Charles B. Benham

Integrated solar receiver/biomass gasifier research

Processes for producing liquid fuels from olefin-rich pyrolysis gases obtained from fast pyrolysis of biomass are being developed by J. Kuester at Arizona State University and J. Diebold at the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, Calif. In the Diebold process the biomass, carried by steam, is blown through an entrained bed gasifier. The olefins are then separated from the rest of the reaction products and polymerized thermally to gasoline; the other gases are used as fuel for the process. The Kuester process uses a fluidized bed gasifier and a catalytic Fischer-Tropsch reactor which converts the olefins, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide into n-propanol and paraffinic hydrocarbons. The advantages over the Diebold process are shorter residence time and elimination of the gas separation requirement. One disadvantage is the low octane rating of the fuel. As part of the solar thermal program at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), an entrained bed reactor/receiver for fast pyrolysis of biomass is being developed for use with either the Diebold or Kuester process. This system is discussed.