In the present study, an oxygen blown pilot scale pressurized
entrained-flow
biomass gasification plant (PEBG, 1 MWth) was designed,
constructed, and operated. This Article provides a detailed description
of the pilot plant and results from gasification experiments with
stem wood biomass made from pine and spruce. The focus was to evaluate
the performance of the gasifier with respect to syngas quality and
mass and energy balance. The gasifier was operated at an elevated
pressure of 2 bar(a) and at an oxygen equivalence ratio (λ)
between 0.43 and 0.50. The resulting process temperatures in the hot
part of the gasifier were in the range of 1100–1300 °C
during the experiments. As expected, a higher λ results in a
higher process temperature. The syngas concentrations (dry and N2 free) during the experiments were 25–28 mol % for
H2, 47–49 mol % for CO, 20–24 mol % for CO2, and 1–2 mol % for CH4. The dry syngas
N2 content was varied between 18 and 25 mol % depending
on the operating conditions of the gasifier. The syngas H2/CO ratio was 0.54–0.57. The gasifier cold gas efficiency
(CGE) was approximately 70% for the experimental campaigns performed
in this study. The synthesis gas produced by the PEBG has potential
for further upgrading to renewable products, for example, chemicals
or biofuels, because the performance of the gasifier is close to that
of other relevant gasifiers.
An
international round robin study of the production of fast pyrolysis
bio-oil was undertaken. A total of 15 institutions in six countries
contributed. Three biomass samples were distributed to the laboratories
for processing in fast pyrolysis reactors. Samples of the bio-oil
produced were transported to a central analytical laboratory for analysis.
The round robin was focused on validating the pyrolysis community
understanding of production of fast pyrolysis bio-oil by providing
a common feedstock for bio-oil preparation. The round robin included:
distribution of three feedstock samples, hybrid poplar, wheat straw,
and a blend of lignocellulosic biomasses, from a common source to
each participating laboratory, preparation of fast pyrolysis bio-oil
in each laboratory with the three feedstocks provided, and return
of the three bio-oil products (minimum of 500 mL) with operational
description to a central analytical laboratory for bio-oil property
determination. The analyses of interest were CHN, S, trace element
analysis, water, ash, solids, pyrolytic lignin, density, viscosity,
carboxylic acid number, and accelerated aging of bio-oil. In addition,
an effort was made to compare the bio-oil components to the products
of analytical pyrolysis through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
(GC/MS) analysis. The results showed that clear differences can occur
in fast pyrolysis bio-oil properties by applying different process
configurations and reactor designs in small scale. The comparison
to the analytical pyrolysis method suggested that pyrolysis (Py)–GC/MS
could serve as a rapid qualitative screening method for bio-oil composition
when produced in small-scale fluid-bed reactors. Gel permeation chromatography
was also applied to determine molecular weight information. Furthermore,
hot vapor filtration generally resulted in the most favorable bio-oil
product, with respect to water, solids, viscosity, and carboxylic
acid number. These results can be helpful in understanding the variation
in bio-oil production methods and their effects on bio-oil product
composition.
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