Characterization and catalytic conditioning of synthesis gas produced by biomass gasification
- National Renewable Energy Resources, Golden, CO (United States); and others
Synthesis gas (syngas) is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used as a feedstock for methanol, higher alcohols, and Fischer Tropsch hydrocarbon synthesis. Syngas generated by thermal biomass gasification (referred to as biosyngas in this paper) represents a renewable feedstock because alcohol/hydrocarbon combustion returns the carbon and hydrogen to the atmosphere as CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O. These are converted back into plant material during photosynthesis when new biomass is cultivated. Biomass gasification in this respect is a form of solar energy conversion. Syngas from biomass gasification cannot be used directly for fuel synthesis because it contains particulate matter, methane, C{sub 2} hydrocarbons, and tar. These impurities cannot be tolerated by downstream catalytic fuel synthesis processes. Unprocessed biosyngas is also unacceptably rich in CO for most syngas chemistry; for example a H{sub 2}/CO ratio equal to 0.7 is typical in biosyngas but methanol synthesis stoichiometry requires that H{sub 2}/CO be equal to 2 (in industrial methanol synthesis some CO{sub 2} is also added). The most cost effective way to prepare biosyngas for fuel synthesis is by syngas conditioning. This paper describes the performance of a proprietary catalyst, DN-34, for the processing of syngas.
- OSTI ID:
- 254836
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940813--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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