A comparison of Rh/CeO2/SiO2 catalysts with steam reforming catalysts, dolomite and inert materials as bed materials in low throughput fluidized bed gasification systems.

Abstract The gasification of cedar wood in the presence of Rh/CeO2/SiO2 has been conducted in the laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor using air as a gasifying agent at low temperatures (823– 973 K ) in order to produce high-quality fuel gas for gas turbine for power generation. The performance of the Rh/CeO2/SiO2 catalyst has been compared with conventional catalysts such as commercial steam reforming catalyst G-91, dolomite and noncatalyst systems by measurements of the cold gas efficiency, tar concentration, carbon conversion to gas and gas composition. The tar concentration was completely negligible in the Rh/CeO2/SiO2-catalyzed product gas whereas it was about 30, 113, and 139 g / m 3 in G-91, dolomite and noncatalyzed product gas, respectively. Since the carbon conversion to useful gas such as CO, H2, and CH4 are much higher on Rh/CeO2/SiO2 catalyst than others at 873 K , the cold gas efficiency is much higher (71%) in this case than others. The hydrogen content in the product gas is much higher (>24 vol %) than the specified level (>10 vol %) for efficient combustion in the gas turbine engine. The char and coke formation is also very low on Rh/CeO2/SiO2 catalyst than on the conventional catalysts. Although the catalyst surface area was slightly decreased after using the same catalyst in at least 20 experiments, the deactivation problem was not severe.

[1]  Eddie G. Baker,et al.  Steam gasification of biomass with nickel secondary catalysts , 1987 .

[2]  M Morris,et al.  Energy recovery from solid waste fuels using advanced gasification technology , 1998 .

[3]  Sn Barker,et al.  Gasification and pyrolysis - routes to competitive electricity production from biomass in the UK , 1996 .

[4]  José Corella,et al.  Commercial steam reforming catalysts to improve biomass gasification with steam-oxygen mixtures. 2: Catalytic tar removal , 1998 .

[5]  Roberto Carapellucci.  Power generation using dedicated woody crops: thermodynamics and economics of integrated plants , 2002 .

[6]  Xiu-li Yin,et al.  Design and operation of a CFB gasification and power generation system for rice husk , 2002 .

[7]  Eddie G. Baker,et al.  Catalysis of Gas- Phase Reactions in Steam Gasification of Biomass , 1985 .

[8]  B. Kelleher,et al.  Review of literature on catalysts for biomass gasification , 2001 .

[9]  José Corella,et al.  Biomass Gasification with Steam in Fluidized Bed: Effectiveness of CaO, MgO, and CaO−MgO for Hot Raw Gas Cleaning , 1997 .

[10]  José Corella,et al.  Hot gas cleaning and upgrading with a calcined dolomite located downstream a biomass fluidized bed gasifier operating with steam-oxygen mixtures , 1997 .

[11]  Krister Sjöström,et al.  Biomass gasification in a laboratory-scale AFBG: influence of the location of the feeding point on the fuel-N conversion , 2000 .

[12]  José Corella,et al.  Biomass Gasification with Air in Fluidized Bed. Hot Gas Cleanup with Selected Commercial and Full-Size Nickel-Based Catalysts , 2000 .

[13]  D R McIlveen-Wright,et al.  A re-appraisal of wood-fired combustion. , 2001, Bioresource technology.

[14]  Ian Narváez,et al.  Fresh Tar (from a Biomass Gasifier) Elimination over a Commercial Steam-Reforming Catalyst. Kinetics and Effect of Different Variables of Operation , 1997 .

[15]  M. Asadullah,et al.  Novel biomass gasification method with high efficiency: catalytic gasification at low temperature , 2002 .

[16]  José Corella,et al.  Biomass Gasification with Air in a Fluidized Bed: Exhaustive Tar Elimination with Commercial Steam Reforming Catalysts , 1999 .

[17]  V. I. Ugursal,et al.  Air gasification of rice husk in a dual distributor type fluidized bed gasifier , 1999 .

[18]  Anthony V. Bridgwater,et al.  Research in thermochemical biomass conversion. , 1988 .

[19]  A. Bridgwater.  The technical and economic feasibility of biomass gasification for power generation , 1995 .

[20]  Role of catalyst and its fluidization in the catalytic gasification of biomass to syngas at low temperature , 2002 .

[21]  Anthony V. Bridgwater,et al.  Catalysis in thermal biomass conversion , 1994 .

[22]  André Faaij,et al.  Biomass combustion for power generation , 1996 .

[23]  A. Bridgwater,et al.  Fluidized Bed Gasification of Wood , 1988 .

[24]  R. Bain,et al.  Biomass-fired power generation , 1998 .

[25]  C Z Wu,et al.  An economic analysis of biomass gasification and power generation in China. , 2002, Bioresource technology.

[26]  Mohammad Asadullah,et al.  Energy efficient production of hydrogen and syngas from biomass: development of low-temperature catalytic process for cellulose gasification. , 2002, Environmental science & technology.

[27]  José Corella,et al.  Biomass gasification with air in fluidized bed : Reforming of the gas composition with commercial steam reforming Catalysts , 1998 .

[28]  Lucía García,et al.  Catalytic steam reforming of bio-oils for the production of hydrogen : effects of catalyst composition , 2000 .

[29]  J. Fierro,et al.  New catalytic routes for syngas and hydrogen production , 1996 .

[30]  A. Faaij,et al.  Efficiency and economy of wood-fired biomass energy systems in relation to scale regarding heat and power generation using combustion and gasification technologies , 2001 .

[31]  Mohammad Asadullah,et al.  Biomass Gasification to Hydrogen and Syngas at Low Temperature: Novel Catalytic System Using Fluidized-Bed Reactor , 2002 .

[32]  Mohammad Asadullah,et al.  A novel catalytic process for cellulose gasification to synthesis gas , 2001 .

[33]  L. K. Mudge,et al.  Fundamentals of thermochemical biomass conversion , 1985 .

[34]  Kaoru Fujimoto,et al.  Catalytic Performance of Rh/CeO2 in the Gasification of Cellulose to Synthesis Gas at Low Temperature , 2001 .

[35]  María L. Salvador,et al.  Catalytic Steam Gasification of Pine Sawdust. Effect of Catalyst Weight/Biomass Flow Rate and Steam/Biomass Ratios on Gas Production and Composition , 1999 .

[36]  F. Miccio,et al.  Generation and conversion of carbonaceous fine particles during bubbling fluidised bed gasification of a biomass fuel , 1999 .