Release of fuel-bound nitrogen during biomass gasification
Gasification of four biomass feedstocks (leucaena, sawdust, bagasse, and banagrass) with significantly different fuel-bound nitrogen (FBN) content was investigated to determine the effects of operational parameters and nitrogen content of biomass on the partitioning of FBN among nitrogenous gas species. Experiments were performed using a bench-scale, indirectly heated, fluidized-bed gasifier. Data were obtained over a range of temperatures and equivalence ratios representative of commercial biomass gasification processes. An assay of all major nitrogenous components in the gasification products was performed for the first time, providing a clear accounting of the evolution of FBN. Important findings of this research include the following: (1) NH{sub 3} and N{sub 2} are the dominant species evolved from fuel nitrogen during biomass gasification; >90% of FBN in feedstock is converted to NH{sub 3} and N{sub 2}; (2) relative levels of NH{sub 3} and N{sub 2} are determined by thermochemical reactions in the gasifier; these reactions are affected strongly by temperature; (3) N{sub 2} appears to be primarily produced through the conversion of NH{sub 3} in the gas phase; (4) the structural formula and content of fuel nitrogen in biomass feedstock significantly affect the formation and evolution of nitrogen species during biomass gasification.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 20019040
- Journal Information:
- Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 39, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Mar 2000; ISSN 0888-5885
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Investigation of nitrogenous compound formation in biomass gasification
Simulation of fuel-bound nitrogen evolution in biomass gasification