Xianbin Xiao

Two-stage steam gasification of waste biomass in fluidized bed at low temperature: Parametric investigations and performance optimization

Steam gasification of waste biomass has been studied in a two-stage fluidized bed reactor, which has the primary pyrolysis fluidized bed using silica sand as bed material and the secondary reforming fixed bed with catalyst. The main objectives are parametric investigation and performance improvement especially at low temperature of around 600 °C using the wood chip and the pig manure compost as feedstock. Main operating variables studied are pyrolysis temperature, catalytic temperature, steam/biomass-C ratio, space velocity and different catalyst. Reaction temperatures and steam/C ratio have important role on the gasification process. About 60 vol.% H2 (dry and N2 free) and about 2.0 Nm3/kg biomass (dry and ash free basis) can be obtained under good conditions. Compared to Ni/Al2O3, Ni/BCC (Ni-loaded brown coal char) has a better ability and a hopeful prospect for the stability with coking resistance.

Preparation and characterization of bio-oils from internally circulating fluidized-bed pyrolyses of municipal, livestock, and wood waste

Fast pyrolyses of sewage sludge (SS), pig compost (PC), and wood chip (WC) were investigated in an internally circulating fluidized-bed to evaluate bio-oil production. The pyrolyses were performed at 500 °C and the bio-oil yields from SS, PC, and WC were 45.2%, 44.4%, and 39.7% (dried and ash-free basis), respectively. The bio-oils were analyzed with an elemental analyzer, Karl-Fischer moisture titrator, bomb calorimeter, Fourier transformation infrared spectrometer, gel permeation chromatograph, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The results show that the bio-oil from SS is rich in aliphatic and organonitrogen species, while the bio-oil from PC exhibits higher caloric value due to its higher carbon content and lower oxygen content in comparison with that from SS. The bio-oils from SS and PC have similar chemical composition of organonitrogen species. Most of the compounds detected in the bio-oil from WC are organooxygen species. Because of its high oxygen content, low H/C ratio, and caloric value, the bio-oil from WC is unfeasible for use as fuel feedstock, but possible for use as chemical feedstock.

Triacetonamine formation in a bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of sewage sludge using acetone as the absorption solvent.

A sewage sludge sample was pyrolyzed in a drop tube furnace at 500 degrees C and sweeping gas flow rate of 300cm(3)/min. Triacetonamine (TAA) was detected with GC/MS as major component in the resulting bio-oil using acetone as the absorption solvent and proven to be a product from the reaction of NH(3) in the bio-oil with the absorption solvent acetone. TAA yield increased with storage time and reached a level about 28.4% (% sludge fed, daf) after 175h. Since the reaction of pure NH(3) with acetone does not proceed, some species in the bio-oil must catalyze the reaction of NH(3) with acetone. TAA was isolated in a high yield (27.9%, daf) and high purity (80.4%) by column chromatography with different solvents, including mixed solvents, as eluants. The study revealed the possibility of sewage sludge as potential resource of TAA.

Low Temperature Gasification of Biomass Using Ni-Loaded Brown Coal

Catalytic gasification of a woody biomass and a livestock waste were investigated under a prepared nickel-loaded brown coal (LY-Ni) char in a two-stage fixed-bed reactor. The nickel- loaded brown coal was prepared by ion-exchange method with a nickel loading rate of 8.3 wt.%. Nickel species dispersed well in the brown coal, and the LY-Ni char via devolatilization at 600°C showed a great porous property with a specific surface area of 382 m2 g−1. The LY-Ni char was confirmed to be quite active for the biomass volatiles gasification at a relatively low-temperature range from 450 to 650°C. It is noteworthy that almost all the nitrogen-containing products (NH3, HCN and N-containing liquids) in biomass waste gasification were converted to N2 in the case of LY-Ni char. The novel Ni-loaded coal char was also applied as catalyst in an internally circulating fluidized-bed gasifier (ICFG). The results show that ICFG can operate well by using nickel catalysts and LY-Ni char has a better ability and a hopeful prospect for the stability with coking resistance in comparison to the commercial nickel catalyst Ni/Al2O3.

Development of Catalytic Tar Decomposition in an Internally Circulating Fluidized-Bed Gasifier

Biomass gasification in an Internally Circulating Fluidized-bed Gasifier (ICFG) using Ni/Ah03 as tar cracking catalyst is studied at low temperature. Reaction conditions of the catalyst bed are discussed, including catalytic temperature and steam ratio. High energy efficiency and hydrogen-rich, low-tar product gas can be achieved in a properly designed multi-stage gasification process, together with high-performance catalyst. In addition, considering the economical feasibility, a newly-developed Ni-loaded brown coal char is developed and evaluated as catalyst in a lab-scale fluidized bed gasifier with catalyst fixed bed. The new catalyst shows a good ability and a hopeful prospect oftar decomposition, gas quality improvement and catalytic stability.