Comparison study of supercritical water gasification for hydrogen production on a continuous flow versus a batch reactor

Abstract

This study compares batch and continuous supercritical water gasification (SCWG) processes for green hydrogen production from biomass. It offers insights for optimizing processes, enhancing yields, quality, and energy efficiency, assessing scale-up feasibility, and supporting techno-economic analyses. Glucose, glycerol, and black liquor were SCWG-treated at 500 °C with K2CO3 catalyst in a self-built continuous-flow reactor (150 g/h) and a batch reactor (75 mL). Comparisons primarily focused on gas product yields. Batch reactors outperformed continuous-flow reactors in hydrogen (glucose: 1.53 to 0.9 mmol/g, glycerol: 7.22 to 1.14 mmol/g, black liquor: 2.88 to 1.74 mmol/g) and total gas yields due to differences in reaction time and heating behavior. Temperature effects on continuous operation (450–600 °C) were studied, with glycerol showing the highest hydrogen yield increase (from 1.21 to 4.30 mmol/g). The study discusses the applicability of both reactors for biomass SCWG processes and their implications for sustainable green hydrogen production from renewable feedstocks.