Production of High H2/CO Syngas by Steam Gasification of Shengli Lignite: Catalytic Effect of Inherent Minerals

Abstract

The steam gasification of Shengli lignite (SL-raw) and demineralized samples (SL-HCl and SL-HF) obtained by sequential leaching with hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid aqueous solutions was conducted using fixed-bed microreactor equipment. The high steam gasification rate of Shengli lignite was achieved at a lower temperature range of 616–750 °C compared to the demineralized lignite SL-HCl and SL-HF, indicating that the inherent minerals within Shengli lignite had a distinguished catalytic effect on the steam gasification. The initiating temperature for the steam gasification of SL-raw was 616 °C, which was about 140 °C lower compared to the initiating temperature of demineralized lignite samples SL-HCl and SL-HF at 756 °C. On the basis of the very similar characteristics of steam gasification of SL-HCl and SL-HF, it was indeed confirmed that the principal component of inherent minerals that played a catalytic effect on the steam gasification reaction was calcium ion, which can be readily eluted by h...