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U.S. Department of Energy
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Biothermal gasification of biomass and organic residues

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6549671

The BIOTHERMGAS process is described for gasification of biomass and organic residues to substitute natural gas (SNG). This process combines biological and thermochemical unit operations for the conversion of a broad variety of organic feeds such as plant materials, organic residues, and peat to SNG or other fuels, regardless of their water and nutrient content. The process employs biological gasification followed by thermochemical gasification of refractory digester residues. Ammonia and other inorganic nutrients are recycled from the thermochemical process unit to the biological gasification unit (digester). Waste heat from thermochemical conversion components is used to supply the heat requirement of the bioconversion component. The product gases from the thermochemical unit can be upgraded to SNG by either biological or catalytic methanation. The results of preliminary systems analyses of three different operating conditions are presented here: 9.1 x 10/sup 6/ kg/day Bermuda grass plant with catalytic methanation, 9.1 x 10/sup 6/ kg/day Bermuda grass plant with biomethanation, and 0.9 x 10/sup 6/ kg/day municipal solid waste (MSW) and sewage sludge plant with biomethanation. The results of these analyses indicate that the performance of this process is superior to biological or thermochemical processes used separately. Laboratory studies conducted on conversion of typical thermochemical product gases (H/sub 2/, CO/sub 2/, and CO) to methane in a sewage sludge digester showed that effective conversion of gases can be accomplished by biomethanation without any adverse effect on the sludge bioconversion process.

OSTI ID:
6549671
Report Number(s):
CONF-801104-14
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English