Gasification of sewage sludge and other biomass for hydrogen production in supercritical water
- Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)
Digested sewage sludge and other biomass such as wood sawdust can be mixed with a corn starch gel to form a viscous paste. The paste can be delivered to a supercritical flow reactor by means of a cement pump. Different types of feedstocks are used in this work sewage sludge (up to 7.69 wt%) mixed in the corn starch paste. When rapidly heated in a flow reactor at pressures above the critical pressure of water (22 MPa) the paste vaporizes. A packed bed of carbon catalyst in the reactor operating at 650 C causes the tarry vapors to react with water, producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and some methane with a trace of carbon monoxide. Thus the authors describe a practical method for the total, supercritical steam reforming of biomass to produce hydrogen at high pressure. The steam reforming process produces effectively no tar. Its only products are a hydrogen rich gas, and a clean water, which can be recycled.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC36-94AL85804
- OSTI ID:
- 318617
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Progress, Vol. 17, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Win 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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