Biomass gasification for syngas and biochar co-production: Energy application and economic evaluation

Yao, Z., You, S. , Ge, T. and Wang, C.-H. (2018) Biomass gasification for syngas and biochar co-production: Energy application and economic evaluation. Applied Energy, 209, pp. 43-55. (doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.10.077)

Abstract

Syngas and biochar are two main products from biomass gasification. To facilitate the optimization of the energy efficiency and economic viability of gasification systems, a comprehensive fixed-bed gasification model has been developed to predict the product rate and quality of both biochar and syngas. A coupled transient representative particle and fix-bed model was developed to describe the entire fixed-bed in the flow direction of primary air. A three-region approach has been incorporated into the model, which divided the reactor into three regions in terms of different fluid velocity profiles, i.e. natural convection region, mixed convection region, and forced convection region, respectively. The model could provide accurate predictions against experimental data with a deviation generally smaller than 10%. The model is applicable for efficient analysis of fixed-bed biomass gasification under variable operating conditions, such as equivalence ratio, moisture content of feedstock, and air inlet location. The optimal equivalence ratio was found to be 0.25 for maximizing the economic benefits of the gasification process.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research programme is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme. Grant Number R-706-001-101–281, National University of Singapore. The authors acknowledge the technical support of WeiCheng Yan on the project.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: You, Dr Siming
• Authors: Yao, Z., You, S., Ge, T., and Wang, C.-H.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: Applied Energy
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0306-2619
• ISSN (Online): 1872-9118
• Published Online: 31 October 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd.
• First Published: First published in Applied Energy 209: 43-55
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy