning, carbon sequestration module, operation in CHP configuration, maintenance and repair strategies, lessons learned for pre-normative issues and scale-up analysis. The paper develops general presentation of the SOFCOM project, and outlines the WWTU-SOFC-CO2 management demonstration plant.