Co-gasification of Appalachian Hardwood Residue and Coal: Feedstock Properties

Abstract

The goal of this research is to evaluate co-gasification of coal and biomass mixtures in a commercially available small downdraft gasifier designed for biomass feedstock. This article presents characterization of coal-biomass mixtures for gasification properties. Appalachian hardwood biomass residues (red oak and yellow poplar) samples were collected from the West Virginia University forests. These red oak and yellow poplar wood samples were chipped, dried and then ground to 1mm particle size. Wood and coal (sub-bituminous) mixtures were prepared using 0%, 10%, 20% and 100% of ground wood by weight. Gross heating, proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, heat capacity, chemical composition and mineral composition were determined for coal, red oak, yellow poplar and coal-biomass mixtures. In addition, thermo-gravimetric analyses (TGA) were performed in air, carbon dioxide and nitrogen atmospheres representing oxidation, gasification and pyrolysis conditions, respectively. Results showed that gross heating value, ash content and sulfur content decreased significantly when wood was mixed with coal.