Enhancing biomass flowability for entrained flow Gasification: The role of densification and torrefaction

Journal Article · Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Biomass and Bioenergy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.108238· OSTI ID:3012994

Saha, Nepu ^[1]; Klinger, Jordan Lee ^[1]; Fillerup, Eric P. ^[1]; Bhattacharjee, Tiasha ^[1]; El Zahab, Zach ^[2]

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1. Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
2. GTI Energy, Des Plaines, IL (United States)

Gasification presents a key strategy in addressing future energy demands while minimizing environmental impact. This has been recognized as a promising method to convert biomass to higher value products such as biofuels or hydrogen. Among gasification technologies, high-temperature and high-pressure reactors, particularly the R-GAS® system, emerge as an advanced option boasting superior conversion efficiency. However, akin to conventional high-temperature and high-pressure gasifiers, R-GAS® necessitates small particle sizes for optimal carbon conversion, a requirement yet to be fully explored for biomass. Hence, this study investigated the effectiveness of combined mechanical and thermal preprocessing techniques in modifying the physicochemical properties of biomass to suit gasification systems. Mechanical techniques including densification and pulverization, alongside thermal techniques such as torrefaction and steam explosion, were examined. The results demonstrate that torrefaction fosters producing of uniform granular material, enhancing flowability and reducing energy requirements for pulverization compared to steam explosion. Notably, torrefied corn stover exhibited lower internal friction angles and effective cohesion (40.09 ± 0.22° and 0.56 ± 0.01 kPa, respectively) compared to steam exploded corn stover (41.87 ± 0.65° and 0.83 ± 0.06 kPa, respectively), indicative of improved flowability. Additionally, pulverization of torrefied corn stover required approximately 16 % less energy than steam exploded corn stover and 91 % less energy than raw corn stover. Furthermore, the torrefaction-induced alterations in particle size, shape, and packing densities emphasize its potential to optimize flow and handling processes for gasification. These findings underline that densification followed by torrefaction effectively addresses biomass variability, leading to more efficient and sustainable energy conversion.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 3012994
• Report Number(s): INL/JOU--24-80958
• Journal Information: Biomass and Bioenergy, Journal Name: Biomass and Bioenergy Vol. 202; ISSN 0961-9534
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 - BIOMASS FUELS
Densification
Gasification
Pulverization
Steam explosion
Torrefaction