Bioethanol Production via Herbaceous and Agricultural Biomass Gasification Integrated with Syngas Fermentation

Sahar Safarian,Christiaan Richter,Runar Unnthorsson

doi:10.3390/fermentation7030139

Sahar Safarian, Christiaan Richter + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7030139

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Abstract

In this paper, a simulation model based on the non-stoichiometric equilibrium method via ASPEN Plus was established to analyze the gasification performance of 20 herbaceous and agricultural biomasses (H&ABs) linked with syngas fermentation and product purification units for ethanol production. The established simulation model does not consider the gasification system as a black box; it focuses the important processes in gasification such as drying, pyrolysis, gasification, and connection with bioethanol production plants. The results for the 20 H&AB options suggest that the specific mass flow rate of bioethanol from 1 kg of biomass input to the unit is in the range of 99–250 g/kg, and between them, the system fed by hazelnut shell biomass remarkably outranked other alternatives by 241 g/kg production due to the high beneficial results gained from the performance analysis. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed by changing operating conditions such as gasification temperature and air-to-fuel ratio. The modeling results are given and discussed. The established model could be a useful approach to evaluate the impacts of a huge numbers of biomasses and operating parameters on bioethanol output.

Highlights

The primary goal of this paper was to establish a simulation model relying on the non-stoichiometric equilibrium method via ASPEN Plus for the performance evaluation of 20 Herbaceous and agricultural biomasses (H&ABs) in downdraft gasification linked with syngas fermentation and product recovery units
Class 1 included six H&AB gasification systems mostly based on straw feedstocks including rice husks, pepper residue, barley straw, walnut hulls and blows, oat straw, and rice straw, which produced the minimum values of smethanol
The developed model contains tains the main process/submodules necessary for the method, such as drying, pyrolysis, the main process/submodules necessary for the method, as drying, pyrolysis, and gasification linked with the syngas fermentation andsuch product purification unitsand for gasification linked with the syngas fermentation and product purification units for bioethanol production

Summary

Introduction

Herbaceous and agricultural biomasses (H&ABs) are currently the most critical and abundant sources of renewable energy in the world that can be used for energy generation. Herbaceous crops have the highest ranking for bioenergy production due to their high biomass yield, high net energy gain, and biomass quality that make them suitable for both biochemical and thermochemical conversion [8]. H&ABs come from plants that have non-woody stems and that die at the end of their growing seasons. This biomass includes most agricultural crops, grasses, and straws. Herbaceous biomass has a higher nutrient content and a lower lignin content than wood. The lignin and cellulose contents in H&ABs are in the range of 18–35 wt% and 65–75 wt%, respectively [9]

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